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Agriculture: G-20 Tables New Proposal; Negotiations Ongoing In Geneva
The WTO Special Session of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) is convening from 2-4 June for an ‘agriculture week’. Members are continuing negotiations and consultations in an effort to establish a negotiating framework agreement for the Doha agriculture talks before delegates adjourn at the end of July for the WTO summer break. Discussions in this…
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DSU Update: DSU Review Deadline Extended; Appellate Body Developments
At the special (negotiating) session of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) held on 28 May, Members supported a statement by Chair to extend the deadline for negotiations around the Dispute Settlement Understanding without setting a definite deadline. Members at the DSB session also considered a proposal from a diverse group of countries, and discussed…
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Draft Text Ready In Advance Of UNCTAD Conference
On 14 May, member countries of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finalised the draft text that is to be transmitted to the 13-18 June UNCTAD XI Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. While the negotiations were not without controversy (see BRIDGES Weekly, 26 February 2004), all members appear to be sufficiently pleased with…
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African Trade Ministers Adopt 'Kigali Consensus' On Ongoing WTO Talks
African trade, customs and immigration ministers met in Kigali, Rwanda from 27-28 May at a conference organised by the African Union (AU). The agenda featured a number of trade issues, including a review of the stalled WTO negotiations, a status report on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) under negotiation with the EU under the Cotonou…
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EU Agrees Terms For Russia's WTO Entry, Putin Signals Support For Kyoto Protocol
At an EU-Russia summit on 21 May, the EU agreed to support Russia’s WTO accession, and Russian President Putin said he would "speed up" Russia’s process to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Both topics had been slated for possible inclusion in an EU-Russia package deal (see BRIDGES Weekly, 28 April 2004). In the end, formal agreement…
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Regional Update: Americas, China And Europe
With progress slow in the multilateral arena, regional trade agreements continue to move forward. The EU and Mercosur — a trade bloc comprising Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — emerged optimistic on the prospects for concluding a free trade agreement in October this year, following a summit between the EU and Latin America and the…
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Vacancies
Vacancy At ICTSD MANAGING DIRECTOR, ICTSD. Geneva, Switzerland. Competencies requiredinclude: ability to manage and lead the business, financial, legal and human systems of a multi-programme nongovernmental organisation, ability to interact directly with staff and act as main interface and problem solver on programme issues related to above-mentioned areas, ability to lead, frame and provide guidance…
- In Brief
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In Brief
EU APPROVES GM CANNED MAIZE On 19 May, the European Commission approved the sale of Syngenta’s Bt-11 sweet corn. The genetically modified (GM) maize, which will be sold canned, is the first approval in five years of biotech food sales within Europe. The maize imports, authorised for a period of 10 years, "has been subjected to…
- Events
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Events
EVENTS For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch. Coming Up: 3-9 June 29 May to 4 June, Washington, D.C., US: 36TH WORLD FARMERS CONGRESS. This Congress, organised by IFAP — the world body gathering…
- Resources
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Resources
RESOURCES THE LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES REPORT 2004: LINKING INTERNATIONAL TRADE WITH POVERTY REDUCTION. By the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), May 2004. The Least Developed Countries (LDC) 2004 Report assesses the relationship between international trade and poverty within the LDCs, and identifies national and international policies that can make trade a more effective mechanism…