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WTO: Delegates Kick Off Agriculture Talks In Geneva
WTO Members are meeting from 23-25 June in the penultimate special (negotiating) session of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) in the lead-up to a self-imposed deadline for agreeing on a negotiating framework by the end of July. The Chair of the CoA special session, Tim Groser, stressed at a 23 June opening plenary that he…
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WTO Environment Committee Makes Slow Progress
In what was described as a meeting "lacking in energy", the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) convened for its regular session on 21 June, with discussions focusing on paragraph 51 of the Doha Mandate. The generally more constructive debates in the special session on 22 June revolved…
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Quiet TRIPS Council Focuses On Health, Biodiversity-Related Issues
On 16 June trade delegates convened to continue their attempt to resolve certain issues on the agenda of the Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The meeting focused on issues related to the amendment of the TRIPS Agreement to allow countries without pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to import generic versions of drugs still…
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End Of Long-Standing Dispute Between EC And Us Drawing Closer?
On 17 June, the US House of Representatives adopted a bill known as the JOBS Act, which would repeal the Foreign Sales Corporation and Extraterritorial Income Exclusion Act of 2000 (FSC/ETI ). If this bill becomes law, it could end a long-standing dispute between the EC and US over alleged WTO inconsistent tax exemptions that…
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UNCTAD XI Takes On Trade And Development Challenges
On 18 June the eleventh ministerial meeting of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XI) closed with the adoption of a declaration entitled the "Spirit of São Paulo," as well as the "São Paulo Consensus," a negotiated document providing more detail on the role of UNCTAD in…
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International Textiles Coalition Calls For Emergency WTO Meet
Following a meeting in Brussels from 15-17 June, a coalition of textile and clothing associations called for an emergency WTO meeting to address concerns regarding the phase-out of a worldwide quota system in this area by the end of the year. The 90-member Global Alliance for Fair Trade in…
- In Brief
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In Brief
TALKS ON SOUTH-SOUTH TRADE DRAW PICK UP SPEED IN SÃO PAOLO A third round of talks on the Global System of Trade Preferences (GSTP) among 44 developing countries took place during a side event to UNCTAD XI on 16 June. The GSTP was launched in 1989 to reduce mutual trade barriers among its signatories. Ministers from…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
WTO PANEL ISSUES FINAL REPORT IN US COTTON CASE On June 18, the WTO panel on Brazil’s challenge against US cotton subsidies confirmed its findings in a final report issued solely to the parties to the dispute (see BRIDGES Weekly, 28 April 2004). According to WTO practise, the report will be available to the public…
- 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: 24 - 30 June 16-25 June, Bonn, Germany: TWENTIETH SESSIONS OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODIES TO THE UNFCCC. For further information contact the UNFCCC Secretariat,…
- Resources
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Resources
ICTSD Resources AGRICULTURE NEGOTIATIONS AT THE WTO: ‘FRAMEWORK PHASE’ UPDATE REPORT. By ICTSD (June 2004). The aim of this report is to provide stakeholders in agriculture trade and sustainable development with concise, user-friendly description and analysis of the current developments in the often very complex WTO negotiating process in agriculture. The report also looks ahead at…