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Dalian: Ministers Recommit To Doha Round, But Scepticism Abounds
Trade ministers from thirty influential WTO Member countries promised to step up the pace of the faltering Doha Round trade negotiations at an informal summit from 12-13 July in Dalian, China. The one concrete outcome of the meeting — an agreement on how to move forward with the deadlocked negotiations on agricultural tariff reduction — rekindled…
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Dalian: Hint Of Progress On Agriculture
Some 30 trade ministers from influential WTO Member states agreed at a 12-13 July meeting in Dalian, China that negotiations on agriculture at the WTO should proceed on the basis of a new framework proposal by the G-20 group of major developing countries, including Brazil, China and India. The proposal focused on market access, the…
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G8 Agrees On Aid, Trade - But Is It Enough?
Leaders of the industrialised G8 countries concluded their annual summit on 8 July by vowing to both "substantially" reduce trade-distorting domestic farm support and eliminate agricultural export subsidies by "a credible end date." They also reached an accord on addressing climate change (see related article, this issue), and promised to increase aid to developing countries.…
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Clouds Over Agriculture Negotiations Prior To Dalian Meet
High-level talks at a 12-13 July mini-ministerial meeting in Dalian, China came on the heels of an agriculture week in Geneva that was cut short due to lack of progress. Agriculture Chair Tim Groser closed the meetings of the Committee on Agriculture (CoA) special (negotiating) session — scheduled to run from 4-8 July — on…
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Developing Countries Give Opinions On Environmental Goods
At a meeting of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Special (negotiating) Session (CTE-SS) held on 7-8 July in Geneva, developing countries called for development concerns to be incorporated into negotiating proposals on environmental goods. Specifically, they felt that that the list-based approach of talks in the Committee, which focused on designating certain goods…
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Newly Acceded Members Seek Flexibility In Agriculture
A 29 June proposal from Armenia, Georgia, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Moldova (TN/AG/GEN/10) calls for additional flexibilities for these countries similar to those agreed for least developed countries (LDCs) and other vulnerable developing countries. The low-income economies in transition that recently acceded to the WTO are currently not treated as developing countries. They…
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Vacancies
The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is looking to hire a Law Fellow for its Intellectual Property and Sustainable Development Project. The Law Fellow would be based in Geneva, Switzerland, and perform diverse activities and tasks, including conducting research on intellectual property-related issues and subjects; helping to prepare various substantive and programmatic documents, including…
- In Brief
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In Brief
BRAZIL SECURES CHEAPER AIDS DRUG Pharmaceutical manufacturer Abbott Laboratories agreed to steeply reduce the price it is charging in the Brazilian market for its antiretroviral AIDS drug Kaletra. The decision followed negotiations between the Brazilian government and the US-based company, in the course of which Brasilia had threatened to issue a compulsory licence for the manufacture…
- WTO in Brief
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WTO In Brief
US AND BRAZIL AGREE TO SUSPEND RETALIATION IN WTO COTTON DISPUTE On 5 July, the US and Brazil reached an agreement establishing a procedure according to which Brazil will not seek to impose retaliatory duties on US imports to compensate for US cotton subsidies that were found to be illegal by the WTO (see BRIDGES…
- 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. If you would like to submit an event, please email us. Coming Up: 14-20 July 18-20 July, Dakar, Senegal: FOURTH AFRICAN GROWTH AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (AGOA) FORUM. This event will bring…
- Resources
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Resources
ASSESSING THE CAUSES OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA’S DECLINING EXPORTS AND ADDRESSING SUPPLY-SIDE CONSTRAINTS. By Calvin Manduna. Trade Law Center for Southern Africa (TRALAC), May 2005. This paper argues that unfair market access and the market-distorting effect of developed country subsidies are not the only challenges facing sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Perhaps an even more significant issue…