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Members Scale Back Expectations For Hong Kong
Trade ministers from the US, the EU, and Brazil said on 9 November that it was highly unlikely that WTO Members would be able to agree on a detailed framework for concluding the Doha Round in time for the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December. They had originally been hoping to agree there on ‘full…
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NAMA Chair: State Of Affairs Is Bad
WTO negotiations on industrial tariffs are "becoming more confused" and "in dire need of political input," Chair Ambassador Stefan Johannesson of Iceland told Members at an informal 8 November meeting of the Negotiating Group on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA). Reporting on his recent consultations with delegates, he said that there was little convergence on the…
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US And China Agree To Textiles Deal
US Trade Representative Rob Portman and Chinese Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai signed a pact on 8 November that will place quotas on Chinese textile and clothing exports to the US until the end of 2008. The agreement, which will enter into force on 1 January 2006, was the result of five months and seven…
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Summit Of The Americas Fails To Resurrect FTAA
The Fourth Summit of the Americas, held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, came to a late close on 5 November after countries were unable to overcome their differences over establishing a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). Despite the fact that it had not even been formally on the agenda, the FTAA — a potential…
- In Brief
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In Brief
NEW REPORT REVEALS UNEQUAL DISTRIBUTION OF FRENCH FARM SUBSIDIES According to a report from Paris-based economics think-tank Groupe d’Economie Mondiale (GEM) de Sciences Po, less than one percent of French farmers — the largest ones — receive more in subsidies than the bottom 40 percent of farmers taken together. In addition to this statistic, the report…
- WTO in Brief
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Saudi Arabia Set To Join WTO
The stage is set for Saudi Arabia to become a Member of the WTO. At the last meeting of the Working Party for the Accession of Saudi Arabia, held on 28 October, Members approved all of the Working Party documents. The WTO General Council is expected to formally approve its accession at its next meeting…
- 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. Upcoming : 10 November - 16 November 14-18 November, Antalya, Turkey: FIFTH UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE TO REVIEW ALL ASPECTS OF…
- Resources
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Resources
THE COFFEE PARADOX: GLOBAL MARKETS, COMMODITY TRADE AND THE ELUSIVE PROMISE OF DEVELOPMENT. By Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte. Zed Books, November 2005. This book poses the question: can developing countries trade their way out of poverty? International trade has grown dramatically in the last two decades in the global economy, and trade is an…