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TRIPS Council Considers Public Health, Biodiversity
Public health and biodiversity-related concerns emerged as major issues at the year’s final meeting of the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) on 1-2 December. At the meeting, Nigeria submitted a proposal (IP/C/W/437) on behalf of the African Group — which includes all African WTO Members — for converting the waiver provided…
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WTO Members 'Cautiously Positive' About S&Amp;D Approach
At the Committee on Trade and Development Special Session (CTD-SS) meeting on 7 December, Members considered a new approach to negotiations on special and differential treatment (S&D) suggested by Chair Faizel Ismail (South Africa). The Chair’s informal suggestions for organising further work, first presented to Members on 3 December, seek to enable developing countries to…
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WTO Services Talks Said To Be In ‘Crisis’; Chair Remains Hopeful
A senior WTO official has described the Doha round services negotiations as in "crisis" due to lack of engagement by a large number of countries. His comments came as the recent two-week ‘cluster’ of talks on the further liberalisation of trade in services ended on 3 December with a meeting of the Special Session of…
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Developed, Developing Countries Disagree On Industrial Market Access Approach
Developing country Members continue to disagree with a US-led group of developed countries on how to go about reducing import tariffs on industrial and consumer goods. The first two days of the 6-8 December meeting of the WTO Negotiating Group on Non-agricultural Market Access (NAMA) saw discussions on the July Package’s mandate; the third day’s…
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WTO DG Race Heating Up: Lamy Announces Candidacy; Kenyan May Throw Hat Into Ring
Former EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy announced on 7 December that he will seek to succeed Supachai Panitchpakdi as Director-General (DG) of the WTO. The very same day, his candidacy received the preliminary approval of the 133 Committee, the body comprised of trade officials from all 25 member states that determines EU trade policy. No…
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WTO Reviews Brazil's Trade Policies
The central role of agriculture in Brazil’s trade policy despite the dynamism of its manufacturing and services sectors was highlighted by the WTO Trade Policy Review (TPR) of Brazil, held on 29 November and 1 December. Members appreciated Brazil’s active participation in the WTO and in the Doha talks in particular, but took note of…
- In Brief
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In Brief
PETER MANDELSON DISCUSSES TRADE NEGOTIATIONS WITH ACP COUNTRIES On 1 December, the newly appointed EU Trade Commissioner, Peter Mandelson, held his first meeting with trade ministers from the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group of states in Brussels. On the agenda were the ACP’s involvement in ongoing multilateral trade talks and the EU-ACP Economic Partnership Agreement…
- WTO in Brief
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EC And Complainants Request Delay In Sugar Appeal
SUPACHAI REPORTS ON DEVELOPMENTAL ASPECTS OF COTTON In a 3 December report to the General Council, WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi, highlighted the work of a ‘consultative framework’ — comprising the proponents of the cotton initiative (Benin, Burkina-Faso, Chad and Mali), bilateral donors, and relevant multilateral and regional agencies —…
- 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. ICTSD Event 14 December, Buenos Aires, Argentina: TRADE IMPLICATIONS FOR KYOTO IMPLEMENTATION: MAKING IT WORK. This Kyoto COP-10 side event organized by ICTSD and UNCTAD will focus on…
- Resources
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Resources
INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: BALANCING RIGHTS AND REWARDS. Edited by Lyuba Zarsky. London: Earthscan, 2004. The book critically examines the interface between sustainability, development, and the governance of international investment. It challenges the conventional view that foreign direct investment is a ‘miracle drug’ for developing countries and exposes serious…