-
Supachai's Consultative Board: Non-Discrimination In Trouble
The World Trade Organisation is threatened by the proliferation of discriminatory trading arrangements that could render it irrelevant, as well as by widespread public misperception about the WTO’s role, benefits, and limitations. These were among the main conclusions of WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi’s ‘Consultative Board’ (CB), in a report made public on 17 January.…
-
Indian TRIPS-Compliance Legislation Under Fire
A decree issued by the Indian government to bring the country into compliance with its obligations under the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has raised concerns that it will put access to life-saving drugs for diseases like AIDS out of the reach of poor people both in India and elsewhere in the…
-
Millennium Project Calls For Balancing Trading System
The UN Millennium Project — an independent advisory project commissioned by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to propose the best strategies for meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — in its final report reproached the global trading system for being "unbalanced against the interests of developing countries". Efforts to correct this should focus on improving both…
-
Trade Response To Tsunami Disaster: Initiatives In The Pipeline
Pledges of aid and debt relief for countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami of 26 December 2004 have been followed by calls for special trade measures to help them rebuild their economies. The measures proposed focus mainly on expanded market access for the countries’ exports and a suspension of anti-dumping duties. Tariffs pose a significant…
-
Sustainable Development Needs Of SIDS Addressed At Mauritius Meeting
Trade featured high on the agenda at a recent meeting on small island developing states (SIDS), held from 10-14 January at Port Louis, Mauritius. The International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of SIDS, which counted UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and presidents from 18 countries among the…
-
DSU Update: Sugar, Gambling, EC Customs Procedures, Revised Appellate Review Rules
On 13 January, the European Communities (EC) filed an appeal against a 15 October 2004 WTO panel decision that ruled that the EC subsidises its sugar exports beyond the level formally notified to the WTO in its schedule of commitments (see BRIDGES Weekly, 20 October 2004). The EU is appealing most of the panel’s findings,…
-
ON THE MOVE
Ambassador Choi Seok Young from the Republic of Korea has become the thirteenth Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Secretariat. Choi took over the position on 1 January 2005 from Chilean Executive Director Ambassador Mario Artaza to coincide with the transition of APEC Host Economies from Chile to Korea in 2005. The Singapore-based APEC…
- In Brief
-
African Cotton Producers Unite To Defend Common Interests
ZOELLICK TO STEP DOWN AS USTR United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Zoellick is leaving the office of the USTR to become the country’s Deputy Secretary of State, pending Senate approval. The Bush Administration announced Zoellick’s appointment as Condoleezza Rice’s deputy at the State Department on 7 January. Attention now turns to who will lead the world’s…
- WTO in Brief
-
WTO In Brief
DG CANDIDATES TO MAKE PRESENTATIONS 26 JANUARY The four candidates to succeed Supachai Panitchpakdi as Director-General of the World Trade Organization will address an extraordinary meeting of the WTO General Council on 26 January. Nominations for the position closed on 31 December 2004. The candidates to replace Supachai when his…
- Events
-
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. Call for Questions 26 January, Geneva, Switzerland: QUESTION TIME! ASK THE NEW WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL. This public hearing is organised by a group of Switzerland-based NGOs including Oxfam International,…
- Resources
-
Resources
GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE AND DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. Edited by M. Ataman Aksoy and John C. Beghin. World Bank, January 2005. The World Bank suggests in its latest report that agricultural sector reforms in general, and trade liberalisation in particular, are essential for improving the lives of poor people in developing countries. The fact that agricultural protection…