Articles

WTO meeting cancelled after protests

23 April, 2006
Peter Hall-Jones, PSI Communications
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy has cancelled a 'mini ministerial' meeting which was intended to finalise negotiations in the controversial trade round. The meeting would have excluded most countries from the developing world, and was cancelled following angry protests from developing countries, NGOs and trade unions.

WTO members resigned to missed deadlines as week of talks ends

23 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 21 April 2005
The World Trade Organisation's April 30 deadline for attaining 'modalities' in agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) will be missed, it became clear Friday as delegations wound up a week of negotiations on the two subjects.

Latin American Trade Unions adopt common roadmap on Labour and Environment

23 April, 2006
FBOMS - F
The Trade Union Conference on Labour and the Environment for Latin America in Sao Paolo concluded yesterday with a series of undertakings from the Latin American trade union movement. The Conference, organized by ORIT and Sustainlabour brought together 26 national trade union centers, federations (PSI and Rel-UITA) and confederations (ORIT and CLAT).

South Cone Metalworkers Unions on NAMA

23 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Link to the text of a statement adopted by the metalworkers unions affiliated to the International Metalworkers Federation in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Wheat imports undermine India's position in WTO

23 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
India is deliberately weakening its bargaining position in WTO by unnecessarily resorting to wheat imports against zero duty and relaxed quarantine norms when the granary is full.

Doha Round and Developing Countries: Will the Doha deal do more harm than good?

21 April, 2006
Timothy A. Wise and Kevin P. Gallagher
As WTO negotiators miss yet another deadline for concluding world trade talks, developing country negotiators are no doubt asking themselves if they might be better off with no deal at all. According to a new policy report by Tufts University researchers, they have good reason to question the agreement, as hidden costs may well outstrip the limited gains predicted for most countries.

G33's Letter to Lamy on SP and SSM

20 April, 2006
Goh Chien Yen
Links to excerpts from Martin Khor's news article on this development which provides some background and context to the G33 letter. And the G33 letter to Lamy for your information and action.

Key differences re-surface in NAMA report and meeting

20 April, 2006
Goh Chien Yen (TWN), Geneva, 19 April 2006
In this final week of negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) before the end-April deadline for modalities, WTO members remain polarized over the key issues of the formula for making tariff cuts and flexibilities from the formula for developing country members.

Sombre mood at WTO as April deadline looks more unattainable

20 April, 2006
Martin Khor, Geneva, 19 April 2006 (TWN)
The mood at the World Trade Organisation headquarters turned even more sombre Wednesday 19 April as many delegates have become convinced that it would be impossible to agree to modalities for agriculture and non-agricultural market access by the 30 April deadline set by the Hong Kong Ministerial.

AU Conference calls for transparent WTO process

19 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Nairobi, 18 April 2006
The African Union Trade Ministers' Conference, held in Nairobi on 12-14 April, adopted a Nairobi Ministerial Declaration on the Doha Work Programme, detailing Africa's position on the current WTO negotiations.

New Publication - HR Body References to Trade

19 April, 2006
Caroline Dommen, 3D Trade Human Rights Equitable Economy
The publication of a compilation of references to trade and trade-related issues by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

African Ministers reject 'partial modalities' approach to WTO April deadline

19 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Nairobi 17 April 2006
African Trade Ministers have declared that the WTO modalities on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) that are scheduled to be concluded at the end of April must be 'all-inclusive' and indicated that they would not accept 'partial modalities' that leave out issues of concern to African countries.

Falconer's Reference Papers on the Blue Box and Export Credits

18 April, 2006
Carin Smaller, Trade Information Project Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Links for 'reference papers' from the Chair of the Agriculture Negotiations, Amb. Falconer, which will be discussed in the current agriculture week.

Portman departure seen as lessening priority of trade for administration

17 April, 2006
Lori M. Wallach, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
The departure by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to become director of the Office of Management and Budget and the nomination of Deputy USTR Susan Schwab as the next USTR signals that trade has become a diminishing priority for the Bush Administration, according to several sources.

Portman leaving USTR

17 April, 2006
Reuters
President George W. Bush on Tuesday will announce U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman as his choice to become White House budget director, a senior administration official said.

Doubts Grow About Ministerial Meeting In April on WTO Agriculture, NAMA Talks

12 April, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
An anticipated meeting of trade ministers in Geneva at the end of April aimed at pushing forward a deal for the Doha Round talks on agriculture and nonagricultural market access looks more doubtful as chances for securing a final agreement on 'modalities' in the two sectors fade, according to officials contacted by BNA April 11 and 12.

Agriculture Chair's 'Reference Papers' and U.S. Communications

12 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to the 'reference papers' submitted by the Chair of the Agriculture negotiations, Ambassador Falconer, to the WTO membership on Wednesday 11 April.

Volcker casts shadow on wheat import

10 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma
Government

EU ready to give more ground in trade talks

10 April, 2006
Aoife White, AP Business Writer
EU trade chief Peter Mandelson said Tuesday the European Union was ready to give more ground in world trade talks but it needed to see similar concessions from other trade partners.

Agriculture Impasse Between U.S., EU Dims Prospects for Concluding Doha by Year-End

9 April, 2006
Gary G. Yerkey
The prospects for successfully concluding the Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks by the end of the year appear to have dwindled significantly in recent weeks, sources said April 7, as the United States and the European Union continue to be at odds over the make-or-break issue of agriculture.