Articles

Malaysia-US FTA

8 April, 2006
Meena Raman
Below are the links for your information the following documents on the Malaysia-US FTA opposition that is building up in Malaysia.

CBD sets 2010 deadline to set up global ABS regime

8 April, 2006
Lim Li Lin (TWN), Curitiba (Brazil), 3 April 2006
The 8th Conference of the Parties (COP 8) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) ended late in the night on the last day of the meeting (31 March) with agreement on how to progress on access and benefit sharing (ABS), a key issue that has dogged the CBD for many years.

No easy road to WTO's end-April deadline

8 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 6 April 2006
The WTO's Director General Pascal Lamy by all accounts is sticking to the end-April deadline for reaching agreement on modalities for agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA).

Lamy should ensure fair trade

2 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma, Financial Express
There has been no substantial progress in agriculture trade negotiations in Geneva. The April 30 deadline set by the WTO director-general, Pascal Lamy seems unlikely to be met.

Lamy's India visit may break WTO deadlock

2 April, 2006
Ashok B. Sharma, Financial Express
Keen to fizzle out the logjam in WTO talks, director general Pascal Lamy will be on a two-day visit to India - an influential member of the world body - beginning on April 5.

Kingdom takes US to WTO over shrimp

31 March, 2006
Petchanet Pratruangkrai, The Nation
Thailand has filed a case against the United States with the World Trade Organisation accusing Washington of employing unfair trade practices and targeting Thai shrimp exports, the Foreign Trade Department said yesterday.

Thai officials take shrimp case to WTO

31 March, 2006
Phusadee Arunmas, Bangkok Post
Thailand is preparing to file a complaint with the World Trade Organisation against the United States over its requirement for bonds levied on Thai shrimp exports.

Social movements and NGOs characterize the debate on MOP3 and COP8: Multilateral system in dispute

30 March, 2006
Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for the Environment and the Development (FBOMS)
The Brazilian Forum of NGOs and Social Movements for the Environment and the Development (FBOMS) highlights during the Third Meeting of the Parties (MOP3) of the Protocol of Cartagena on Biossafety and the Eighth Conference of the Parties (COP8) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) the initiatives of civil society, with continuous mobilizations of Via Campesina and the activities of the Global Civil Society Forum.

U.S. Rejects Africans' Cotton Proposal, Calls for Same 'Ambition' on

30 March, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
The United States March 27 rejected a proposal from African countries calling for cuts of at least 82 percent in U.S. cotton subsidies.

U.S. Rejects Africans' Cotton Proposal, Calls for Same 'Ambition' on

29 March, 2006
Daniel Pruzin
The European Union plans to press for curbs on controversial export taxes as part of the Doha global trade round, despite widespread opposition from the many developing countries that use them.

3 Reports from the chair of the NAMA Negotiations

29 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
The Chair of the NAMA negotiations, Ambassador Stephenson, issued 3reports based on his consultations form the last negotiating week.

Agriculture: No 'material progress' in WTO talks since Hong Kong

28 March, 2006
Kanaga Raja (South North Development Monitor): Geneva, 21 Mar 2006
The Chair of the Special Session of the WTO Committee on Agriculturetold members at an informal meeting Monday that despite variousconsultations, he has not seen any 'material progress' in the agriculture negotiations since the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference in December.

New WIPO treaty may remove South's ability to decide on patents

27 March, 2006
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/8)
Developing countries risk losing their present flexibility to decide on the standards for granting patents if developed countries' proposals for a new WIPO treaty on patents are adopted.

Collective Request Mode 3

27 March, 2006
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Link to the collective request on Mode 3.

Report by Chair on NAMA Negotiations, 20 March 2006

26 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
A link to a report issued by the Chair of the NAMA negotiations on his recent consultations.

Activists launch campaign against free trade deal

25 March, 2006
AFP
Activists over the weekend launched a campaign against a planned bilateral free trade deal with the US, saying it could undermine job and food security and the nation's economy.

LDC Food Aid Submission

23 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
A link to the least developed country (LDC) Group submission on food aid. Please note in particular the reference to the possibility for monetisation 'under exceptional circumstances, to fund activities that are directly related to the delivery of the food aid to, or facilitating procurement of agriculture inputs, where necessary by the final recipients.'

NAMA and Agriculture Papers

23 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to the NAMA 11 Statement on ensuring a fair, balanced and development friendly outcome on NAMA and a paper by Argentina on how to implement paragraph 24 of the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration which aims to achieve a balanced outcome between agriculture and NAMA market access.

Another EU Memo on Future of CAP/Un autre Memo sur la future du PAC

22 March, 2006
Carin Smaller
Two links to articles on the reform and future of the EU's CAP. The first is a Memorandum on the Implementation and Future of the Reformed CAP. The second is an analysis by Jacques Berthelot on the Memorandum. Please note in particular the section at the end on the question of the future of the CAP.

Developing countries criticise North for anti-development NAMA demands

22 March, 2006
Goh Chien Yen (TWN), Geneva 20 March 2006
A group of developing countries, known as the NAMA-11, sharply criticised on Monday 20 March the demands of the developed countries for drastic reductions of their industrial tariffs by developing countries, and said the demands 'threaten to create an anti-development outcome' in the Doha talks.