Archive - 2005 - Article

As the World Trade Organization prepares for the opening of the 6th Ministerial Conference today, independent think-tank IBON says that the center of its negotiations, the Doha Development Agenda (DDA)

With the World Trade Organization meeting under way, the United States is trying to convince West African governments to pressure the European Union into making a bigger offer to cut agricultural tariffs and subsidies.

The problem is not the inability to resolve differences among the WTO country members, but the model of development that the WTO promotes.

Facilitator for agriculture at this week’s WTO’s sixth ministerial conference in Hong Kong, Mukhisa Kituyi, said in Geneva on Saturday he intends to conduct discussions in all three pillars of Doha Development Agenda farm negotiations adding that he wants to explore with trade ministers where they can arrive at figures to be plugged into the liberalization formulas

Wal-Mart Hopes WTO Will Help It Open a Door Big retailers will seek to alter a services pact. Local officials fear a loss of power to limit firms.

The charity Christian Aid has cited leaked documents to say that the European Union (EU) will push developing nations to privatise services such as water, healthcare and banking at the trade ministers meeting in Hong Kong this week.

US Trade Representative Rob Portman told reporters he is optimistic that members can make 'incremental' progress on some substantial issues as well as arrive at a plan for least developed countries

Several thousand people have staged the first of a series of protests in Hong Kong over the World Trade Organization summit to be held this week.

Thousands of anti-globalization activists--some dressed like chickens and others carrying a big spider--held Sunday their first protest march ahead of the World Trade Organization summit in Hong Kong.

Around 3,000 protesters waving signs reading 'Junk the WTO' and 'Life is not for sale' marched in a carnival atmosphere in the shade of skyscrapers in one of the world's main financial centres.