Archive - 2009

June 10th

Developing countries nix Lamy's two-track approach to Doha talks

28 May, 2009
Many developing countries appear to have opposed and/or voiced concerns over a suggestion by WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy for work along "two simultaneous tracks", one on modalities in agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) and another for commencing the scheduling exercise in both these areas.

WTO to hold seventh Ministerial Conference end November

28 May, 2009
The WTO General Council on Tuesday decided to convene its seventh Ministerial Conference in Geneva from 30 November to 2 December, nearly four years after its last conference in Hong Kong-China in 2005.

Australia: Don't Push PACER

9 June, 2009
Next week, Australia's Trade Minister Simon Crean will attend the Pacific Island Forum Trade Ministers Meeting in Apia, Samoa.

SNR Coalition Statement on the Doha Round Negotiations

The Stop the New Round Coalition (SNR) joins peoples’ organizations and movements across the globe in calling for the rejection of the WTO Doha Round and we demand that the Philippine government turn around and walk away from these unfair and unjust negotiations.

June 8th

Statement to the COMESA Summit on the ESA-EC Economic Partnership Agreements Negotiations

1 June, 2009
Statement to the COMESA Summit on the ESA-EC Economic Partnership Agreements Negotiations

India, US to talk WTO deadlock

3 June, 2009
India and the US will hold bilateral talks soon in an attempt to narrow their differences on the ongoing Doha round of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) Statement on Colombia

The ETF Congress, meeting in Ponta Delgada from 27-29 May 2009

June 5th

TRIPS Chair urges "more substantive" talks on GI register

25 May, 2009
The Chair of the Special Session of the TRIPS Council on Wednesday urged members to move from "understanding" each others' proposals to focussing on "more substantive" discussions in order to take forward the negotiations on a multilateral register for geographical indications (GI) for wines and spirits.

Lamy re-appointed as WTO head for a second term

4 May, 2009
The WTO General Council on Thursday afternoon agreed to re-appoint Pascal Lamy as Director-General of the organization for a second term of four years commencing from 1 September 2009.

Global economic crisis progressively affecting trade

12 May, 2009
It is important to protect the significant progress that developing countries have made in recent decades in producing viable exports and in participating in the world economy so that trade can help them recover from the global economic crisis, participants told the Trade and Development Commission of UNCTAD on Monday