Archive - Dec 2005 - Article

Members of the World Trade Organization seemed to be making some progress on an initiative to help the world's poorest countries on the third day of the Hong Kong ministerial, where the U.S. has come under intense pressure to provide duty-free, quota-free access to all products from least-developed countries

The European Union stood firm Dec. 16 in resisting demands from key trading partners for an agreement at the World Trade Organization's Hong Kong ministerial conference on an end date for the elimination of export subsidies

Press release: As the WTO's Hong Kong Ministerial enters its last phase, over 80 civil society organizations, made a joint statement expressing grave concerns about the state of the negotiations, as the current proposals of developed countries particularly on NAMA, Services and Agriculture, do not have development content and are in fact anti-developmental in nature

On its fourth day (Dec 16) the WTO

Philippine-based think-tank IBON Foundation challenges the governments of the new underdeveloped country alliance to genuinely assert poor countries

Europe and the United States should be throwing their efforts into increasing food aid instead of arguing about the form it takes, a top U.N. food aid official said on Friday

A WTO development package that aims to boost trade in developing nations by providing duty-free, quota-free access to imports has drawn fire from poor countries.

Rich nations came under fresh attack for refusing to give ground on farm protection at world trade talks on Thursday as nations grouping more than half of the world's population warned of an 'impasse well into the future'.

The United States is hiding behind a 'gigantic great smokescreen' in a bid to dodge its duty to cotton farmers in Africa, European Union trade chief Peter Mandelson charged at WTO talks that continue in Hong Kong.

The European Union and the United States stuck to their guns at the WTO talks, with both sides repeating demands for concessions on key issues as frustration grew over the lack of progress.