Archive - Article

May 11th, 2006

G-33 Contribution on the Chairman's Reference Paper on Special Products

10 May, 2006
G33 Comments on the Chairman's Reference Paper on Special Products, that details concerns regarding the paper's lack of elucidation of the G33 and developmental perspective, and introduction of non-mandated criteria for the self-designation of SPs and the determination of the appropriate number of tariff lines.

Managing the Challenges of Two Participation: 45 Case Studies

10 May, 2006
This compilation of forty-five case studies documents disparate experiences among economies in addressing the challenges of participating in the WTO. It demonstrates that success or failure is strongly influenced by how governments and private-sector stakeholders organize themselves at home. The contributors, mainly from developing countries, give examples of participation with lessons for others.

May 10th

US Blasts AB Body Ruling on 'Zeroing'

9 May, 2006
The United States yesterday slapped down a recent ruling by the World Trade Organization Appellate Body over the US use of 'zeroing' in making antidumping judgements - declaring the implications of the ruling as well as the analytical route adopted by the appeals panel were very 'troubling' (WTD, 4/19/06).

US Offers Environmental Duty-Free Plan

9 May, 2006
The United States 'along with the European Union, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore and Switzerland' yesterday proposed a tariff-free sectoral initiative in the Doha Development Agenda industrials negotiations on environmental goods (WTD, 5/9/06).

May 9th

Agriculture talks at boiling point over Special Products

8 May, 2006
WTO negotiations in agriculture have reached a near-crisis over the issues of Special Products (SP) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), with developing countries that have championed these concepts being in a state of fury at what they see as attempts by the United States and some other exporting countries to undermine agreement on and use of these two instruments.

May 8th

More Agriculture Papers from the WTO

7 May, 2006
Links to several documents that have been distributed in the recent agriculture negotiations.

Recent Communications on Domestic Regulation in GATS

7 May, 2006
Links to the recent communications on domestic regulation in the GATS negotiations.

US calls for SR Officials MTG for G-12, plus spec products

7 May, 2006
The United States has called for a senior officials meeting of the Group-of-12 countries next week to review the state of progress in faltering Doha modalities negotiations, WTD was told (WTD, 5/5/06).

May 5th

Chair's Reference Paper on Special Products

4 May, 2006
Link to the Chair's reference paper on Special Products.

No WTO deal better than a bad deal, says Indian Minister

4 May, 2006
India's Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath stressed on 25 April in Geneva that the current WTO talks must not violate cardinal development principles.