Archive - 2006

The lack of a breakthrough at the London meeting of the 'Group of 6' Ministers last weekend does not quite spell disaster for the Doha negotiations nor the end of hopes that a final deal can be attained before the US President's fast track authority runs out.

A new study on the impact of global trade liberalization on real incomes under the current WTO Doha round has challenged conventional wisdom, showing the benefits for the world economy are lower than usually touted and some developing countries, rather than seeing benefits, come out losers in many scenarios.

The proposals for cutting tariffs of industrial products in the World Trade Organisation's current negotiations will have significant adverse effects on developing countries' industrialization, according to a paper presented at the Group of 24 Technical Group meeting held in Geneva on Friday 17 March.

According to 'Winners and Losers' by Sandra Polaski, a researcher with the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the so-called Doha Development Round, which launched the current trade World Trade Organisation talks, will not actually generate development benefits for poor nations as initially promised.

A recent report detailing 36 cases of bio-piracy in Africa has been creating ripples at international meetings negotiating a fair deal for developing countries to benefit from their genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

Below are the links for the services documents

Prospects of a new trade deal to end rich countries' farm subsidies and open up poor nations' markets were left hanging in the balance yesterday after a meeting of the world's top economic powers ended without a breakthrough.

Trade chiefs of the United States, the European Union, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan made scant progress in narrowing differences over the core elements for Doha Development Agenda agriculture and industrials packages on Saturday an outcome that placed the conclusion of negotiating modalities by the end of next month in jeopardy (WTD, 3/10/06).

The links below are the recent WTO documents.

Basic problems and practical difficulties in the attempt by WIPO members to globally harmonise patent laws were highlighted on the second day of the WIPO open forum on its draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT) on 2 March.