This report identifies options that negotiators and policy-makers could pursue in order to reach a permanent solution at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to the problems some developing countries say they face when buying food at government-set (or government-administered) prices under their public stockholding programs for food security purposes. The …
starting with a new proposal from the us on October 10, 2005, agricultural negotiations in the World Trade Organization (wto) had a brief yet rare week of progress. The European Union came up with its own draft proposal, as did the g-20 group of countries. But stalemate followed. Criticising eu …
The World Trade Organization's (wto) Trade and Environment Committee has two main agendas since the Doha round of negotiations began in 2001: to negotiate the relationship between wto's trading rules and multilateral environmental agreements (meas), and removing trade barriers on environmental goods and services. It's a limited mandate. But the …
For the first time ever, the World Trade Organization (wto) recently opened its doors to the public for a hearing in a legal dispute. The three parties to the debate on the justification of us and Canada sanctions against eu ban on hormone-treated meat proposed opening the proceedings to the …
India has submitted a new offer to liberalise its services sector to the World Trade Organization (wto), but the August 12 offer has not been made public. wto negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (gats) have made little progress as countries want some clarity in the important …
union minister of commerce and industry Kamal Nath sent out a letter on July 25, 2005, to trade ministers of 31 countries, urging them to take a "sharper and more aggressive' stand on getting through an amendment to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement (trips) of the World …
the World Trade Organisation (wto) missed an August 1, 2005, deadline to reach a first draft approximation of a new international trade deal that would conclude wto's Doha round. wto director-general Supachai Panitchpakdi had said on July 8, 2005, that the approximation was the last remaining "slender chance of averting …
at a World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting, which ended in Dalian, China, on July 13, 2005, trade ministers from 30 countries agreed on a general formula to reduce agricultural tariffs in the wto. But with a deadline for an agreement on the core issues in the negotiations (modalities) just three …
axis of trade: Iran is set to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), after the recent decision by the US to end a diplomatic block that had prevented its entry into the international body since 1996. The USapproval was aimed at stimulating talks held in Geneva between Iran and the …
worldTrade Organisation (wto) negotiations on agricultural tariff reductions have begun moving forward after weeks of suspension. The bone of contention was the question of what trade data to use to calculate current import tariff levels of countries that express these in terms of quantity (us $ per kilogramme). On May …
gm cotton ban: On May 3, 2005, the Union government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) barred commercial cultivation of three varieties of genetically modified (GM) cotton hybrids in Andhra Pradesh. The three varieties, manufactured by the Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Limited, are Mech-12, Mech-162 and Mech-184. They had completed three …
for the first time ever, the g 20, a group of developing nations within the World Trade Organization invited non- g20 developing nation groups to their ministerial meeting, held in New Delhi on March 17-19, 2005. The move was largely viewed as an effort to increase the g 20's legitimacy …
The us defeat is final now. On March 3, 2005, the World Trade Organization (wto) appellate body upheld a ruling that condemned the us government for providing illegal export subsidies to its cotton producers. The us had appealed against a 2004 ruling of the wto dispute settlement body, made while …
With each mega event held, it appears the collective will of the international community to address sustainable development issues is waning. The recent International Meeting to Review the Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (sids) is a case in point. The …
india wants to hold consultations with the us under the World Trade Organization's (wto) Dispute Settlement Mechanism in connection with anti-dumping duties imposed by the us Department of Commerce (usdoc) on shrimp imports . I t informed the wto of its intention on January 5, 2005. Consultations and negotiations are …
a meeting of the Convention on Biodiversity (cbd) will be held in February in Bangkok to discuss rules for international transfer of biological resources. In preparation, ministerial delegations of a group of developing countries called the Like Minded Megadiverse Countries (lmmc) met January 20-21 in New Delhi to develop a …
the World Trade Organization (wto) has approved sanctions against the us for subsidising its domestic industries, using the funds collected as anti-dumping duties. Following the decision, the eu and Japan have now said they will levy us $150 million worth of sanctions from early 2005 if the us subsidies continue. …
the World Trade Organization (wto) set up a special subcommittee on cotton on November 19, 2004, to address the issues concerning cotton trade "ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically'. The step was a compromise for the four West African nations, which had asked for a prompt end to billions of dollars of …
the World Trade Organization (wto) has agreed to improve procedures for setting new health and safety standards on the import of plant and animal products. The revision adds emphasis on transparency. It aims to reduce arbitrary trade restrictions while allowing importing countries to protect the health of their consumers. The …
A disaster is brewing in Belgaum and we are on the brink of committing suicide. We have lost our traditional jobs and do not know how to feed our children. In spite of running from pillar to post, no government support has come to us. Please write about our plight …
