News

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

4 June, 2009
SUNS #6712

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

Geneva, 3 Jun (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO TRIPS Agreement and the TRIPS-plus
provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have had an adverse impact on
prices and availability of medicines, making it difficult for countries to
comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to
health, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Mr Anand Grover,
said on Tuesday.

Victory for BIOWATCH in Landmark Legal Case

3 June, 2009
Biowatch
Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs today handed down judgment in the Biowatch case. Calling the case “a matter of great interest to the legal profession, the general public, and bodies concerned with public interest litigation”, Justice Sachs set aside the costs order awarded against Biowatch in favour of Monsanto and further awarded legal costs in the High Court hearings in favour of Biowatch and against the state. The bench of eleven judges was unanimous in its decision.

Call for "global jobs pact" amidst rising job losses

3 June, 2009
SUNS #6711
The International Labour Organization's ninety-eighth tripartite conference gets under way from 3-19 June amidst the latest ILO labour market projections showing a further increase in the number of unemployed, working poor and those in vulnerable employment

War on Want's latest report: Trading Away Our Jobs: How free trade threatens employment around the world

2 June, 2009
War on Want
War on Want's latest report, Trading Away Our Jobs: How free trade threatens employment around the world, investigates the impact of free trade agreements on jobs. Examining the empirical evidence for the first time, it shows that the free trade model that continues to dominate world trade has been responsible for the destruction of millions of jobs over the last 30 years.

Canada-Colombia Trade Deal Removed from Canadian Government's Legislative Agenda

1 June, 2009
Canadian Centre for International Cooperation
As a result of increasing parliamentary and public concern, Bill C-23, the implementing legislation for the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), has been removed from the Canadian government's current legislative agenda.

WTO to attend Cairns Group

1 June, 2009
Straits Times
WTO chief Pascal Lamy (left) will attend a meeting in Bali next week as part of attempts to restart global trade talks

WTO rejoices over Kamal Nath's exit from trade and commerce

1 June, 2009
Blog: Ground Reality

Geneva heaves a sigh of relief. With Kamal Nath moved out of the Indian Commerce Ministry, the probability of concluding the contentious Doha Development Round of the WTO appears much brighter. Not that Kamal Nath was un-necessarily throwing spanners but his strong grip over the trade negotiations helped India to resist bullying and arm-twisting by the big boys of international trade.

World economy to shrink by 2.6% this year

29 May, 2009
SUNS #6709

Geneva, 28 May (Kanaga Raja) -- The United Nations on Wednesday downgraded its economic forecast for 2009, projecting the world economy to shrink by 2.6% this year, with the poorest countries to be hit the hardest.
 
The downgrade comes on top of an already pessimistic UN estimate five months ago, when it had projected a decline by 0.5%.
 
The even grimmer economic picture has been outlined by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) in its mid-year report "World Economic Situation and Prospects 2009".
 

A New Trade Framework for Workers throughout the World

29 May, 2009
Carla Carlotti, International Officer
The 32nd Congress of the International Metalworkers Federation held in Sweden this week resolved to mobilise metalworkers around the world for trade policies aimed at creating good jobs for all, promoting the fundamental workers’ rights and ensuring the right for all countries to development and to decent working and living conditions for their citizens.

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

28 May, 2009
SUNS #6708
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
SUNS #6708
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.

Lamy Cites Need for Two-Track Approach For Concluding Doha Round of Trade Talks

27 May, 2009
Daily Report for Executives
World Trade Organization director-general Pascal Lamy said May 26 that WTO members should consider a two-track approach towards concluding the troubled Doha Round of trade talks, an idea already floated by the United States for breaking the deadlock in the negotiations.

COSATU commends government’s stance not to rush to conclude Doha round

26 May, 2009
COSATU
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) commends the Department of Trade and Industry for opposing the current Doha texts on agriculture and industrial goods. In a statement released on 22 May 2009, it said that SA would not rush for an imperfect Doha deal.

Meetings where WTO Doha round could be discussed

26 May, 2009
Reuters
Trade ministers and other leaders will have a number of opportunities in the coming months to negotiate the Doha round on the sidelines of a series of international meetings.

Ken Saro-Wiwa: the day of truth?

20 May, 2009
Transnational Institute / The Guardian
It will send shockwaves through boardrooms if the predictions of the executed campaigner are proved right in a US court

New Report: Europe and U.S. bear special responsibility for food crisis

19 May, 2009
CIDSE and IATP
Key steps identified to shift course and create a just and sustainable global food system

Lula Calls on Saudis to Join Brazil in Creating Petrochemical Powerhouse

18 May, 2009
Brazzilmag
Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said this Sunday, May 17, at the end of a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia, that he called on king Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the two countries to jointly seek reciprocal investment opportunities.

Mideast leaders defend free market at economic forum

17 May, 2009
Christian Science Monitor
Despite capitalism's recently damaged reputation, participants at the World Economic Forum on the Middle East this weekend agreed that minimal regulation was key to growth.

EU stumbles on Canada's internal barriers: Talk ramp up

15 May, 2009
Financial Post
The historic free-trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union were launched to much fanfare this month, but reaching a deal between the 27-country economic bloc and the provincially dominated federation of Canada will not be a walk in the park.

Chamber Fears Climate Talks Could Set the Stage for TRIPS Changes

15 May, 2009
Inside US Trade
Global climate change negotiations could become the battleground to hammer out a second clarification of intellectual property protection rules in the World Trade Organization to strengthen developing countries rights to use patented technology without authorization of rights holders, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.