NAMA / ITA / EGs

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

9 December, 2015
As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

US will deny S&D for China and India, no DDA after Nairobi

5 October, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct15/03)
The United States intends to pursue, after the Nairobi WTO Ministerial Conference, an aggressive trade strategy by forcing "differentiation" to deny special and differential treatment for China and India at the World Trade Organization (WTO), several people familiar with the development told the SUNS.

Huge International Coalition Calls for a Big Change to WTO Agenda

10 July, 2015
ALERNET
Negotiations in the WTO are heating up – and they are going badly. In November last year, WTO members agreed to come up with a “Work Program” for resurrecting the Doha Round by July 31. In this article Deborah James of OWINFS network articulates civil society position on recent developments in WTO negotiations.

Nairobi MC10 must deliver on development, say CSOs

9 July, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Jul15/07)
Some 341 global civil society organisations (CSOs) on Wednesday underlined that if the upcoming tenth ministerial conference (MC10) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to be held in Nairobi, Kenya is to be a "success", it must deliver on development and turn around the WTO.

Letter from Civil Society Regarding Future Agenda of the WTO Negotiations

8 July, 2015
341 organizations of civil society from over 100 countries of the global North and South, as consumer groups, environmentalists, trade unions, farmers, and other development advocates, have sent a letter to WTO members regarding the wrong direction of the current WTO talks, and urged the governments to substantially turnaround the negotiations in advance of the December Ministerial in Nairobi.

341 groups from 100+ countries call on WTO Members to Abandon Liberalization Push and Turnaround WTO Agenda

8 July, 2015
Today, 341 global civil society organizations – including development advocates, trade unions, farmers’ organizations, consumer and environmental groups from over 100 countries – sent a letter to WTO members today urging them to abandon the WTO expansion talks and instead focus on an urgent agenda to fix existing damaging rules in the WTO.

Situation unchanged in NAMA talks, reports Chair

8 June, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Jun15/05)
The growing disquiet and discontent among the large majority of developing countries over the non-transparent manner in which talks over the post-Bali work programme are taking place at the WTO surfaced Monday at an informal meeting of the Negotiating Group on Market Access for Non-Agricultural Products (NAMA), as also at an informal Heads of Delegation (HOD) meeting in the afternoon.

Sharp polarisation at NAMA talks

8 June, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Jun15/06)
Members of the World Trade Organization remained sharply polarized Monday over the "five approaches" put forward by the Chair of the negotiating group for further talks to finalize outcomes in market access on industrial products in the post-Bali work programme for concluding the Doha Round.

Insight: WTO: Where are we heading?

27 May, 2015
The Jakarta Post
In this Jakarta Post article Iman Pambagyo, Indonesian ambassador in charge of the WTO, strongly criticizes non-transparent negotiations process followed by developed countries and Roberto Azevedo, Director General of WTO to define the Post Bali Work Programme towards 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, later this year. He also called upon the ministers from the developing to insist strongly that the conversations in Geneva should be inclusive, transparent and flexibility for developing countries is a must.

Participants call for rapid conclusion of talks on ITA expansion

18 May, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (May15/08)
A meeting of the WTO Committee on the Information Technology Agreement (ITA) on 8 May heard a number of participants calling for the rapid conclusion of the negotiations on the expansion of product coverage under the Information Technology Agreement (ITA). There was no agreement, and the next meeting of the Committee is set for October 2015.

Dumping sequencing or agri-reform process in WTO Doha Round?

11 May, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (May15/05)
The WTO Director-General, Mr. Roberto Azevedo, appears to have attempted Tuesday (5 May) to tweak the Doha trade talks by dumping the "sequencing" framework, thus enabling the US to avoid answering tough questions on domestic support in agriculture for concluding the negotiations and ensuring a successful Nairobi Ministerial Conference.

Implement Bali Rules of Origin decision, say LDCs

11 May, 2015
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (May15/03)
The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) group at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has called on WTO members to move forward on implementing the Bali Ministerial Decision of 7 December 2013 on preferential rules of origin for the LDCs. This call came at a meeting of the WTO Committee on Rules of Origin (CRO) on 30 April.

Event at WTO Public Forum 2014: Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA)

1 October, 2014
The OWINFS network organized an event "Information Technology Agreement (ITA) and Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA): Emerging Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Development" at the WTO Public Forum 2014 on 1 October 2014.

Prospects for Trade, Development, and Reducing Inequality: Doha, post-Bali, and the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals: OWINFS event at WTO Public Forum 2014

1 October, 2014
OWINFS organized an event at WTO Pubic Forum 2014, "Prospects for Trade, Development, and Reducing Inequality: Doha, post-Bali, and the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals" on 2nd October 2014

Trade in Environmental Goods May Not Actually Be So Good

27 January, 2014
Huffington Post
On Jan. 25, a group of World Trade Organization (WTO) countries including the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Canada, launched a new set of negotiations to eliminate tariffs on a set of supposedly environmentally beneficial products. In this article Ilna Solomon of Siera Club argues that the initiative may actually harm the environment.

United States Fails to Completely Block New Flexibilities for Food Security in Bali WTO Talks

7 December, 2013
Overall “Bali Package” is a Setback for Development; Post-Bali Agenda Must Urgently Focus on Permanently Removing WTO Obstacles to Food Security, Urges Global Civil Society "Our World Is Not for Sale" network in this press release soon after the 9th WTO Ministerial in Bali, Indonesia.

What's Going on at the WTO? : Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting

18 November, 2013
The Huffington Post
In this critical blog Deborah James, Director, International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes on some of the key messages from the Global civil society, trade unions and people's movements on What's Going on at the WTO? Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting.

International Civil Society Calls on WTO Members to Reject the Report of the “Expert Panel” of Outgoing Director General Lamy

14 May, 2013
14 May, 2013
As members of the Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) civil society network, we are writing to WTO members strongly object to the report, “The Future of Trade: The Challenges of Convergence,” written by the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in consultation with the panel composed by the Director General, Pascal Lamy, both in terms of the process, and the content of the analysis and recommendations contained therein.

Multilateral Trade System: From Impasse to Development? A speech by Jayant Dasgupta, Permanent Representative of India to the WTO

28 October, 2012
Ambassador Jayant Dasgupta, Permanent Representative of India to the WTO speaks forum major issues at the event organized by OWINFS at WTO Public Forum on Doha and the Multilateral Trade System: From Impasse to Development? on 26 September. His speech covered key issues such as the current status of the negotiations, other initiatives being taken by WTO Members in achieving their market access ambitions outside the WTO, the prospects for Bali Ministerial in December 2013 and the new issues, the new challenges and on the prospects for development.

The twists and turns of the Doha talks and the WTO - Martin Khor, South Centre

28 October, 2012
Speech of Martin Khor at OWINFS Panel at the WTO Public Forum, September 26, 2012 analyses what the future holds for the WTO, in particular in relation to the development dimension, and the interests of the developing countries.