Bilateral & Regional Trade

More than 50,000 people mobilized against Korea-US FTA

31 July, 2006
Korean Alliance against the KorUS FTA
As the typhoon 'Ewinia' hit the Korean peninsula, the struggle against the 2nd round talks started.

Fighting FTAs: The international Strategy Workshop

29 July, 2006
GATT Watchdog
During July 27-29, 2006, FTA Watch, GRAIN and Bilaterals.org organized the first ever international workshop to make a strategic analysis of the struggles against FTA in Bangkok, Thailand.

Government to Make Public Announcement on Korea-U.S. FTA

5 July, 2006
Dong-eun Lee / CJB
The Korean government is to present a public announcement regarding the Korea-U.S. FTA at Central Government Complex on July 7.

'Traditional Knowledge' and Biodiversity

6 June, 2006
Washington Trade Daily
The United States yesterday sharply opposed the idea of commencing text-based negotiations on disclosing the origin of biological resources and 'traditional knowledge' in patent applications (WTD, 5/26/06).

Debate on policy space dominates UNCTAD Review

12 May, 2006
Martin Khor, TWN, Geneva, 9 May 2006
'Policy space', an issue that featured most prominently at the UNCTAD eleventh session in Sao Paulo in 2004, has re-emerged as a burning issue at the UNCTAD Mid-Term Review (MTR) meeting held here this week.

Services Domestic Regulation: Developing countries insist on right to regulate services

11 May, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 9 May 2006
Many developing countries and their groupings have declared at a WTO services meeting on new disciplines on domestic regulation that there is no need to establish rules based on a 'necessity test', and that the rules should adequately recognize the developing countries' right to regulate their services.

UNCTAD Mid-Term Review starts debate on its role, mandate

11 May, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva 8 May 2006
A week-long meeting of the 2006 Mid-Term Review (MTR) of UNCTAD XI started Monday with key delegations and groupings giving their initial positions on the mandate and future role of UNCTAD, including in light of the current United Nations reform process.

U.S. proposal on Special Products

2 May, 2006
Carin Smaller
Link to the U.S. proposal on Special Products (SPs).

Quick Analysis of US Proposal on SSM

1 May, 2006
Tahir Hasnain, Executive Director, EIJIAID Economic Justice and Development Organization
A quick critique on recent US proposal on SSM developed by ActionAid in the light of their recent research project on import surges; also attached is US proposal in this regard.

G-33 Letter to Pascal Lamy and Press Statement

27 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Links to a G-33 Letter to the Chair of the TNC, Pascal Lamy, as well as a Press Statement. Apologies if you have already received this.

US proposal would make SSM useless for developing countries

27 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 26 April 2006
The United States has submitted its position on a Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM) in the WTO agriculture negotiations that would provide only a very limited use by developing countries of what they consider to be a crucial mechanism to safeguard against adverse effects of liberalization of their agricultural imports.

Oxfam withdraws backing for trade deal talks

26 April, 2006
Philip Thornton, Economics Correspondent
Oxfam has abandoned its support for the current talks on a new trade deal, saying Europe and the US have failed to live up to their promises to use trade to cut poverty in the world's poorest countries.

EU and US rapped over trade talks

26 April, 2006
Dave Timms, Senior Press Officer, World Development Movement
The EU's tough negotiating stance could derail talks aimed at liberalising world trade, a group of MPs has warned.

Dumping of EU Meat / Dumping total de la viande de l'UE

26 April, 2006
Carin Smaller
Link to a new paper from Jacques Berthelot calculating the extent of EU dumping of meat.

EU, Japan propose new WTO treaties to prevent export taxes, restrictions

25 April, 2006
Goh Chien Yen (TWN), Geneva, 24 April 2006
In a move that has upset many developing countries, the European Union and Japan have recently proposed new treaties in the WTO to prevent or restrict the use by WTO members of export taxes and export restrictions.

Latin American Trade Unions adopt common roadmap on Labour and Environment

23 April, 2006
FBOMS - F
The Trade Union Conference on Labour and the Environment for Latin America in Sao Paolo concluded yesterday with a series of undertakings from the Latin American trade union movement. The Conference, organized by ORIT and Sustainlabour brought together 26 national trade union centers, federations (PSI and Rel-UITA) and confederations (ORIT and CLAT).

Doha Round and Developing Countries: Will the Doha deal do more harm than good?

21 April, 2006
Timothy A. Wise and Kevin P. Gallagher
As WTO negotiators miss yet another deadline for concluding world trade talks, developing country negotiators are no doubt asking themselves if they might be better off with no deal at all. According to a new policy report by Tufts University researchers, they have good reason to question the agreement, as hidden costs may well outstrip the limited gains predicted for most countries.

New Publication - HR Body References to Trade

19 April, 2006
Caroline Dommen, 3D Trade Human Rights Equitable Economy
The publication of a compilation of references to trade and trade-related issues by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

AU Conference calls for transparent WTO process

19 April, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Nairobi, 18 April 2006
The African Union Trade Ministers' Conference, held in Nairobi on 12-14 April, adopted a Nairobi Ministerial Declaration on the Doha Work Programme, detailing Africa's position on the current WTO negotiations.

Portman departure seen as lessening priority of trade for administration

17 April, 2006
Lori M. Wallach, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
The departure by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman to become director of the Office of Management and Budget and the nomination of Deputy USTR Susan Schwab as the next USTR signals that trade has become a diminishing priority for the Bush Administration, according to several sources.