6th Ministerial, Hong Kong 2005

UNCTAD XII: Hit or Miss?

Original Publication Date: 
19 March, 2008
Source: 
Anne Laure Constantin, IATP
In 2008, the United Nations (UN) has chosen to hold its major trade and development conference in Africa. Ministers from all around the world will meet in Accra, the capital of Ghana, starting April 20. In addition to ministers, a crowd of 4,000 international civil servants, civil society activists, business representatives, and journalists is expected to descend on the usually discrete West African capital.

U.N. body eyes trade talks as recession fears grow

Original Publication Date: 
17 March, 2008
Source: 
Laura MacInnis, Reuters
Developing countries should push for a compromise deal in the six-year-old effort to revamp free trade rules and help restore the global economy's health, a United Nations official said on Tuesday.

''Divide and Rule'' Manoeuvre Planned for WTO Doha Round?

Original Publication Date: 
24 January, 2008
Source: 
Aileen Kwa
Process issues have once again risen to the fore in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as members brace themselves for the release of a new set of negotiating texts for agricultural and industrial tariff liberalisation at the end of this month or early February.

US accuses Doha dissidents

Original Publication Date: 
5 September, 2007
Source: 
Eoin Callan, FT Alerts
The US has accused South Africa, Argentina, India and Brazil of jeopardising the Doha round of world trade talks by thwarting fresh efforts to reach a deal on cuts to agricultural and industrial tariffs.

WTO negotiations resume after summer break

Original Publication Date: 
5 September, 2007
Source: 
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
Straight after its one-month summer break, negotiations resumed this afternoon at the World Trade Organisation at the start of a last big effort to conclude the 'modalities' of agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA) by the end of September or the beginning of October and thus save the Doha Round from a lengthy period of inactivity.

US ready to talk tough to get Apec deal

Original Publication Date: 
2 September, 2007
Source: 
Andrew Ward, FT Alerts
President George W. Bush will seek to breathe fresh life into the stalled Doha round of international trade negotiations during the annual summit of Pacific Rim nations in Sydney this week.

Demand for white paper on WTO gains and losses

Original Publication Date: 
29 August, 2007
Source: 
Focus on Global South
A national consultation on

US Farm Bill is a "setback" for Doha negotiations

Original Publication Date: 
23 August, 2007
Source: 
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
The United States' 2007 Farm Bill, which has been passed by the House of Representatives and will next be considered by the Senate, is likely to be a stumbling block in the negotiations to finalise the "modalities" in agriculture, when the World Trade Organisation resumes its work in early September.

India’s concerns addressed at Doha talks, says WTO DDG

Original Publication Date: 
12 August, 2007
Source: 
Ashok B Sharma, FinancialExpress.com
India's main areas of concern have been largely addressed at the ongoing Doha Round as trade negotiations enter the last phase with reasonably good prospects for a successful conclusion, Harsha Vardhana Singh, deputy director-general, World Trade Organisation (WTO), said here on Monday.

"Doha is dead", time to rethink a new model of trade

Original Publication Date: 
25 July, 2007
Source: 
Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
Over ninety civil society organizations from all over the world have sent a letter to their Trade Ministers, calling on them to acknowledge the failure of the Doha Round and to institute a two-year moratorium to provide the time and space necessary to rethink the model and process of global trade negotiations.

India guarded over fresh WTO draft

Original Publication Date: 
20 July, 2007
Source: 
Ashok B Sharma, Financial Express
New Delhi, Jul 20 The fresh WTO proposals for industrial tariffs and agricultural subsidies drew guarded response from India on Friday. While terming the revised blueprints for a final deal

Rich nations get off easy in WTO draft - aid groups

Original Publication Date: 
17 July, 2007
Source: 
Laura MacInnis, Reuters
GENEVA, July 18 (Reuters) - Poor-country advocates on Thursday accused global trade talk mediators of treating Europe and the United States with kid gloves in proposals meant to broker consensus toward a new World Trade Organisation pact.

Groups urge US Congress to refuse new Fast Track authority

Original Publication Date: 
24 April, 2007
Source: 
Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
More than 240 national and international groups representing religious, civil rights, environmental, farm, health, development and labour interests have come out in opposition to the grant of any new Fast Track trade authority for the WTO negotiations by the US Congress, and urged Congress to resist pressure by US corporate giants and other WTO proponents to renew this authority.

Doha talks to "return" to WTO's multilateral forum

Original Publication Date: 
23 April, 2007
Source: 
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues
WTO members agreed on Friday 20 April to turn to multilateral negotiations at the WTO itself in Geneva as the central method to try and achieve a breakthrough in the organisation's troubled Doha talks.

As a WTO deadline expires, new deadlines are bandied around

Original Publication Date: 
17 April, 2007
Source: 
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (April07/05)
On 1 April, the deadline for American President George W Bush to inform the US Congress of his intention to sign trade agreements under his present fast-track authority expired. He was unable to send any such intention regarding the World Trade Organisation's Doha negotiations.