Issue No. 242/243 (Oct/Nov 2010)

COVER: UN anti-biopiracy treaty adopted but nagging questions remain

Biodiversity Convention adopts landmark decisions
A new legally binding agreement to combat biopiracy, a revised Strategic Plan of implementation and a financial mobilisation plan were among the major decisions adopted at the recently concluded meeting of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
By Chee Yoke Ling

Mixed reactions on new access and benefit-sharing treaty
There are lingering doubts over the new treaty on access and benefit-sharing adopted at the recent meeting of Parties to the CBD.
By Chee Yoke Ling

Conference agrees on geoengineering moratorium
A report on the landmark consensus decision at the Nagoya conference on an international moratorium on geoengineering projects pending a study of all risks to biodiversity, and an explanation on the full import of geoengineering technologies in relation to biodiversity.
By ETC Group

Resource mobilisation for the CBD: Innovative financial backtracking?
The biennial United Nations biodiversity conference in Nagoya confirmed a consistent pattern of failure to make sufficient financial provision for developing countries to enable them to implement their commitments under the CBD.
By Antje Lorch 

New treaty on liability for GMO damage
One important achievement of the UN biodiversity and biosafety meetings in Nagoya was the adoption of a new treaty establishing an international liability and redress regime to address damage resulting from genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
By Lim Li Ching 

The rift at Nagoya on GMO safety and socioeconomic impacts
A striking feature of the biosafety negotiations at Nagoya was the divide between countries concerned about the risks and adverse impacts of genetically modified organisms and those which downplayed such risks because they are or plan to be exporters of such products.
By Lim Li Lin and Doreen Stabinsky  

Advancing the understanding of biosafety
A scientific conference aimed at advancing the understanding of biosafety held just prior to the official meeting of the UN Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Nagoya helped to clarify the key issues in the development of genetically engineered crops and their use in agriculture and nutrition.
By Lim Li Ching 

CLIMATE CHANGE 

Slow progress in Tianjin climate talks
The latest session of the United Nations' climate talks, held in Tianjin, China in October, yielded disappointing results with no real progress made.
By Martin Khor

ECONOMICS

IMF governance change proposals less than trumpeted
The hoopla surrounding the IMF governance reforms announced by its Managing Director after the October G20 finance ministers' meet in Korea should not delude us into believing that there has been a real shift in its power structure.
By Chakravarthi Raghavan  

LDCs - a decade of development and progress?
A document prepared by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) considers how the least developed countries (LDCs) have fared during this decade and the challenges facing them.
By Kanaga Raja 

Third World Resurgence Page