Issue
No. 601/602 (16 September -15 October 2015)
WTO
members split over Nairobi outcome, post-Nairobi programme
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General
Council meet shows WTO members sharply divided
Ahead of the WTO’s 10th Ministerial Conference, to be held in Nairobi
in December, member states remain far apart on what is to be decided
at the meeting as well as what will happen to the Doha Round negotiations
after Nairobi.
by D. Ravi Kanth
No
binding commitments at Nairobi on LDC package, say developed countries
The WTO’s Nairobi meeting may deliver little in the way of credible
and binding outcomes, with the developed countries appearing reluctant
to make significant commitments on this front, as the following two
reports on recent discussions among trade envoys indicate.
by D. Ravi Kanth
US
wants S&DT for its non-compliance on export competition pillar
by D. Ravi Kanth
Less
than half of total to bring TFA into force
The WTO’s new Trade Facilitation Agreement has so far secured only
under half the number of ratifications required for it to come into
force, making it unlikely that the treaty will take effect by the
time of the Nairobi Ministerial Conference.
by Kanaga Raja
US
offer on LDC transition period “indefensible”, say NGOs
Civil society groups have slammed as inadequate a US proposal for
a 10-year waiver from intellectual property protection for pharmaceuticals
in the world’s least developed countries, saying the waiver should
instead be in force for as long as these countries remain LDCs.
by Sangeeta Shashikant
EU
commitment on access to drugs is an “empty gesture”
The EU’s continued push for strict intellectual property standards
that threaten the availability of affordable generic drugs is not
in keeping with its stated commitment to promote access to medicines,
say two international health advocacy groups.
by Kanaga Raja
Rights
expert recommends new IP regime for pharmaceuticals
Pointing to concerns that intellectual property laws may undermine
the enjoyment of human rights, including the right to science and
culture, a UN rights expert has called, among others, for a new intellectual
property regime for pharmaceutical products that is consistent with
rights law and public health needs.
by K.M. Gopakumar
World
economy to grow by 2.5% this year, says UNCTAD
Global economic growth this year is projected to be 2.5%, according
to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
– much the same as in 2014 but significantly below the pre-crisis
level. In its Trade and Development Report 2015, UNCTAD looks
at how different regions of the world economy are expected to fare
and considers whether the lower post-crisis growth trajectories reflect
a “secular stagnation” in developed countries.
by Kanaga Raja
UN
manipulated by TNCs, study charges
The UN is increasingly turning to the business sector for funding
and collaboration, says a recent study, putting at risk its reputation
and democratic governance.
by Thalif Deen
Opinion:
Protracted stagnation threatens solidarity, development
If
the UN’s newly adopted post-2015 development agenda is to be fulfilled,
a more ambitious and reinvigorated global partnership for sustainable
development is required, write Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Rob
Vos.
Opinion:
The party’s over for the Sustainable Development Goals
The UN must go beyond business-as-usual in order to realize its Sustainable
Development Goals – and poor people around the world are showing the
way.
by Adriano Campolina
Opinion:
TPP raises the barriers to access to affordable medicines
New trade treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership are ratcheting
up already high levels of intellectual property protection to the
benefit of big pharmaceutical corporations from the US and the EU.
by Carlos M. Correa
