Issue No. 618, 1-15 June 2016
US’ AB veto raises need for WTO dispute settlement reform

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WTO’s first priority is restoring credibility of DSU, AB
The furore generated by the recent US rejection of a WTO Appellate Body member’s reappointment has underlined the need to improve the broader functioning of the WTO’s trade dispute resolution mechanism.
by Chakravarthi Raghavan

US double standards in complaints against AB
It may have criticized the WTO Appellate Body when vetoing a second AB term for Seung Wha Chang, but the US had raised no grievance when the body issued several questionable rulings previously against developing countries, notes Chakravarthi Raghavan.

WTO DG’s sleight of hand on new issues
The contentious issues of investment and competition policy are back in the WTO frame following a decision by the WTO Director-General to widen the remit of two secretariat bodies to incorporate these topics.
by D. Ravi Kanth

Cracks emerging in plurilateral TiSA talks
Differences over the proposed extent of market opening in various sectors are impeding progress in the 23-country talks to craft an accord on services trade liberalization.
by D. Ravi Kanth

Western nations, blaming cash crunch, pull out of UNIDO
Developed countries have been withdrawing from the UN agency charged with promoting industrialization, sparking fears that this could undermine the global sustainable development effort.
by Thalif Deen

Opinion: Is good governance key to eliminating poverty?
The link between “good governance” on the one side and economic growth and poverty reduction on the other is not as clear-cut as is often claimed, write Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury.