Issue
No. 684/685, 1-31 March 2019
Developing
countries advance WTO reform proposals
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South
rallies around proposals to advance developmental agenda
A
proposal to highlight development concerns in the ongoing discussions
on WTO reform has received backing from a large number of developing
countries.
by
D. Ravi Kanth
South
proposes strengthening WTO to promote development
The
joint developing-country proposal on WTO reform aims to “keep development
at [the] core” by, among others, redressing existing inequities in
the WTO rules and rejecting fresh measures that would further the
imbalance.
by
D. Ravi Kanth
Developing
countries propose an inclusive approach to transparency
Pointing
to the difficulties they face in complying with requirements to notify
their trade measures to the WTO, a group of developing countries have
urged an “inclusive and cooperative approach” to the issue instead
of punitive actions against non-compliance.
by
D. Ravi Kanth
Reclaiming
development in the WTO
A
recent panel discussion underlined the imperative of prioritizing
the development objective in the WTO’s work – and of safeguarding
the flexibilities accorded to developing countries in the WTO rulebook.
Kanaga Raja reports.
Trump
declares “trade war” against South on S&DT
Even
as proposals for development-friendly WTO reforms are being tabled,
the US has stepped up its push to deny many developing countries continued
recourse to special and differential treatment at the trade body.
by
D. Ravi Kanth
EU,
Canada agree on interim appeal arbitration arrangement
The
EU and Canada have agreed to resort to arbitration to hear appeals
of panel reports in trade disputes between the two countries if the
WTO’s Appellate Body ends up hamstrung by a lack of members.
by
D. Ravi Kanth
Digital
transformation aid must not be conditioned on e-commerce rules
Adoption
of proposed multilateral rules on electronic commerce should not be
made a condition for aid to developing countries, which instead need
to first build up their digital economic capacity, heard a recent
forum on “aid for digital transformation”.
By
Kinda Mohamadieh
Big
Tech’s control of consumer data raises concerns
Competition
policy should be adapted to the features and business models of digital
platforms, whose control of consumers’ data has fuelled concerns over
abuse of market power in the digital economy, says a UN development
body.
by
Kanaga Raja
Vulture
funds gain at expense of human rights
The
“predatory” practices of vulture funds, which make disproportionate
profits on the back of countries experiencing debt distress, have
come under critical scrutiny by an expert advisory panel to the UN
Human Rights Council.
by
Kanaga Raja
Opinion: Understanding
global inequality in the 21st century
What
is needed to tackle global inequality is not only national policy
shifts but changes in the international economic architecture as well,
contends Jayati Ghosh.
Opinion:
Financialization undermines real economy
The ascendancy of finance not only deprives the real economy of
productive resources but also exposes it to the risk of destabilizing
crises.
by
Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Michael Lim Mah Hui
Opinion:
Sustainable development needs a hardware update
With
the Sustainable Development Goals currently looking like an elusive
target, getting back on course demands not only policy reform but
also a reshaping of governance arrangements at all levels from the
local to the global, stresses Jens Martens.
