Issue
No. 688, 1-15 May 2019
WTO
meeting reveals divisions among membership
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South
firmly rejects US proposal on S&DT
Dozens of developing countries have opposed a US proposal to limit
the number of countries that can take recourse to flexibilities in
WTO rules, stressing that such dispensations are a right of developing
member states and are needed to bridge the development gap with the
rich nations.
by D. Ravi Kanth
US
rejects facilitator’s recommendations to resolve AB crisis
The futue of the WTO’s Appellate Body – which will cease to function
in December if no new members are appointed – remains up in the air
following US rejection of a proposed route out of the impasse.
by D. Ravi Kanth
“Friends
of the system”seek extension of e-commerce and TRIPS moratoriums
A number of WTO members have proposed that the current moratoriums
on customs duties on electronic transmissions and on “non-violation
and situation complaints” under the TRIPS Agreement – of interest
mainly to developed and developing countries respectively – be extended
until the WTO’s next Ministerial Conference in June.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Financialization
of development lending carries new risks – report
A scheme to use securitization markets to fund international development
projects in developing countries would give rise to financial risks
and undermine national economic development efforts, cautions a new
report.
by Rick Rowden
OPINION
Developing
economies’ subordinate financialization
Jomo
Kwame Sundaram and Michael Lim Mah Hui explain how the increasing
openness of developing countries to transnational capital flows is
constraining their scope for economic policymaking.
OECD
tax reform proposal could be better
A proposal for what has been touted as the biggest shift in international
tax rules for a century still falls short of ensuring fair corporate
taxation.
by Anis Chowdhury and Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Austerity
“the new normal”
Millions are bearing the ruinous impacts of a worldwide turn to fiscal
austerity.
by Isabel Ortiz and Matthew Cummins
ANALYSIS
A
David and Goliath struggle for the 21st century
Skewed
national and international laws and policies have ushered in an era
of increasing corporate impunity. Affected communities and social
movements are pushing for binding global rules that will instead enshrine
the primacy of human rights over corporate profit.
by
Brid Brennan and Gonzalo Berrón
