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See also other materials on WTO

United Nations reports 1998 - Sep. 2001:

Globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of human rights: Progress report submitted by J. Oloka-Onyango and Deepika Udagama (United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 2 July 2001)

Statement of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights to the Third Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (Seattle, 30 November to 3 December 1999) (Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights)

• {···español: Declaración del Comité de Derechos Económicos, Sociales y Culturales de las Naciones Unidas a la Tercera Conferencia Ministerial de la Organización Mundial del Comercio}

• {···français: Déclaration du comité des droits économiques, sociaux et culturels de l'organisation des nations unies à la troisième conférence ministérielle de l'organisation mondiale du commerce} 

Other materials 1998 - Sep. 2001:

WTO: Agenda For Doha Could Yield New Round Of Trade Talks: A document released Thursday by the World Trade Organization could lead to a new round of global trade talks if it is approved by member countries at the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 9 - 13...Despite that development, there has been little progress on agreements over labor standards and the environment (UN Wire, 28 Sep. 2001) 

Patenting GMOs - a difficult question of balance: Patenting living organisms - a means to create unfair profit potential for the rich or an efficient way of encouraging new technologies to conserve dwindling natural resources and promote world food security? Those are just two sides of the debate over the complex and sensitive issue of slapping intellectual property protection on living forms, including genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). (Karen Iley, Reuters, 25 Sep. 2001)

Paying the Price [the fight for affordable AIDS drugs in Africa] (Lifeonline: A multimedia initiative about the impact of globalization, 20 Sep. 2001)

• full transcript of "Paying the Price"

Leaders say eased patent accord could hurt AIDS research: Leaders of the international pharmaceutical industry warned yesterday that research and development into AIDS drugs could dry up if global trading rules on patents are loosened. The warning was issued as delegates to the World Trade Organization met to discuss whether the body's TRIPS patents and copyright pact should be amended to make it easier for poor countries to get medicines at low cost. (Robert Evans, Reuters, in Boston Globe, 20 Sep. 2001)

Patents 'threat to Aids drugs': The number of Aids drugs under development has fallen by a third since 1998, a trend that could intensify if global patent protection were weakened, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations warned yesterday. (Frances Williams, Financial Times, 20 Sep. 2001)

HIV/AIDS: Drug Firms Say Easing Patent Restrictions Could Hurt Research - Leaders of the international pharmaceutical industry said yesterday that if global trading rules on patents are loosened, it could negatively impact research and development of AIDS drugs. The warnings came during a Geneva meeting of World Trade Organization delegates, who were discussing whether the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) should be amended to make it simpler for developing countries to have access to medicines at low cost. The TRIPS accord places strict conditions on when drug patents can be removed. (UN Wire, 20 Sep. 2001)

{···español} Todos los caminos conducen a la propiedad intelectual en América Latina: La Fundación Gaia y GRAIN anuncian la publicación de un nuevo informe que analiza los mecanismos de presión internacional que vienen siendo utilizados para lograr que los países de América Latina adopten medidas de monopolización sobre la biodiversidad, en ocasiones normas de derechos de propiedad intelectual (DPI) que van más allá de lo requerido por el Acuerdo TRIPS de la Organización Mundial del Comercio. (GRAIN, 19 Sep. 2001)

TRIPS council session on access to medicines: Statement by Médecins Sans Frontières on TRIPS and affordable medicines - MSF calls upon World Trade Organization (WTO) members to support developing countries' proposal to ensure that the multilateral rules on intellectual property do not harm public health. (Médecins Sans Frontières, 19 Sep. 2001)

Global food chain poses stiff challenge for WTO talks: WTO food talks have centred on long-held differences between the United States, Europe, Japan, developing nations and poor countries on farm subsidies, export subsidies, market access, the environment, labour issues, food security and food safety. (Peter Bohan, 14 Sep. 2001)

Trade Liberalization Can Reduce Poverty (Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director-General Designate of the World Trade Organization, in sponsored section, International Herald Tribune, 13 Sep. 2001)

'Green' US farm payments may run afoul of WTO (Charles Abbott, Reuters, 10 Sep. 2001)

Every reason to link trade with labour standard: Sir, Professor Jagdish Bhagwati has done a disservice to the trade and labour debate with his article "Break the link between trade and labour" (August 29). He has also done a disservice to millions of exploited sweatshop workers with his polemic, based as it is on several fallacies and a misrepresentation of the position of those who advocate a positive link between trade and labour standards. (letter to editor from Bill Jordan, General Secretary, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, in Financial Times, 7 Sep. 2001)

• Break the link between trade and labour: There is no reason why the World Trade Organisation should concern itself with issues such as sweatshops, argues Jagdish Bhagwati (Jagdish Bhagwati, Financial Times, 29 Aug. 2001)

Patents and Access to Medicines: Oxfam's recent UK Parliamentary briefing on how WTO patent rules are reducing access to medicines in developing countries proposed that the UK government support three measures:

• a substantive review by member states of the health and development impacts of the WTO agreement on intellectual property (TRIPS) 
• a pact among member states not to initiate disputes with developing countries until this review has been completed, and to allow longer transition periods for compliance 
• amendments to the agreement to allow developing countries to retain the right to make or import the cheaper generic medicines they need (Oxfam, Sep. 2001)

Report of the In-Depth Study Session on the WTO for Human Rights Professionals - Morges, Switzerland 27- 28 July 2001 - The Study Session was organised in the context of increasing expressions of concern by members of the human rights community that trade and trade rules are not sufficiently taking human rights into account, and may even be undermining governments' ability to fulfil their human rights obligations. (Secretariat of the Study Session on the WTO / 3D Associates, Sep. 2001)

Effects of Trade Liberalization On Global Food Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa is the developing region of the world that would benefit most from free trade in agricultural goods. For this to happen, European nations need to remove farm subsidies. African nations too, must eliminate taxes on food production and consumption..."The products of greatest interest to the least-developed countries - many agricultural products together with clothing and other labor-intensive manufactures - are among the most heavily protected in the markets of their current and potential trading partners, both developed and developing" (World Trade Organization Press Release, Apr. 27, 2001). (International Food Policy Research Institute, 29 Aug. 2001)

• full report: Global Food Projections to 2020: Emerging Trends and Alternative Futures (International Food Policy Research Institute, 2001)

Patent laws cause diplomatic uproar: There has been uproar in India this week over a United States decision to grant a patent to an American company for varieties of rice similar to basmati. And in Brazil, the government has announced it intends to break the patent on a vital Aids drug made by a Swiss pharmaceutical company. The two cases illustrate different aspects of the argument about patents that pits developing countries against Western big business. (Barnaby Mason, BBC News, 23 Aug. 2001)

World Tax Mooted: Malaysian prime minister, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad has suggested that multinational firms based in mostly developed countries pay a world tax..."if they want the poor to come on board with the World Trade Organisation and globalisation, they should make wealth sharing quite certain by agreeing to this world tax," bin Mohamad said. (Steven Odeu, New Vision [Kampala, Uganda], 22 Aug. 2001)

Sri Lanka urged to postpone GM food controls: Sri Lanka's business community appealed to the government this week to delay plans to bring back tough controls on genetically modified (GM) food on September 1 (Reuters, 22 Aug. 2001)

Globalization Foes Consider Joining Forces Against WTO: In a step that could signal a more unified opposition in the battle over globalization, non-governmental organizations are considering creating an "all-star" team to replace the babel of protest groups that have produced noisy and often violent backdrops to recent global economic meetings. The idea is one of a flurry of countermeasures to make their voices heard. It was born of necessity after the World Trade Organization severely cut the number of unofficial observers and protesters who will be allowed at the next big WTO meeting in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar in November. (R.C. Longworth, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2001) 

RIGHTS: NGOs Back UN Call for Globalisation Impact Study: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) applaud the decision of a United Nations body to urge a detailed study of the effects of globalisation and certain trade agreements on human rights. (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 20 Aug. 2001)

Activists debate new ways to protest: The Civicus World Assembly is bringing together people and organisations from more than 90 countries to discuss the role of citizens in an increasingly globalised world. (Ian Gunn, BBC News, 20 Aug. 2001)

A Third World 'No' to Liberal Trade (Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network, in International Herald Tribune, 18 Aug. 2001)

A poor case for globalisation: The world's leaders are failing to address legitimate questions raised by protesters about the effects of global capitalism (Philip Stephens, Financial Times, 16 Aug. 2001)

Harnessing Trade for Development: World trade rules have been developed by the rich and powerful on the basis of their narrow commercial interests. Rich countries and powerful corporations have captured a disproportionate share of the benefits of trade, leaving developing countries and poor people worse off. Trade rules should be judged on their contribution to poverty reduction, respect for human rights, and environmental sustainability. (Oxfam, 16 Aug. 2001)

647 non-governmental organizations eligible to attend the Doha ministerial (World Trade Organization, 13 Aug. 2001)

Unequal 'freetrade' threatens food security: Food security in the SADC [Southern African Development Community] is the biggest casualty of a flawed world trading system - The forces of globalization pose a real danger to food security in the southern African region where the bulk of the countries are under constant pressure to open up markets in line with what are now obligatory western-led economic policies. (Munetsi Madakufamba, Daily Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 13 Aug. 2001)

Letters to the Editor: Time to build a better multilateral trading system (Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network, in Financial Times, 9 Aug. 2001)

World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund respond to [United Nations] Subcommission report on globalization [which contended that the rules of international trade and economic regimes did not show sufficient respect for human rights standards] (United Nations, 8 Aug. 2001)

[United Nations] Subcommission continues debate on role of international financial institutions in promoting human rights (United Nations, 8 Aug. 2001)

DRUGS: Study Presented To UN Calls For More Human Rights Focus - International economic agreements, including those covering intellectual property rights, should focus more on the issue of human rights and not bar policies ensuring access to medicine at affordable prices, said a study presented to the UN Subcommission on Human Rights yesterday. (UN Wire, 8 Aug. 2001)

Rights jurists for sui generis systems on pharmaceutical IPRs [intellectual property rights]: The two jurists, Mr. J.Oloka-Onyango (Uganda) and Ms. Deepika Udagama (Sri Lanka), as UN Special Rapporteurs, have asked WTO member states to come out with a “specific and unequivocal undertaking to the effect that no provision of the agreement prohibits members from taking measures to provide access to medicines at affordable prices, promote public health and nutrition.” They made this recommendation in a progress report to the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 7 Aug. 2001)

[United Nations] Subcommission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights discusses impact of globalization on human rights (United Nations, 7 Aug. 2001)

Lessons not learnt at the WTO: It is not too much of an exaggeration to say that the next couple of months will decide the shape of the World Trade Organisation in the future and how far the institution is going to enjoy the confidence of a majority of the world’s Governments. (Rammanohar Reddy, Deputy Editor of The Hindu [India], 4 August 2001)

"If it's broke, fix it": The case for trade reform at the 4th WTO Ministerial [report on the WTO Ministerial meeting in Qatar, 9 -13 November 2001] (World Development Movement, Aug. 2001)

No Progress On Doha Agenda At WTO's 'Reality Check': At a much-awaited informal meeting of the WTO General Council (GC) on 30-31 July, Members remained far apart on agreement over elements of an agenda for the WTO's Fourth Ministerial Conference from 9-13 November in Doha, Qatar. Intended as a 'reality check' 100 days before the Ministerial, Members failed to use the opportunity to advance on what could appear on a Ministerial Declaration, and instead forwarded statements that for the most part re-iterated previously-known positions. (BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 31 July 2001)

LDCs Say 'Not Ready' For New Round: Trade ministers from the 49 Least-Developed Countries (LDCs) met in Zanzibar, Tanzania on 22-24 July and formed a common front towards the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha. (BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 31 July 2001)

Unfinished business: World trade will suffer unless the WTO members settle a backlog of issues before November's meeting in Qatar, says Mike Moore (Mike Moore, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, in Financial Times, 31 July 2001)

G-8: Commentary Calls For "Bigger Stage" For World's New Actors - Global institutions such as the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization are failing to address the challenges of the new century, Klaus Schwab, founder and chair of the World Economic Forum, wrote in Newsweek yesterday. Schwab said there is a need for a shift in global focus from the Group of Eight industrialized countries to the Group of 20, which includes Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and other developing countries....Schwab writes that "true participatory management, involving governments, business and civil society -- the stakeholders in the global agenda -- is essential to shape a peaceful and prosperous future." (UN Wire, 31 July 2001)

Statement by World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore, Informal General Council, Doha WTO Ministerial 2001 (World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore, 30 July 2001)

LDC Ministers not prepared to negotiate on new issues: Trade Ministers of the Least Developed Countries have indicated that they are not willing to accept the four “Singapore issues” (investment, competition, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation) as subjects for negotiations for new rules, when the 4th ministerial meeting of the WTO takes place in Doha in November. (Martin Khor, Third World Network, 28 July 2001)

Developing countries are key to a successful new trade round (Maria Livanos Cattaui, International Chamber of Commerce, 27 July 2001)

press release: "TRIPS-plus" treaties leave WTO in the dust: A report published today by Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) shows the extent to which industrialised countries are using bilateral treaties to secure ever stronger monopoly rights on biodiversity in developing countries. (GRAIN, 27 July 2001)

• {···español: Tratados "TRIPS-plus" dejan atrás a la OMC}

• {···français: Les traités "ADPIC-plus" laissent l'OMC en arrière} 

• report: "TRIPS-plus" through the back door: How bilateral treaties impose much stronger rules for IPRs [intellectual property rights] on life than the WTO (GRAIN, July 2001)

US, Swiss take hard-line on TRIPS, Public Health and Doha: The United States and Switzerland have emerged as the two hard- liners in opposing any operative decisions at the Doha Ministerial on TRIPS and Public Health or of any ‘understandings’ or ‘interpretations’ that would enable a member-country to issue compulsory licences under Article 31 of the Agreement, except on the ground of non-use (meaning patent holder not working the patent and not agreeing to license others to produce) and abuse of patent rights. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 26 July 2001)

GENETIC TECHNOLOGY: Action sought on abuse of patent rights - Developing nations at a disadvantage in field research while rich countries profit unfairly, meeting concludes.  Citing their comparative disadvantage in the advancement of genetic technology to improve health matters, developing nations are demanding a mechanism to prevent the abuse of intellectual property rights for commercial gain related to the technology. (Pennapa Hongthong, The Nation [Bangkok], 26 July 2001)

WTO Conference Ends, As Stakeholders Are Pessimistic: The World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial conference which was taking place in Zanzibar ended yesterday as ministers from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are still pessimistic on the effectiveness and workability of globalization initiatives to address marginalisation. (TOMRIC News Agency [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania], 25 July 2001)

South must define contents of ‘Development Round’: While others may help, ultimately it is for the developing countries themselves, and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in particular, to define what would necessary for a round of trade negotiations to be described as a truly genuine ‘Development Round’, UNCTAD secretary-general Rubens Ricupero said Monday in Zanzibar, at the Ministerial Conference of Least Developed countries. The meeting has been organised and hosted by Tanzania, coordinator of the LDC group at the WTO, to prepare for the Doha ministerial meeting. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 24 July 2001)

Roadmap points the way ahead for biotechnology: Business experts serving on ICC [International Chamber of Commerce] commissions covering environment, trade and investment, intellectual property and marketing have combined to draw up a Global Roadmap for Modern Biotechnology. The roadmap contrasts business and government positions on all the basic issues under debate, including promoting innovation, building consumer trust and health and environmental issues. (International Chamber of Commerce, 20 July 2001)

• full text: A Global Roadmap for Modern Biotechnology: An issues-based navigational tool with policy options for decision-makers in the public and private sectors (International Chamber of Commerce)

Green MEPs endorse ‘shrink or sink’ of WTO: “The time has come to acknowledge the crises of the international trading system and its main administering institution, the WTO (and) replace this old, unfair and oppressive trade system with a new, socially just and sustainable trading framework for the 21st Century,” the Greens/EFA group of the European Parliament have said in a statement adopted 27 June. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor, 20 July 2001)

press release: Pfizer: The industry leader in pricing drugs beyond the reach of the poor in developing countries - Oxfam today accuses Pfizer, the world's largest and richest drug company, of moral bankruptcy by pricing life-saving drugs beyond the reach of millions of poor people. (Oxfam GB, 19 July 2001)

• full report: Formula for fairness: patient rights before patent rights [Oxfam Company Briefing Paper on Pfizer] (Oxfam GB, July 2001)

• company response: Pfizer Statement to Oxfam Report; Responses to Oxfam Questions on Access to Medicines in Developing Countries (Pfizer, 19 July 2001)

WB [World Bank] calls for WTO 'development round': The president of the World Bank called Tuesday for the next round of world trade talks to focus on the needs of the developing world, which now account for nearly one-third of global trade. In a statement after meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick and European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, World Bank President James Wolfensohn said too many developing countries "have been left out" of the benefits of the last round of world trade talks. (Reuters, in Daily Star [Bangladesh], 19 July 2001)

Law centre opens to help developing nations in WTO: An independent body to help developing countries handle legal issues and defend their interests at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was formally launched Tuesday, one of its senior officers said. (Reuters, in Daily Star [Bangladesh], 19 July 2001)

NGOs Air Concerns On Trading System At WTO Symposium (ICTSD Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 10 July 2001)

Like Minded Group Sets Out Positions Before Doha: Trade Ambassadors from the Like Minded Group (LMG) -- a 13 member developing countries coalition -- elaborated their positions on various WTO issues in an interactive dialogue with journalists and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) held on 5 July in Geneva. (ICTSD Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 10 July 2001)

Minister pins hopes on fair trade: Patricia Hewitt, the [UK] industry secretary, yesterday bluntly told globalisation protesters that their demands would block the world's poor from pathways out of poverty. (Patrick Wintour, Guardian [UK], 10 July 2001)

Open Societies, Freedom, Development and Trade (speech by World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore, WTO Symposium on Issues Confronting the World Trading System, 6 July 2001)

Patently Obvious: Protection of intellectual property - works of the mind - is the lifeblood of today's new knowledge economy. But while the benefits to the multinational pharmaceutical or telecommunication giants are plain, what relevance do international patent regulations have for developing countries? (Lifeonline: A multimedia initiative about the impact of globalization, 5 July 2001)

• full transcript of "Patently Obvious"

Changes in the multilateral trading system: challenges for the WTO (speech by World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore, 5 July 2001) 

Government without Democracy [Don't believe that the global economy is "anarchic." It is governed all too effectively in the interests of its sponsors.] (Richard C. Longworth, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001)

Treaty to protect world's major food crops agreed, but NGOs criticise 'right to patent genes': Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) immediately criticised the weakened text for enshrining OECD countries' priority to support private profit rather than food security, and for subordinating this environmental treaty to the trade rules of the WTO - including its contentious agreement on intellectual property rights (TRIPs). (Intermediate Technology Development Group, 2 July 2001)

Why South should oppose new issues and new round in the WTO: A trade expert explains why developing countries should oppose the current attempt by the North to include the 'new issues' of investment, competition policy and government procurement in a new WTO round of negotiations. (Bhagirath Lal Das, formerly India's Ambassador and Permanent Representative to GATT and Director of International Trade Programmes at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD], July 2001)

WTO facing crisis of legitimacy, needs institutional reforms - The crisis of legitimacy is a result of two factors: the untransparent and undemocratic working methods and system of decision making of the WTO; and the imbalances and inequities in the existing agreements of the WTO, both of which operate in favour developed countries, and against the vast majority of the members of the WTO. (Tetteh Hormeku, trade coordinator of the Third World Network Africa Secretariat, July 2001)

Report of the High-Level Panel on Financing for Development (United Nations, 28 June 2001) {···english···español···français} 

• Executive Summary of the report {···english···español···français···arabic···chinese···russian} 

• Recommendations of the report

• press release: Proposals by Zedillo panel to fight poverty would alter international financial skyline: Eleven top financial leaders urge improved governance and economic management, more resources for the poor, creation of an International Tax Organization; consideration of an international tax on carbon emissions and of an Economic Security Council; new SDR allocations by the IMF; a consolidated Global Environmental Organization, “common pool” aid mechanisms and a more democratic WTO. - Far-reaching recommendations on financial mechanisms to ensure stable global development and to turn the tide against poverty were presented today to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. (United Nations, 28 June 2001)

The impact of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on human rights: Report of the High Commissioner (report prepared for United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 27 June 2001)

Sri Lanka to suspend GM food ban at WTO's behest: Sri Lanka announced yesterday it would comply with a World Trade Organisation (WTO) request to suspend one of the world's toughest bans on genetically modified (GM) food, but insisted the restrictions would be reimposed. (Dayan Candappa, Reuters, 26 June 2001)

Free Trade and Sweatshops: Is global trade doing more harm than good? - Perhaps the fundamental question about globalization is whether it helps or hurts workers, particularly in developing countries. Insight asked Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange and David Henderson of the Hoover Institution to engage in an e-mail debate. (San Francisco Chronicle, 24 June 2001)

Patents vs Public Health issue won’t go away (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor [SUNS], 21 June 2001)

Developing World Demands Clear Rules on Access to Drugs: A large group of developing countries demands that the World Trade Organisation (WTO), at its next ministerial conference, must clear up all the legal uncertainties that stand in the way of countries' rights to protect the health of their populations. (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 20 June 2001) 

WTO asked to ensure TRIPS doesn’t undermine public health: The forthcoming Doha Ministerial Conference of the WTO should take actions to ensure that the TRIPS Agreement does not in any way undermine the legitimate right of WTO members to formulate their own public health policies and implement them by adopting measures to protect public health, a group of 46 developing countries from - Africa, Asia. Latin America and the Caribbean regions - have demanded in a paper to the Council for TRIPS, at its Special Discussion on TRIPS and Public Health. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, South-North Development Monitor [SUNS], 20 June 2001)

'Patents and Medicines: The WTO Must Act Now!': Joint NGO Statement on Patents and Medicines (19 June 2001)

Intellectual property rights and human rights: Report of the Secretary-General (United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 14 June 2001)

• {···español: Derechos de propiedad intelectual y derechos humanos: Informe del Secretario General}

Landmark victory for patient rights over patent protection [Kenya] (Médecins Sans Frontières/Kenya Coalition on Access to Essential Medicines, 14 June 2001)

Finally, WTO to Open Debate on Patents and Low-Cost Drugs: The much-awaited debate on how international patent laws affect developing countries' access to medications begins Wednesday, Jun 20, at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the countries, corporations and civil society groups involved are putting the final touches on their arguments. (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 14 June 2001) 

TRADE: ILO Proposes Commission To Air Social Fears: International Labor Organization Director-General Juan Somavia yesterday proposed establishment of a commission on the social dimensions of globalization. Diplomats say establishment of the body could remove a significant obstacle for the launch of new World Trade Organization talks. (UN Wire, 12 June 2001)

Pharmaceuticals rights under threat: DRUG PATENTS: International agreements allowing access to patented medicines have faced their first test (Stephen Ward, Financial Times, 11 June 2001)

WTO Patent Rules and Access to Medicines: The Pressure Mounts (Oxfam GB, 7 June 2001)

Myanmar Tests Resolve of I.L.O. on Enforcing Standards (Elizabeth Olson, New York Times, 5 June 2001)

TRIPS, Patents and Access to Medicines: Proposals for Clarification and Reform (Third World Network, June 2001)

WTO at the Crossroads: Why the "new round" is a wrong idea and how WTO should be re-oriented - The most important of the decisions is whether the next few years will see the WTO Members doing their best to rectify the problems and imbalances in the rules and system, or whether the proposal for a "new comprehensive Round" is accepted, in which case more new issues are added to the WTO which will distort the trading system and add on even more to the existing imbalances. (Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network, 27 May 2001)

Facing Global Power: Strategies for Global Unionism [including Part 1: Corporate Power and the World Social Economy] (Vic Thorpe and Professor Jeffrey Harrod,  ICEM [ International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers' Unions] SECOND WORLD CONGRESS, 18 May 2001)

What Is Anti-Capitalism Protest All About? The Debate Shifts to Qatar (Iqbal Latif, Business Recorder, 18 May 2001)

NGOs zero in on non-transparent WHO [World Health Organization]/Corporate links: Experts for the Health Action International and Oxfam said that the NGOs were not against cooperation with the private sector, but were concerned that this was taking place without transparency and accountability, and raised several issues of conflicts of interest, particularly because of the way the private sector was seconding consultants and experts to work at the secretariat of the WHO....Tiered or differential pricing between rich and poor markets may make a contribution, under certain conditions, for availability of medicines at accessible prices, but should not be seen as an alternative to generic competition or reform of the WTO’s Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) Agreement, a representative of Oxfam told an NGO seminar/briefing session here on the occasion of the 54th World Health Assembly. (Chakravarthi Raghavan, Third World Network, 17 May 2001)

US-Brazil-AIDS: Oxfam says US hampers Brazil's anti-AIDS fight, urges end to WTO complaint (Nathaniel Harrison, Agence France-Presse, 11 May 2001) 

International Organisations [World Bank, IMF, WTO] Discuss Social And Economic Rights (WorldNews.com, 10 May 2001)

EU sees potential clash between WTO, green pacts (Reuters, 7 May 2001)

Drug Companies vs. Brazil: The Threat to Public Health (Oxfam GB, 1 May 2001)

Declaring Defeat in the Face of Victory [regarding WTO and environmental issues] (Michael M. Weinstein, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, in New York Times, 22 Apr. 2001)

How Thailand Took on the Transnational Tobacco Titans: It began as a classic David-and-Goliath story, with a small and relatively poor country — Thailand — butting heads against wealthy multinational tobacco companies and the powerful US trade office that championed their cause. By the time it was over — after a 20-month battle before a GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, now the World Trade Organization) panel and in the court of global public opinion — Goliath's image had been badly battered, anti-tobacco forces in Thailand and internationally had been re-energized, and Thailand had won the right to impose some of the strictest tobacco controls in the world. (Stephen Dale, Reports: Science from the Developing World, International Development Research Centre, 20 Apr. 2001)

• {···français} La bataille de la Thaïlande contre les géants du tabac

Supachai [Supachai Panitchpakdi, next Director-General of WTO] set to champion globalization at WTO (Kevin Rafferty, Japan Times, 16 Apr. 2001)

Why we must stay silent no longer: Noreena Hertz...argues that governments' surrender to big business is the deadliest threat facing democracy today (Noreena Hertz, Associate Director, Centre for International Business and Management at the Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge, in The Observer [UK], 8 Apr. 2001)

Africa Presses WTO on Drug Patents (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 4 Apr. 2001)

Patents and Development: What Role for the World Community? (Dr. Christopher Stevens, Institute of Development Studies, 4 Apr. 2001)

Serving up the Commons: A Guest Essay [regarding World Trade Organization GATS negotiations] (Tony Clarke, Director of Polaris Institute, in Multinational Monitor, Apr. 2001)

Low-Cost Medicine Debate Grips WTO, WHO (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 28 Mar. 2001)

Commissioner [European Commissioner for Trade] Defends TRIPS but Acknowledges NGO Concerns (EuropaWorld, 23 Mar. 2001)

Trade Dilemma: Should Trade Agreements Champion Workers' Rights?  (panel discussion, Peter Morici [Professor of International Business at the University of Maryland and Senior Fellow at the Economic Strategy Institute], Sam W. Brown Jr. [Executive Director of the Fair Labor Association], Michael Moore [writer and film director], P.J. O'Rourke [Foreign Affairs Editor for Rolling Stone], Reuters Forum, at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 21 Mar. 2001)

Dilemma of Cheaper Drugs (Tom Buerkle, International Herald Tribune, 19 Mar. 2001)

ICC President pledges business help for next WTO chief (International Chamber of Commerce, 15 Mar. 2001)

WHO, WTO Secretariats to hold workshop on affordable drugs (joint press release, WTO, WHO, Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Global Health Council, 15 Mar. 2001)

NGOs welcome WTO greenlight to French ban on asbestos but remain skeptical about the WTO dispute settlement process (Greenpeace, 14 Mar. 2001)

Trading in Illusions: Advocates of global economic integration hold out utopian visions of the prosperity that developing countries will reap if they open their borders to commerce and capital. This hollow promise diverts poor nations' attention and resources from the key domestic innovations needed to spur economic growth. (Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, in Foreign Policy, Mar.-Apr. 2001)

General Agreement on Trade in Services: Press Briefing (World Development Movement, Mar. 2001)

Global Strategies for People's Health: Fighting medical apartheid (Philippe Demenet, Le Monde diplomatique, Mar. 2001)

• {···français: Stratégies mondiales pour la santé populaire: Contre l'apartheid médical}

Yes, Drugs for the Poor - and Patents as Well (Mike Moore, Director-General of World Trade Organization, in International Herald Tribune, 22 Feb. 2001)

Interview: George Soros - Levelling the Field: As opposition to globalization continues to grab headlines, the global financier makes the case for multilateral reform (Far Eastern Economic Review, 8 Feb. 2001)

The WTO's Impact on Human Rights (Caroline Dommen, Feb. 2001)

Patent Injustice: How World Trade Threatens the Health of Poor People (Oxfam briefing paper, Feb. 2001)

Tripping Over Patents: AIDS, Access to Treatment and the Manufacturing of Scarcity [includes extensive material on South Africa] (Jonathan Michael Berger, 2001)

{···english} {···español} Overhauling the WTO: Opportunity at Doha and Beyond: The world's trade ministers, who will meet at a WTO ministerial in November 2001 in Doha, Qatar, are wrong to think that only a new round of negotiations will save the much-maligned international trade system. Carnegie senior associates John Audley and Ann M. Florini argue that they should, instead, simultaneously tackle internal and external reform of the WTO to make it a truly equitable institution. Internally, industrial countries must start treating developing countries as equal partners in making the rules that govern global trade, and where necessary provide technical assistance to make that equality possible. Externally, to satisfy legitimate public demands, members should improve the transparency of WTO proceedings and permit public participation in keeping with international norms. (John Audley and Ann M. Florini, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2001)

A Greener Fast Track: Putting Environmental Protection on the Trade Agenda [specific policy proposals for U.S. negotiators] (John J. Audley, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2001)

2000:

Poorest Countries Left Behind by Trade Boom (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 6 Dec. 2000)

The WTO: Boon or Bane for the Developing World? (exchange of letters between Walden Bello, Executive Director of Focus on the Global South, and Philippe Legrain, special adviser to WTO Director Mike Moore, The Ecologist, vol. 30, no. 9, Dec. 2000 - Jan. 2001)

The Situation at the WTO a Year Since Seattle (Martin Khor, Director, Third World Network, Dec. 2000)

Seattle Anniversary: One year after Seattle, world wide citizen action against new trade round continues (Friends of the Earth, 30 Nov. 2000)

The Southern Chorus at the WTO Sounds Like Seattle Again (Justin Forsyth, Policy Director of Oxfam GB, in International Herald Tribune, 30 Nov. 2000)

Seattle, one year later: No lessons learned at the WTO (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 29 Nov. 2000) 

Who Has the Right to Know? (Cees J. Hamelink, Professor of International Communication at University of Amsterdam, in UNRISD News [U.N. Research Institute for Social Development Bulletin], no. 23, autumn/winter 2000)

• {···español: ¿Quién tiene derecho al conocimiento?}

• {···français: Qui a le droit de savoir?}

A National Disgrace: The Canadian Government and the Asbestos Industry at the WTO (Council of Canadians, 19 Sep. 2000)

UN Millennium Summit: Citizens launch new campaign on the World Trade Organisation (Friends of the Earth, 7 Sep. 2000) 

A Breath of Fresh Air: WTO Ruling Upholds France's Asbestos Ban, Rejects Canadian Challenge (Laurie Kazen-Allen, Multinational Monitor, Sep. 2000)

WTO sanctions 'theft of intellectual rights of poor by rich': Indian Minister for Trade and Commerce critique of the TRIPS agreement (Someshwar Singh, SUNS [South-North Development Monitor], 21 July 2000)

Building a WTO that can contribute effectively to economic and social development world-wide (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, statement to the WTO, 20 July 2000)

Rampant biopiracy of South's biodiversity (Someshwar Singh, SUNS [South-North Development Monitor], 20 July 2000)

Human Rights and the WTO: Time to Take on the Challenge (Malini Mehra, July 2000) 

New International Citizen Group Coalition Builds on Seattle Victory by Demanding WTO "Turnaround" (Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, 21 June 2000)  

ASEAN for Protecting Indigenous/Traditional Knowledge (Chakravarthi Raghavan, Third World Network, 5 May 2000)

Chinese Rights, U.S. Wrongs: Interviews with Wei Jingsheng and Alice Kwan (Multinational Monitor, May 2000)

The effect of WTO Entry on the Chinese Rural Sector (Robert Weil, Multinational Monitor, May 2000)

Protecting Human Rights in a Global Economy: Challenges for the World Trade Organization (Robert Howse and Makau Mutua, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, Apr. 2000)

WTO Report: Clinton Spin Cycle Unable to Clean WTO's Record - Administration Ignores Seattle Warning, Inflexibility Puts WTO Future at Risk (Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, 2 Mar. 2000)

Labour Standards and World Trade Law: Interfacing Legitimate Concerns:...We submit that the WTO labour-related measures should focus on a product-related approach while the implementation of broader policies and efforts should be pursued within the ILO (Thomas Cottier and Alexandra Caplazi, Institute of European & International Economic Law, University of Berne, Mar. 2000)

UNCTAD Plan of Action Provides Critique of WTO Agreements (Chakravarthi Raghavan, SUNS [South-North Development Monitor], 23 Feb. 2000)

Set WTO rules right first, says forum at UNCTAD X (Cecilia Oh, SUNS [South-North Development Monitor], 16 Feb. 2000)

WTO back to business, but differences persist (Chakravarthi Raghavan, SUNS [South-North Development Monitor], 16 Feb. 2000)

Separate and Unequal: Trade and Human Rights Regimes (Roger Normand, UNDP Human Development Report 2000: Human Rights and Human Development Background Paper, U.N. Development Programme, 2000)

"It's Democracy, Stupid": Trouble with the global economy (New Economics Foundation, 2000)

Why Reform of the WTO is the Wrong Agenda (Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South, 2000)

Transparency and institutional issues a year after Seattle (Aileen Kwa, Focus on the Global South, 2000)

1999:

Making a Go of Globalization (Henry Kissinger, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 1999)

Seattle and the WTO: A Briefing (Friends of the Earth, 13 Dec. 1999)

After Seattle - What next? (Adnan Kassar, President, International Chamber of Commerce [ICC], keynote address at Annual General Meeting of ICC India, 10 Dec. 1999)

East-West Divide: Should the World Trade Organization be in charge of enforcing global labour standards?  Many developing countries in Asia say labour issues are none of the WTO's business, but Western governments want to free toiling children and improve workers' treatment (Shada Islam, Far Eastern Economic Review, 2 Dec. 1999)

Sectoral Analyses of the WTO Draft Ministerial Declaration (Council of Canadians, Dec. 1999)

Impacts of WTO On The Environment, Cultures and Indigenous Peoples (Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, Director of Tebtebba Foundation [Indigenous Peoples' International Centre for Policy Research and Education] and Convenor of Asia Indigenous Women's Network, 29 Nov. 1999)

The Stealth Coup (Kevin Phillips, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 1999)

Indigenous Peoples' Caucus Statement, presented at the "Roundtable on Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge", World Intellectual Property Rights Organization, Geneva, 2 Nov. 1999

Building Workers' Human Rights into the Global Trading System (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Nov. 1999) 

The Case for Rethinking the WTO: The full story behind the WTO's environment and health cases (Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Nov. 1999)

Trading Away Public Health: The World Trade Organization Obstacles to Effective Toxics Controls (Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Nov. 1999)  

The World Trade Organisation and Human Rights: Position Paper (FIDH: Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'Homme, Nov. 1999) {···français}

The Council of Canadians Position Paper on the WTO (Council of Canadians, Nov. 1999) {···français: Mémoire Du Conseil Des Canadiens Concernant L'organisation Mondiale Du Commerce - Privé} 

Report: An Indigenous Peoples' Information And Strategy Meeting On The World Trade Organization (30-31 Oct. 1999, Geneva)

Protecting IPRs [Intellectual Property Rights] of Local & Indigenous Communities (Chakravarthi Raghavan, Third World Network, 12 Oct. 1999)

A Trade Policy that Works for Everyone: Why It Matters and What it Will Take (Gare Smith, Levi Strauss & Co., 12 Oct. 1999)

Whose Trade Organization? Corporate Globalization and the Erosion of Democracy (Lori Wallach and Michelle Sforza, Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, Oct. 1999) summary and order form  

Enough is Enough: Third World Intellectuals and NGOs' Statement Against Linkage (Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India, 1999)

• Enough Exploitation is Enough: A response to the Third World Intellectuals and NGOs Statement Against Linkage (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 15 Sep. 1999) 

A WTO Primer: An activists' guide to the World Trade Organization (Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, Council of Canadians, fall 1999)

Our Forests at Risk: The World Trade Organization's Threat to Forest Protection (Patti Goldman, Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, Sep. 1999)

Comments to the Trade Policy Staff Committee, United States Trade Representative (Sierra Club, 20 May 1999) 

Trading in Human Rights: The need for human rights sensitivity at the World Trade Organization (Warren Allmand, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, 24 March 1999)

Making investment work for people: An international framework for regulating corporations (World Development Movement, Feb. 1999)

The Battle After Seattle: A Working Paper for Strategic Planning & Action on the WTO (Council of Canadians, 1999) 

• {···français: La bataille de l'après-Seattle}

The WTO and Developing Countries: a Foreign policy In Focus Brief (Aileen Kwa, Focus on the Global South, 1999)

The WTO and Developing Countries: Will Vietnam Benefit from Being a WTO Member? (Aileen Kwa, Focus on the Global South, 1999)

Farms and Food Safety at Risk: The World Trade Organization's Threat to Our Food System (Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund, 1999) 

Asia, Asian farmers, and the WTO (Walden Bello, Focus on the Global South, 1999)

1998:

Annex: The Primacy of Human Rights in International Law The WTO Multilateral Trade Agenda and the South (South Centre, Dec. 1998) 

Globalization and Sustainable Development: What Regulators Are Needed?  12 Fact Sheets for Comprehension, Anticipation and Debate (MOST/UNESCO/Solagral, 1998)

• Fact Sheet 5A: International Trade and the Environment: Contradictory Relationships?

• Fact Sheet 5B: WTO and the Environment

The World Trade Organization: The Debate in the United States - CRS Report to Congress (Arlene Wilson, Specialist in International Trade and Finance, Congressional Research Service)