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Wednesday, June 10, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
TRADE: Recasting the Starring Roles in WTO
A recasting of the leading roles in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has brought surprises in the Doha round of multilateral trade talks, with two long-time stars, Canada and Japan, falling into secondary roles while Brazil and India have risen into prominent positions in the negotiations.BOLIVIA: Guarani Indians Fight to Keep Oil Company Off Their Land
The Guaraní community of Tentayapi, in southern Bolivia, one of the last bastions of the indigenous group's traditional way of life, is fighting to keep a foreign oil company out of its ancestral territory.TRADE: Let the Game Begin
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) will almost certainly approve this month the draft document it needs to keep the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks going, but the content could be quite watered-down in the end, many delegates agree.RIGHTS/TRADE: Bilateral Treaties Undermine Rights
Bilateral trade treaties have hit stormy waters in recent weeks, drawing criticism from French President Jacques Chirac, a leading world economist and human rights groups alike.TRADE: WTO Proposal to Save Doha Round Termed ‘Disappointing’
The fate of the Doha Round of trade talks remains uncertain after the presentation Friday of the draft document that is to serve as a framework for keeping the multilateral negotiations on track to the Dec. 31 deadline for completion.TRADE: Red-Hot Negotiations
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is gearing up for two weeks of intense negotiations that will be decisive to the fate of the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks, with the question of the industrialised North's farm subsidies taking centre-stage.COMMUNICATIONS: Junk E-Mail Is ‘Epidemic’
All hopes invested in the ''information society'' could be dashed if current - and ever-increasing - abuses of the Internet and electronic mail persist, say experts meeting here this week.RIGHTS: An End to Forced Labour on the Horizon?
It may be possible to eradicate nearly all forced labour in the world in five to 10 years, but only if the international community maintains the political will and works towards equitable social policies, says an International Labour Organisation (ILO) official.TRADE-AGRICULTURE: No Reason to Panic Yet, Says Negotiator
The results of this week's talks on the liberalisation of trade in agriculture in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) were so insubstantial that Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Pérez Motta felt the need to urge officials from his country not to ''fall into panic''.HUMAN RIGHTS: Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo in UN’s Sights
Independent human rights experts are asking the United Nations to send an urgent mission to Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo, the U.S. enclave in Cuba, to monitor humanitarian conditions and legal status of the people being held on suspicion of terrorism.HEALTH-AFRICA: Polio Reaches Sudan’s Conflict-Ridden Darfur
The spread of poliomyelitis from Nigeria to the beleaguered Darfur region of western Sudan is fuelling fears that Western and Central Africa are on the verge of the worst polio epidemic in years.RIGHTS-BURMA: New Reasons for Optimism, Says U.N. Official
The erratic process of democratisation in Burma has accelerated, given some ''interesting'' new signals, says Brazilian jurist Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, special rapporteur of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the situation in this country, also known as Myanmar.REFUGEE DAY: The Long-Awaited Return Home
The number of refugees and others attended by the United Nations refugee agency fell dramatically in 2003 to 17.1 million people, the lowest total in a decade, according to figures released just days before World Refugee Day, Jun. 20.MIGRATION-LATIN AMERICA: Now It Is Europe That Beckons
Latin American and Caribbean migration to Europe is likely continue growing in the short term, despite its already extraordinary expansion during the past decade, says a new study by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).TRADE: Geopolitical Imbalance the Biggest Threat, Says UNCTAD Chief
Although growth in trade offsets some of the threats to the global economy, the world's geopolitical situation - particularly with regard to Iraq and the Middle East - "will have serious consequences," says the head of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).RIGHTS: Child Domestic Workers Are ‘Slaves’ Behind Closed Doors
"There are children in the world who are treated like slaves," says expert June Kane in a report for the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on the situation of minors working in domestic service.LABOUR: Colombian Gov’t Eludes ILO Condemnation
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has set aside a resolution critical of the Colombian government in regards to the continued criminal violence against labour leaders and to the obstacles blocking union activities.MIGRATION: ‘Uncoordinated’ Movements Undermine Labour Rights – ILO
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) this week is underlining its concern that migration movements amongst regions are increasing but there are no international agreements to regulate or protect the immigrants and their families.AGRICULTURE: Trade Negotiations Head to Brazil
Agricultural trade talks this week at the World Trade Organisation reflected an attitude of compromise but differences remain quite marked, said a negotiator from a developing country.IRAQ: Abuses a ‘Stain’ on Freedom Effort – U.N. Human Rights Chief
A new report from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights concludes that "grave violations" - even potential war crimes - have occurred since the U.S.-led forces have occupied Iraq, leaving "a stain upon the effort to bring freedom" to that country.RIGHTS-SUDAN: Darfur ‘World’s Worst Humanitarian Crisis’
Everyone seems to agree on the severity of the crisis that threatens some two million people in the Sudanese region of Darfur, but governments are focussing on a response based on humanitarian aid, while human rights groups are calling for urgent protection for the civilian population.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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