RIGHTS: Mercenaries At Large in Colombia

Mercenaries hired by private military and security companies are playing an increasingly broad range of roles in Latin America, such as guarding mines, borders, prisons, and now humanitarian aid, said the members of the United Nations Working Group on the use of mercenaries at a meeting in this Swiss city.

RIGHTS: Harsh Language for Colombia at UN Review

Experts at multilateral forums usually begin their speeches with diplomatic words praising some aspect of the country or government under examination, before delivering their barrage of criticism.

RIGHTS-COLOMBIA: A Special Case for the UN

Whether for its extreme violence, its potential for undermining order in a large part of society or its effects on the United Nations human rights system, Colombia is at the centre of attention of the international community.

FINANCE: The Poor Will Pay Too

Developing countries are not safe from the damaging effects of the current financial crisis, as had initially been forecast, but so far the impact has not been "dramatic," according to UNCTAD economist Michael Herrmann.

HEALTH: Progress Towards WHO Pact on Tobacco Smuggling

A draft protocol to eliminate all forms of illicit trade in tobacco products, such as contraband, illegal manufacturing and counterfeit cigarettes, has been outlined at the World Health Organisation (WHO).

ECONOMY: Civil Society Has Something to Say

Governments cannot deal with the current financial crisis on their own, and need the support of the people they govern, which is "best translated by the opinions of the civil society movement," said Werner H. Schleiffer, executive coordinator of CONGO, the global umbrella of NGOs with consultative status with the United Nations.

GEORGIA-RUSSIA: Talks Off to Uneasy Start

Talks to put an end to the conflict in Georgia came up against foreseeable difficulties due to the obstinacy of both sides, although at least the process has gotten off the ground, said a European diplomat who closely followed the opening of negotiations Wednesday.

ECONOMY: Global Investment Feels Impact of Crisis

The international turmoil and economic slowdown triggered by the U.S. financial crisis are having a major impact on global investment, which will drop 10 percent this year from last year’s record level of 1.8 trillion dollars.

ECONOMY: Industrialised Nations’ Slowdown Could Spill Over to Poor Countries

A new United Nations report on the outlook for the global economy over the next few months indicates that the robust growth seen in developing countries could be checked by the slowdown in the industrialised world.

TRADE: Old Talks Never Die

"History tells us that multilateral trade negotiations never die, and the current Doha Round is no exception," said economist Carlos Pérez del Castillo, Uruguay’s former permanent representative to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and chairman of the global body’s General Council in 2003 and 2004.

TRADE: New World Order in Doha’s Wake

The standoff between China and India, the world’s two fastest growing economies, and the United States not only buried the last attempt to save the Doha Round, but also demonstrated changes in the balance of power since the WTO was created in 1995, say observers.

TRADE: Doha Round Crumbles to Dust

The Doha Round of multilateral trade talks was brought crashing down late Tuesday by the same discrepancies between rich and poor countries that have marked the nearly seven years of negotiations from the start.

TRADE: Subsidies (and Food Prices) Soar at Doha

Bias in the WTO proposals to reform agricultural trade, which are being analysed for the second consecutive week, will definitely aggravate the food crisis caused in recent months by the high prices of farm commodities, according to Aftab Alam Khan, an expert with the non-governmental organisation ActionAid.

TRADE: A Partial Doha Agreement

The trade ministers of 33 WTO member countries ironed out a few of the differences Friday that have been standing in the way of the completion of the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks, although the emerging deal must still win the backing of all of the global body’s 153 members.

TRADE: Industrial Markets in Dispute

The rivalry between rich and poor countries over the international markets for industrial goods has taken root in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), where it represents one of the biggest obstacles to the success of the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks.

TRADE: Cloudy Skies for Doha

The most optimistic WTO trade negotiators are perhaps taking solace in the old saying "it is always darkest before the dawn."

TRADE: WTO Prescribes More Liberalisation

The shortcomings of globalisation must be amended by more globalisation, according to the World Trade Report 2008, released by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

COLOMBIA: ILO to Keep an Eye on Labour Rights

Cases of violence against trade unionists and violations of labour standards committed in Colombia were presented to an International Labour Organisation (ILO) panel of legal experts, which will instruct the Colombian state to modify its policies and will hold the government accountable, said labour representatives from that country.

TRADE: WTO Agriculture Talks – So Much to Do, So Little Time

While they are not enduring the acute crisis that is affecting talks on industrial products, negotiations on agriculture at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are still facing considerable difficulties in reaching agreement on the trade liberalisation to which the Doha Round aspires.

TRADE: Doha Talks Sweating Over Tropical Products

The hot potato these days in the Doha Round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations is tropical products, a burning issue for the world’s poorest countries.

RIGHTS-TIBET: China, US Clash in UN Council

Western diplomats and civil society representatives unexpectedly brought up the question of Tibet in the United Nations Human Rights Council debates in this Swiss city.