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: Realpolitik Takes Over

When a new round of world trade talks was launched in Doha almost seven years ago, there was no shortage of rhetoric about the need for global cooperation to bring tangible benefits for the poor and the vulnerable. "International trade can play a major role in the promotion of economic development and the alleviation of poverty," noted the official declaration issued by the World Trade Organisation as its conference in the Qatari capital concluded.

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).

DEVELOPMENT: Live With EU's Contradictions

The European Union has "to live with" how its agricultural policies can cause hardship in poor countries, the man in charge of the bloc's development aid efforts has stated.

TRADE: “Developed Countries Should Contribute the Most”

Tension in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations on industrial goods reached such an extreme that the diplomat leading the talks on cutting tariffs, Canadian ambassador Don Stephenson, decided this week to suspend the discussions.

ECONOMY-INDIA: Foreign Money Transfers Under the Scanner

With Indians spending more money abroad and even picking up blue chip firms the government has decided to take a closer look at suspected money laundering activity and dubious international fund transfers.

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.

CHINA: 'Food Scarcity Creating New World Order'

Unprecedented food scarcity is beginning to dictate the rules of a new political order where individual countries are scrambling to secure their own food supplies with little concern for the rest of the world, says the founder of the Earth Policy Institute.

DEVELOPMENT: About Farmers, Without Farmers

Record high food prices and their impact on poor countries will dominate the three-day UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) summit of world leaders that opened Tuesday in Rome. But the solutions to the food crisis cannot be left to governments only, according to several small farmers groups running a parallel civil society food forum.

Q&A: 'Development Aid Is No Panacea'

Celine Tan is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Birmingham. Her doctoral research has focussed on development financing, in particular its impact on global governance and international relations.

INDIA: Urged to Lead UNEP Upgrade

India is sitting out on an opportunity to take the lead in ensuring its own and developing countries’ interests in the ongoing debate to upgrade the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into a stronger body, says a leading expert on international environment law.

TRADE: France Seeks Greater Flexibility with Africa

France, the forthcoming holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, has asked that the bloc display greater flexibility in talks aimed at reaching free trade accords with Africa.

TRADE-INDIA: 'WTO Market Access Proposal Unacceptable'

India has raised strong objections to the draft negotiating document on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) on trade in industrial products, released Monday by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Q&A: Of Elephants, Mice and Fleas

Sylvia Borren was executive director at Oxfam Novib from 1999 until Feb 2008. Before that she was programme director.

DEVELOPMENT: U.S. Might Just Choke the WHO

As the 61st annual World Health Assembly gathers in Geneva this week, a major issue that the world's governments are struggling with is patents on medicines, and whether the option to digress from a strict patent system should be endorsed by the United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO).

DEVELOPMENT: More Fears Rise Around Doha Deal

As WTO negotiations pick up this week, some developing countries are in growing doubt that a deal liberalising their economies further could help them cope with the food crisis.

Q&A: Can Save the MDGs Yet

White banners were draped across public buildings in much of Europe during 2005 as an unlikely coalition of celebrities, church groups and trade unionists took part in the Make Poverty History campaign. The Group of Eight (G8) top industrialised countries and the European Union responded by promising to double their aid to Africa by 2010 at a summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.

TRANSPORT: Major Hurdle for IBSA Initiative

As the foreign ministers of India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) met in Cape Town on Monday, to take forward a unique initiative in South-South economic cooperation, a gathering of hard-nosed corporate captains from the three countries discussed the absence of adequate transportation facilities among the ‘IBSA’ members.

EUROPE: Subsidies Fail the Poor Among the Rich

Romanian farmers have started receiving the first payments under the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). But the poorest farmers might have to wait years to see some benefits.

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.