Comparing the Special Safeguard Provision (SSG) and the Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM): Special and Differential Treatment for Whom?.
The Special Safeguard Provision (SSG) in the WTO’s Agreement on Agriculture is an instrument that is regularly used by a number of developed countries to protect their agricultural sector. Most developing countries do not have access to the SSG. (more…)
State of Play of the GATS Negotiations: Are Developing Countries Benefiting?.
This paper provides an overview of the state of play in the GATS negotiations, both covering the market access negotiations, as well as the rules negotiations. (more…)
Is Development Back in the Doha Round?.
As trade ministers prepare to assemble November 30 in Geneva for further WTO talks, they are hearing another round of new and refurbished projections of how much wealthier the world might be after liberalizing trade. (more…)
The Draft GATS Domestic Regulation Disciplines – Potential Conflicts With Developing Country Regulations.
This Analytical Note updates a 2006 South Centre Analytical Note (SC/AN/TDP/SV/11) ‘The Development Dimension of the GATS Domestic Regulation Negotiations’, which discusses the implications of the GATS Article VI: 4 disciplines on domestic regulation for developing countries. (more…)
Statement at UNTAD Trade and Development Board, Geneva
First, I would like to reattribute the UNCTAD for its 45 years anniversary on trade work. The UNCTAD has been playing very important roles in the past; the birth of the UNCAD was to make up the vacuum in the trading systems. (more…)
International Trade and Climate Change.
The Waxman – Markey bill recently passed by the U.S. House of Representatives envisages certain measures to restrict carbon dioxide emissions and requires the president to levy a charge on imports of carbon-intensive products from countries that do not adopt similar climate change measures. U.S. importers would have to buy carbon “allowances” for such products, purportedly for maintaining a level playing ground between domestic and overseas producers. (more…)
Accelerating climate-relevant technology innovation and transfer to developing countries: using TRIPs flexibilities under the UNFCCC.
This Analytical Note examines flexibilities in the Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and possible technology transfer approaches under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (more…)
The ACRE Program – A Volatile New Source of U.S. Amber Box Spending.
WTO member countries viewed the 2007-08 farm policy debate as a measure of U.S. seriousness in getting a Doha Round deal. Congress brushed aside these objections and passed a Farm Bill that maintains high levels of subsidies for larger-scale farm operations. (more…)
Policy Space for Domestic Public Interest Measures Under TRIPS.
This paper examines the scope of policy space available to integrate economic, social and environmental concerns under the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). (more…)
IPR Misuse: The Core Issue in Standards and Patents.
Standards cover nearly all fields, including pharmaceuticals, food production, the environment, energy, information and telecommunications. Problems arise when IPRs are included in standards and a balance cannot be struck between the private interests of IPR owners and the integrity of standardization. (more…)
The Cotonou Partnership Agreement, the Economic Partnership Agreements and WTO Compatibility: Can Initialed Interim EPAs be Notified?.
This Analytical Note analyses the legal status of the interim Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) under WTO law. This is because most of the EPAs thus far initialed are interim agreements. It is thus important to understand the legal status of these interim agreements under article XXIV of GATT. (more…)
Negotiating Services Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with the European Union: Some Issues for Developing Countries to Consider.
This Analytical Note explores the options available to developing countries in negotiating agreements establishing Free Trade Areas (FTAs) involving a trade in services component with the European Union (EU). (more…)
