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<DIV><BR><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>BRIDGES
Trade BioRes, Vol. 3 No. 16 16 October,
2003<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>I.
AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
<BR> - EU Policies: The CAP,
Natural Resources And Illegal Logging<BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>III. IN
BRIEF<BR> - Post Cancun: Who
Will Take The Initiative?<BR> -
Promoting Conservation and Economic Benefits:
Bioprospecting<BR> - New Reports
On GM Contamination<BR> - Fair
Trade Coffee, A Growing Market Also For
Kraft<BR> - Supermarkets - A New
Threat To Small African Farmers<BR><BR>IV. EVENTS &
RESOURCES<BR> -
Events<BR> -
Resources<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>Agriculture
And Natural
Resources<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>EU
POLICIES: THE CAP, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ILLEGAL LOGGING<BR><BR>Following
intensive negotiations and discussion on the reform of the<BR>Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) the EU Agriculture Council, on 29<BR>September, moved
towards implementing the first steps of the CAP<BR>compromise package and
debated support reductions for various<BR>agricultural sectors. During the
meeting agriculture Ministers also<BR>started off discussions on the future of
the EU tobacco, cotton, olive<BR>oil and sugar sector. Furthermore, as part of
its 6th Environment Action<BR>Plan the EU has published its first strategy on
the sustainable use of<BR>natural resources -- aimed at raising a policy debate
amongst a broad<BR>range of stakeholders -- and has moved towards developing
legislation on<BR>the import of illegally logged timber. <BR><BR><BR>First phase
of CAP reform implemented <BR><BR>The EU Agriculture Council approved first
regulatory measures targeted<BR>at implementing the EU-internal compromise deal
on reforming its Common<BR>Agricultural Policy (CAP), which had been agreed on
26 July 2003 in<BR>Luxembourg. The reform package will affect the milk, rice,
cereals,<BR>durum wheat, nut and dried fodder sector. Part of the reform aims
to<BR>reduce direct payments for bigger farms and redirect payments into
the<BR>rural development pillar of the CAP. In addition, large parts of
the<BR>production-linked payments will be merged into a single farm
payment<BR>scheme, while payments will be largely decoupled from production
and<BR>made contingent on cross-compliance with environmental, food safety
and<BR>animal welfare standards (see BRIDGES BioRes, 30 June 2003,<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-30/story2.htm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-30/story2.htm</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>). However, part of<BR>community farm support
remains coupled to production, in particular in<BR>the cereals sector, oilseeds
and protein crops (25% coupled), potato<BR>starch (60%), and in the durum wheat
(40% of supplementary aid per<BR>hectare) sector. This is meant to give EU
member states flexibility,<BR>security and a smooth transition to producers
amidst what has been<BR>described as the most radical change since the
foundation of the CAP in<BR>1958. Furthermore, partial compensation and support
for income losses<BR>resulting from a reduction of intervention prices and
community support,<BR>as well as incentives to produce quality products will be
provided in<BR>the, inter alia¸ durum wheat sector, the rice sector and the
nuts<BR>sector. <BR><BR>By diminishing trade-distorting support in the
agricultural sector, the<BR>CAP reform is expected to strengthen the EU's
position at the WTO<BR>negotiations on agriculture, which, however, are
currently stalled due<BR>to the collapse of the WTO Cancun Ministerial meeting
in September (see<BR>BRIDGES Weekly, 25 September 2003,<BR></FONT><A
href="http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>). <BR><BR><BR>Discussion on reform of tobacco,
cotton, olive oil and sugar sectors <BR><BR>Further reform initiatives with
respect to tobacco, cotton, olive oil<BR>and sugar, sectors that previously were
not covered under the Luxembourg<BR>reform package, were also discussed. For
tobacco the proposal suggests<BR>phasing out the production-related subsidies
over three years, including<BR>decoupling existing premiums, abolishing the
Community Tobacco Fund and<BR>restructuring tobacco-producing areas. With
regards to cotton and olive<BR>oil the proposal suggests that 60 per cent of the
subsidies would no<BR>longer be linked to production, but be converted into new
entitlements<BR>to the single farm payment scheme. In addition, the Commission
suggests<BR>three ways to reform the sugar sector. One suggestion, which is
likely<BR>to be controversial among EU member states, would be to open the
EU<BR>sugar market to foreign competition, in particular from
developing<BR>countries. Another option would be to progressively eliminate
production<BR>quotas, and harmonise prices for imported sugar with internal EU
prices.<BR>The last option would be to slowly reduce quotas, tariffs and
prices<BR>without abolishing the current support system (see BRIDGES Weekly,
25<BR>September 2003, </FONT><A
href="http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>.).<BR><BR>Although the reform is aimed at
bringing better market orientation,<BR>environmental benefits, enhanced
competitiveness and more stable income<BR>for farmers, proposals are likely to
be met with strong resistance from<BR>environmental organisations, EU producers
and agriculture ministers,<BR>alike. Opposition is in particular expected from
France and Germany, the<BR>major sugar producers in the EU, as well as from the
Mediterranean<BR>countries, the major producers of olive oil, cotton and
tobacco. Oxfam,<BR>on the other hand, believes that the proposals submitted
would not be<BR>sufficient to end surplus dumping. Oxfam argues that sugar
farmers in<BR>the EU would be compensated for lower prices through direct
payments. In<BR>2001 EU subsidies amounted to EUR 1.4 billion for sugar, EUR 973
million<BR>for raw tobacco, EUR 2.524 million for olive oil and to EUR 773
for<BR>cotton. <BR><BR><BR>Consultation on the sustainable use of natural
resources <BR><BR>On 1 October the EC Commission outlined its Thematic Strategy
(available<BR>at: </FONT><A
href="http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2003/com2003_0572en01.pdf"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
size=3>http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2003/com2003_0572en01.pdf</FONT></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3>)<BR>on the sustainable use of natural resources,
which aims to promote<BR>economic growth without causing environmental
degradation. The main<BR>activities of the strategy include gathering and
updating information on<BR>the environmental impacts of resource use, assessing
policies affecting<BR>the use of natural resources, as well as identifying
appropriate<BR>measures to ensure that policies are supportive of the
sustainable use<BR>of natural resources. The gathered information will be used
to develop a<BR>knowledge base providing, amongst others, data on the
specific<BR>environmental impacts of the use of natural resources, as well
as<BR>related technological and socio-economic changes. Based on
this<BR>information, the Commission hopes to be able to develop
appropriate<BR>policy assessments for example on how trade policy affects the
import of<BR>tropical timbers. Finally, through policy integration it is hoped
that<BR>resource-related environmental issues will also feature in other
policy<BR>areas. The overall aim of the multi-stakeholder process is to reach
the<BR>objectives of the Lisbon strategy by decoupling economic growth
from<BR>environmental degradation.<BR><BR>The resource strategy is linked to two
other initiatives introduced this<BR>year; the Integrated Product Policy
assessing environmental impacts of<BR>products through life-cycle assessments,
and a waste strategy promoting<BR>the recycling of waste and limiting the amount
of waste produced. The<BR>resource strategy, which is being developed in
cooperation with European<BR>institutions as well as public and private
stakeholders, is expected to<BR>be operational in 2005. The second stakeholder
meeting to continue<BR>discussions will be held on 14 November 2003.
<BR><BR><BR>New EC policy to halt illegal logging<BR><BR>Related to the
discussions on the sustainable use of natural resources<BR>EU agricultural
ministers on 13 October instructed the Commission to<BR>draft legislation to
allow only certified legal timber imports to enter<BR>the region. This is an
initiative to clean up the estimated EUR 1.2<BR>billion in illegally sourced
timber imports that cross EU borders. The<BR>EU has a substantial market for
harvested timber, with Africa being the<BR>largest supplier of plywood and sawn
wood, followed by Asia. The<BR>proposed legislation foresees that the timber
exporting countries or<BR>regions sign up to the "Forest Law Enforcement,
Governance and Trade"<BR>agreement, which obliges them to certify the timber
exported to the EC<BR>as legal. WWF supports the proactive steps of the EU
towards<BR>environmental sustainability, but remarks that there are still
many<BR>things to improve, such as integrating Public Procurement Directives
in<BR>its forest policies. The legislation on the import of illegally
logged<BR>timber is expected to be finalised by mid-2004.<BR><BR>ICTSD
reporting; "EU Aims to Stem Illegal Rainforest Timber Trade,"<BR>REUTERS, 14
October 2003; "EU Plan on Illegal Logging: now it's time to<BR>legislate!,"
WWF.DK, 14 October 2003; "Sweet nothing in EU sugar<BR>reforms," OXFAM, 23
September 2003; "Commission starts consultation on<BR>sustainable use of natural
resources," EURACTIV, 3 October 2003;<BR>"Commission outlines strategy for
sustainable use of resources,"<BR>EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 1 October 2003; "Brussels
offers three ways to<BR>start CAP reform," GUARDIAN, 24 September 2003;
"Agricultural reform<BR>continued: Commission proposes sustainable agricultural
model for<BR>Europe's tobacco, olive oil and cotton sectors," EUROPEAN
COMMISSION, 23<BR>September 2003.
<BR><BR><BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>In
Brief<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>POST
CANCUN: WHO WILL TAKE THE INITIATIVE?<BR><BR>On 14 October, WTO Members convened
for the first Heads of Delegation<BR>meeting to consider the way forward after
talks collapsed at the<BR>ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, in September.
All formal special<BR>negotiating sessions will continue to be suspended and the
General<BR>Council Chair Carlos Perez del Castillo will hold consultations on
four<BR>key groups of issues -- agriculture, non-agricultural market
access,<BR>cotton and the Singapore issues. So far, no country or group
of<BR>countries has taken an active role in re-launching the negotiations.
The<BR>US is unlikely to make the first step after having declared
its<BR>intention to move ahead with "will do" countries on a bilateral
basis.<BR>Similarly, the EC has noted that it was in "listening mode" and
would<BR>not take the initiative. While the G-20 group of developing
countries<BR>have urged Members to "resume the task in Geneva in a
constructive<BR>spirit on all of the issues of the Doha programme" while
focusing on<BR>priority issues for developing countries, the group has yet to
present<BR>specific proposals or positions. Several Latin American countries
have<BR>recently left the group, including Costa Rica, Ecuador,
Guatemala,<BR>Colombia and Peru, all of which are in the process of negotiating
free<BR>trade agreements with the US or are expected to do so in the
future.<BR><BR>For further information, see BRIDGES Weekly, 15 October
2003,<BR>http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/index.htm.<BR><BR><BR><BR>PROMOTING
CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS: BIOPROSPECTING<BR><BR>Tom Kursar, associate
professor of Biology and Phyllis Coley, professor<BR>of Biology have developed a
new method for bioprospecting, which they<BR>hope will help conserve tropical
rainforests and at the same time bring<BR>economic benefits to developing
countries. The two biologists point out<BR>that if the pharmaceutical industry
established laboratories in<BR>rainforest countries, these countries would have
a greater incentive to<BR>conserve their rainforests. Based on five years of
research the<BR>biologists conclude that usually only a very small number of
plant<BR>extracts found through bioprospecting are actually developed into
drugs<BR>and then it takes several years before developing countries
earn<BR>royalties on the new drug. The researchers' report points out that
"by<BR>conducting all of the research in Panama, we circumvent the issue
of<BR>uncertain royalties and provide immediate and lasting benefits in
the<BR>form of training, employment, technology transfer and
infrastructure<BR>development". Jeff McNeeley, chief scientist at IUCN, in a
commentary<BR>published with the study, welcomes the report as an "excellent
first<BR>step" turning what has been described as "biopiracy" to an
economically<BR>beneficial activity for developing countries, which also helps
build the<BR>capacity of local people. As a result of the project, the
Smithsonian<BR>Tropical Research Institute, employer of Kursar and Coley,
and<BR>Panamanian scientists have obtained provisional patents for
three<BR>alkaloid chemicals extracted from local plants.<BR><BR>The report was
published in "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment"<BR>available at:
http://www.frontiersinecology.org/<BR><BR>"Local Drung Discovery Industry Could
Conserve Rainforests," ENS, 10<BR>October 2003; "Rain Forest Plan Blends Drug
Research, Conservation, "<BR>National Geographic, 7 October 2003;
<BR><BR><BR><BR>NEW REPORTS ON GM CONTAMINATION<BR><BR>A new report, sponsored
by a group of Mexican farmers and indigenous<BR>communities, has revealed that
Mexico's traditional maize crop is far<BR>more contaminated with DNA from
genetically modified (GM) maize than<BR>previously thought. The study tested
2000 maize plants from 33<BR>communities in nine Mexican states as positively
contaminated with the<BR>DNA from GM maize, including with DNA from the StarLink
variety, which<BR>was developed by the US based Aventis, and is only allowed for
animal<BR>feed in the US due to concerns that it causes allergic reactions
in<BR>humans. So far four government-sponsored studies have been undertaken
in<BR>Mexico over the past two years to examine whether maize in Mexico,
which<BR>is the centre of origin for maize, is contaminated from GM maize.
Each<BR>study found various degrees of contamination despite the moratorium
on<BR>planting of GM maize. At a press conference in Mexico City last week
the<BR>sponsoring groups of the study demanded a halt to maize imports,
arguing<BR>that the cheap US maize is displacing the use of native maize
varieties.<BR><BR>In addition a new report published by the UK government on 16
October<BR>shows that conventional varieties of oilseed rape, maize and sugar
beet<BR>are contaminated with GM straits in a much faster way than
previously<BR>expected. The report for example shows that bees can
pollinate<BR>conventional oilseed rape with pollen from GM oilseed rape over
a<BR>distance of 26 km. The report was originally commissioned to assess
the<BR>impact on farmland wildlife related to the planting of
the<BR>herbicide-resistant crops. With regards to wildlife the report
shows<BR>that in GM beet fields there were 60 percent fewer weed seeds,
less<BR>butterflies and fewer bees and in GM oilseed rape there were 80
percent<BR>fewer weed seeds and also less butterflies. The report concludes
that<BR>this ultimately could lead to a decline in bird population. In a
press<BR>release Margaret Beckett, the UK environment minister said: "The
trials<BR>demonstrate the precautionary approach which the government has taken
on<BR>GM crops [...] the results will be considered as part of
the<BR>comprehensive risk assessment undertaken for every GM crop". The
results<BR>of the report will now be passed on the Advisory Committee on
Releases<BR>to the Environment that will advise the government on the
implications<BR>of the report. Concurrently with the release of the report
Monsanto, a<BR>biotechnology firm, declared that it would close its research
plant in<BR>Trumpington, Cambridge.<BR><BR>The Mexican maize report can be
downloaded at
Internet:<BR>http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=407<BR><BR>The UK report
can be downloaded at Internet: http://www.gmnation.org.uk/<BR><BR>"Farm-scale
evaluations of GM crops - results published," DEFRA, 16<BR>October 2003; "Maize
Rage in Mexico," ETC Group, 10 October 2003;<BR>"Mexican Maize Meets Banned
Variety," IPS, 14 October 2004; "New<BR>Research Highlights Dangers of Modified
Crops," Friends of the Earth, 14<BR>October, 2003.<BR><BR><BR><BR>FAIR TRADE
COFFEE, A GROWING MARKET ALSO FOR KRAFT<BR><BR>A new study released by the
International Institute for Sustainable<BR>Development (IISD), the World Bank,
UNCTAD and the International Coffee<BR>Organisation, points to the rapidly
growing market for fair trade coffee<BR>in Europe and Japan. Based on data from
socially and environmentally<BR>sustainable produced coffee sales the report
concludes that the growing<BR>market share of "fair trade coffee" not only
provide a sustainable<BR>solution for the environment but would also help to
alleviate the<BR>current crisis in world coffee prices and provide smallholders
with a<BR>competitive advantage to large companies. Concurrently the
multinational<BR>firm Kraft Foods Inc. has announced a new partnership with
the<BR>Rainforest Alliance aimed at buying coffee from producers who
meet<BR>certain social and environmental standards. However Kraft was
criticised<BR>by several "fair trade" organisations claiming that the
standards<BR>applied by Kraft are too slack to really make a difference to
the<BR>livelihoods of the coffee farmers. Instead "fair trade"
organisations<BR>advocate for the approach taken by Procter and Gamble last
month who<BR>developed a whole new line of fair-trade coffee under their
gourmet<BR>brand Millstone (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 19 September
2003,<BR>http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-09-19/inbrief.htm#2).<BR><BR>The report
is available online
at:<BR>http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/sdvext.nsf/43ByDocName/SustainableDeve<BR>lopment<BR><BR>"Kraft,
some activists remain at odds over coffee," AP Business Writer,<BR>8 October
2003; "The State Of Sustainable Coffee - Ground-breaking study<BR>takes in-depth
look at trends in coffee market," WORLD BANK RELEASE, 9<BR>October 2003;
"Sustainable Coffee Market Growing Rapidly, Report Says,"<BR>UNWire, 10 October
2003 <BR><BR><BR><BR>SUPERMARKETS - A NEW THREAT TO SMALL AFRICAN
FARMERS<BR><BR>According to a new study from the UN Food and Agriculture
Organisation<BR>(FAO), small farmers in Africa risk being marginalised as
supermarkets<BR>spread. New supermarkets are being established at a rapid rate
across<BR>urban areas and rural centres in Eastern and Southern Africa, and
the<BR>traditional supply and distribution systems for food, in which
small<BR>farmers play an important part, are being disrupted. Millions of
small<BR>farmers need to adapt to survive. In the words of Kostas Stamoulis
of<BR>the FAO, "if we don't help small farmers tap into the supply game
and<BR>become players in this new market they will be left on the
sidelines".<BR>In terms of benefits, the spread of supermarkets could provide a
stable<BR>market for farmers' produce, as well as create transport
and<BR>distribution jobs. In order to enjoy these benefits, however, the
small<BR>farmers need assistance and resources to, for example, set
up<BR>cooperatives and associations to meet the volume of supply requested
by<BR>the supermarkets, and learn to negotiate with large companies.
Further,<BR>credit schemes could be set into place to allow small farmers to
buy<BR>technology they need in order to meet new food quality and
safety<BR>standards. In South Africa, 55 percent of food is sold in
supermarkets,<BR>and in Kenya 200 supermarkets and 10 hypermarkets account for
the same<BR>amount of sales as 90,000 small shops. The trend is unlikely to
be<BR>reversed; hence the need for small farmers to adapt.<BR><BR>"Rise of
supermarkets across Africa threatens small farmers," FAO<BR>Release, 8 October
2003.<BR><BR><BR><BR><BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>Events
&
Resources<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR><BR><BR>Events<BR><BR>For
a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable<BR>development,
please refer to ICTSD's web calendar
at<BR>http://www.ictsd.org/html/calendar.htm. Please bear in mind that
dates<BR>and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does
not<BR>always announce the important informal meetings of the different
bodies.<BR><BR><BR>Coming up in the next two weeks <BR><BR>13-17 October,
Lisbon, Portugal: CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONGRESS<BR>2003. This event,
organised every three years by Consumers<BR>International, will focus on the
theme of 'The future of consumer<BR>protection: representation, regulation and
empowerment in a world<BR>economy'. It will consist of a series of plenary
sessions, workshops,<BR>training sessions, and fringe meetings on the changes in
the global<BR>economy and their implications for consumer rights. For
more<BR>information, see:
http://www.consumersinternational.org/homepage.asp.<BR><BR>15-17 October,
Geneva, Switzerland: CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING IN PREPARATION<BR>FOR UNCTAD XI. The
civil society meeting, organised by UNCTAD, will<BR>follow up on the discussions
and outcome of the Strategic Group Meeting,<BR>which was held in September 2002
and will provide an opportunity to<BR>discuss and exchange views among civil
society representatives and<BR>UNCTAD secretariat with regard to pertinent
organisational and<BR>substantive preparations of the civil society dimension
for UNCTAD XI.<BR>For further information contact Amel Haffouz of the UNCTAD
secretariat,<BR>tel: (41 22) 907 5048; fax: 907 0122; e-mail:
amel.haffouz@unctad.org.<BR><BR>16 October, Brussels, Belgium: GREEN FACTS -
CONVEYING SCIENCE INTO<BR>POLICY: SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL
DECISION-MAKING. The<BR>workshop is organised by the Greenfacts foundation. The
morning session<BR>will have three simultaneous stakeholder workshops on issues
of science<BR>communication and environmental decision-making. The results will
be<BR>presented in the afternoon to a public conference with speakers
from<BR>UNEP, the EU, Industry and Environmental NGOs. The conference will
be<BR>followed by the official launch of the GreenFacts
website<BR>www.greenfacts.org. For further information, contact: David Zaruk;
tel:<BR>(32 2) 211-3425; email: david@greenfacts.org;
Internet:<BR>www.greenfactsfoundation.org/conference/.<BR><BR>16 October, Basel,
Switzerland: FOOD SECURITY AND BIODIVERSITY<BR>SYMPOSIUM. Hosted by the Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation,<BR>the Syngenta Foundation for
Sustainable Agriculture and the<BR>International Plant Genetics Resources
Institute. The event will examine<BR>practical approaches and varied
perspectives on what constitutes<BR>reasonable sharing under the International
Treaty on Plant Genetic<BR>Resources. For further information
see:<BR>http://www.benefitsharing.org/index_en.asp?br=ns.<BR><BR>20-21 October,
London, UK: UNEP'S 3RD WORKSHOP ON THE ENVIRONMENT. This<BR>workshop is hosted
by Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD). The<BR>objectives include, inter
alia, discussing ways to overcome the<BR>challenges of reducing risk through
environmental screening,<BR>strengthening contacts and cooperation between
financiers on the<BR>environmental aspects of their work, and initiating
processes to further<BR>analyse issues raised during the workshop. For further
information,<BR>contact Martina Otto, tel: (33 144) 377-615;
email:<BR>martina.otto@unep.fr.<BR><BR>20-21 October, Tokyo, Japan: UNEP FI 2003
GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE: SUSTAINING<BR>VALUE, A MEETING ON FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY.
Organised by the United<BR>Nations Environment Programme. The Roundtable
provides an opportunity<BR>for bankers, insurers, and asset managers from around
the world to<BR>discuss new ideas and challenges in the fields of finance,
insurance and<BR>sustainability. It will focus on the role of the finance sector
to<BR>promote best practice approaches in exercising good
governance,<BR>accountability, transparency, and reporting. These four
disciplines are<BR>integral to sustainable development, and reinforce the trust,
confidence<BR>and credibility, which underpin the long-term stability of the
financial<BR>system. For further information, contact: UNEP FI,
email:<BR>tokyo@unepfi.net; Internet: http://www.unepfi.net/tokyo/<BR><BR><BR>24
October, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO-UPOV SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLECTUAL<BR>PROPERTY
RIGHTS IN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY. Organised by the World<BR>Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) and the International Union<BR>for the Protection of New
Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The Symposium will<BR>examine the role of
intellectual property in plant biotechnology at the<BR>international, regional
and national levels. It will focus on how<BR>patents and breeders' rights are
effectively used and managed in this<BR>field. For more information,
see:<BR>http://www.upov.int/en/news/index.html.<BR><BR>28 October, Amsterdam,
the Netherlands: THE FUTURE OF FOOD & BIOTECH.<BR>Organised by the Club of
Amsterdam. The conference will address<BR>questions related to food safety, food
technology, food quality, related<BR>global market developments and the role of
locally produced foods based<BR>on seasonality and variety. For more
information, contact: Club of<BR>Amsterdam, email: info@clubofamsterdam.com;
Internet:<BR>http://www.clubofamsterdam.com.<BR><BR>29-31 October, Davis,
California, US: WORKSHOP ON ACCESSING BIODIVERSITY<BR>AND SHARING THE BENEFITS.
This workshop will aim to analyse the findings<BR>of a study conducted on the
status of national genetic resources access,<BR>intellectual property right and
benefit-sharing policies among countries<BR>on the Pacific Rim. The workshop
will also design strategies and provide<BR>recommendations to the facilitation
of the goals of the Convention on<BR>Biological Diversity relating to genetic
resources. For more information<BR>contact: Santiago Carrizosa; tel: (1 530)
754-8506; email:<BR>scarrizosa@ucdavis.edu; Internet:
http://www.grcp.ucdavis.edu/<BR><BR>30-31 October, Berlin, Germany: MOVING
FORWARD FROM CANCÚN - A<BR>CONFERENCE ON THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF TRADE,
ENVIRONMENT AND<BR>SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Hosted by Ecologic - Institute
for<BR>International and European Environmental Policy. The conference
assesses<BR>the current trade and environment nexus at the interface of policy
and<BR>research. It is the first major conference to follow the WTO
Ministerial<BR>Conference at Cancun and will be an important opportunity to take
stock<BR>in light of the crucial negotiations to be concluded in 2005 and
beyond.<BR>For more information contact: Markus Knigge; tel: (49 30)
8688-0100;<BR>email: knigge@ecologic.de;
Internet:<BR>http://www.ecologic-events.de/Cat-E/en/background.htm.<BR><BR><BR><BR>Other
Forthcoming Events<BR><BR>4 November, Geneva, Switzerland: GATS, WATER AND THE
ENVIRONMENT<BR>WORKSHOP. Organised by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and
Centre for<BR>International Environmental Law. This workshop will discuss the
findings<BR>of the study of a discussion paper entitled, "GATS, Water and
the<BR>Environment". The paper analyses the implications of the current
WTO<BR>negotiations to liberalise trade in services may have for global
water<BR>resources. It assesses possible consequences for domestic regulations
of<BR>water resources, particular those concerning extraction of
water<BR>resources and identifies potential implications of the GATS for
water<BR>laws and policies, strategic considerations and recommendations for
the<BR>GATS negotiations. For further information contact: Sabine Granger
tel:<BR>(41 22) 364 9012; email: sgranger@wwfint.org;
Internet:<BR>http://www.panda.org/ <BR><BR><BR>17 November -12 December, E-mail
conference: MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION.<BR>Organised by the FAO Electronic Forum
on Biotechnology in Food and<BR>Agriculture. The theme of this web-based
conference is marker-assisted<BR>selection for crops, forest trees, livestock
and fish in developing<BR>countries. This will be the 10th conference hosted by
the Forum since it<BR>was launched in March 2000. For further information
contact, email:<BR>mailserv@mailserv.fao.org;
Internet:<BR>http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp <BR><BR>26-27 November, New
Delhi, India: NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON GM TECHNOLOGY:<BR>The Relevance of GM
Technology to Indian Agriculture and Food Security.<BR>Organised by the Gene
Campaign. The symposium aims to raise awareness<BR>about GM technology and
its applicability and relevance in an Indian<BR>context. A range of national and
international experts will speak on the<BR>various aspects of GM technology and
its application. Furthermore, the<BR>Agriculture Minister of India, Sri Rajnath
Singh will inaugurate the<BR>symposium and Dr M S Swaminathan will deliver the
Inaugural Address. The<BR>President of the National Academy of Agricultural
Sciences, will deliver<BR>the Keynote Speech. For further information,
contact: Gene Campaing,<BR>tel: <BR>(91 11) 2651-7248; fax: 2696-9716; email:
genecamp@vsnl.com
Internet:<BR>http://www.genecampaign.org/nov.html<BR><BR><BR><BR>Courses<BR><BR>January-June
2004, Geneva, Switzerland: BIO SECURITY COURSE. At the<BR>University of Geneva
and University of Lausanne. The course aims at<BR>encouraging dialogue between
specialists in different disciplines<BR>concerned with bio security issues. This
course permits participants to<BR>explore the legal, scientific, technical,
economic and ethical aspects<BR>of biosecurity. Open to individuals from the
public, private and<BR>non-governmental sectors with a minimum two years
experience in a field<BR>linked to biosecurity. For further information,
contact: Ezra Ricci,<BR>tel: (41 22) 906-5975; email: ezra.rcci@iued.unige.ch;
Internet:<BR>www.unige.ch/formcont<BR><BR><BR><BR>RESOURCES<BR><BR>If you have a
relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you<BR>would like to see
announced in this section, please forward a copy or<BR>review by the BRIDGES
staff to Marianne Jacobsen, mjacobsen@ictsd.ch.<BR><BR><BR>SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE
PROVISION AND PRICING OF WATER SERVICES. By the<BR>Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development. This book<BR>examines social issues related to the
provision and pricing of household<BR>water services. Properly designed water
management policies can<BR>contribute to both environmental and economic goals,
but may face<BR>resistance due to the perceived negative social impacts for
some<BR>stakeholders. Given the importance of household water supply
and<BR>sanitation services for social welfare, these social dimensions need
to<BR>be taken into account when key policy decisions are made regarding
the<BR>provision of water services. For further information, contact:
email:<BR>sales@oecd.org; Internet: www.oecd.org/bookshop.<BR><BR>CAPTURING
CARBON AND CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY: A MARKET APPROACH. Edited<BR>by Ian
Swingland. This book looks at an alternative market-based<BR>approach to reduce
carbon emissions, save the planet from global<BR>warming, conserve biodiversity,
create sustainable livelihoods and save<BR>money. It addresses the issue by
making a case for the maximum use of<BR>carbon sinks, particularly in the
developing world. For further<BR>information, see:
Internet:<BR>http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3944<BR><BR>BIOTECHNOLOGY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: VOICES OF THE SOUTH AND<BR>NORTH. Released by CABI
Publishing. The book had its genesis at a March<BR>2002 conference by the same
name in Alexandria, Egypt. Its many<BR>contributors discuss biotechnology
applications in the fields of human<BR>health, agriculture, and the environment
and discuss ethical,<BR>institutional, regulatory, and socio-economic issues
associated with the<BR>technology. The book's goal is to identify "ways and
means" by which<BR>biotechnology can serve humanity and improve the livelihoods
of poor<BR>people. Contributors include Gordon Conway of the Rockefeller
Foundation<BR>and M. A. Madkour of Egypt's Agriculture Genetic Engineering
Research<BR>Institute. For further information see:
<BR>Internet:<BR>http://www.cabi-publishing.org/Bookshop/book_detail.asp?isbn=0851996752<BR><BR>"Market
Opportunities For African Agriculture: An Examination Of<BR>Demand-Side
Constraints On Agricultural Growth," released by the<BR>International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). This paper<BR>explores market opportunities
for growth in Africa's agricultural<BR>sector. It states that rapid growth in
African agriculture must be<BR>central to any poverty reduction plan, but it
cautions that investments<BR>aimed at increasing agricultural productivity need
to be linked to<BR>market opportunities if they are not to depress commodity
prices and<BR>farm incomes. For further information see:
http://www.ifpri.org/<BR><BR>"Paying for environmental stewardship: using
markets and common-pool<BR>property to reduce rural poverty while enhancing
conservation," by J.<BR>Shilling and J. Osha. for the World Wide Fund for Nature
(WWF) and<BR>published by Brent Nordstrom. This report identifies key issues
and<BR>international experiences in using markets and common-pool property
to<BR>reduce rural poverty and enhance resource conservation. The cases
cited<BR>in this report demonstrate that it is possible to create markets
for<BR>environmental stewardship to benefit local communities, and help
to<BR>identify how these opportunities can be developed. For
further<BR>information, see:
Internet:<BR>http://www.panda.org/downloads/policy/shilling.pdf<BR><BR>"Genetically
Modified Crops and Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in<BR>Sub-Saharan Africa,"
published by Third World Network Africa. It argues<BR>that genetically modified
(GM) crops are "relatively ineffective and<BR>expensive" for improving African
agriculture. The report assesses three<BR>GM crops: Bt cotton, which is being
cultivated in South Africa, and GM<BR>sweet potato and maize, which are both
under development in Kenya. The<BR>report evaluates whether each of the three
crops meets standards of<BR>being: 1) demand driven; 2) site specific; 3)
poverty focused; 4) cost<BR>effective; 5) institutionally sustainable; and 6)
environmentally<BR>sustainable. For further information, see:
Internet:<BR>http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMCIFA.php<BR><BR>ENVIRONMENTALLY HARMFUL
SUBSIDIES: POLICY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES. By the<BR>Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development. This report<BR>contains the proceedings of the
OECD Workshop on Environmentally Harmful<BR>Subsidies (Paris, 7-8 November
2002). The workshop brought together, for<BR>the first time, academic, industry
and government experts on subsidies<BR>to agriculture, fisheries, energy,
industry, transport, forestry and<BR>water resources - to take stock of both the
available information on<BR>subsidies and current understanding of their
environmental impacts. For<BR>further information see:
Internet:<BR>http://oecdpublications.gfi-nb.com/cgi-bin/OECDBookShop.storefront/.
<BR><BR>"Interpreting Para 6: Deal on Patents and Access to Drugs," by
K.Ravi<BR>Srinivas in ECONOMIC&POLITICAL WEEKLY, Vol. 38 No. 38. Paragraph 6
of<BR>the Doha Declaration, recognising the need to ensure adequate
and<BR>affordable supplies of needed drugs in countries which do not
have<BR>manufacturing capacities while protecting the rights of
patent-holders,<BR>had directed the TRIPS Council to find an expeditious
solution. The<BR>solution came on the eve of the Cancun meeting. How is it
likely to<BR>affect developing countries? For further information,
email:<BR>krsriniv@indiana.edu;
Internet:<BR>http://in.geocities.com/ravisrinivasin/drguswto.doc and
www.epw.org.in. <BR><BR><BR><BR>Electronic Resources<BR><BR>ORIGIN –
ORGANIZATION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL GEORGRAPHIC INDICATIONS<BR>NETWORK Launched in
Geneva in June 2003, ORIGIN was created to connect a<BR>growing number of
countries interested in geographical indications (GI).<BR>Geographical
Indications allow the protection of product names that are<BR>unique because of
their origin and specific production techniques.<BR>Conceived as a network for
exchanging information among producers of GIs<BR>worldwide, ORIGIN's goal is
two-fold: 1) promote geographical<BR>indications as an instrument of development
and protection for local<BR>knowledge; 2) demand better protection at the
international level for<BR>Geographic Indicators. For further information, see:
Internet: <BR>http://www.origin-gi.com/index.php<BR><BR>"Invasive Alien Species:
a toolkit of best prevention and management<BR>practice," Citation by R.
Wittenberg and M.J.W. Cock. This online<BR>toolkit was developed using comments
and experience of participants in a<BR>number of conferences. The toolkit is
intended to be global in its<BR>applicability, although there is a small island
focus, recognizing that<BR>the impact of invasive alien species on biodiversity
is greater in small<BR>island systems. The authors state that the toolkit will
need to be<BR>locally adapted for different countries or regions. For
further<BR>information see:
Internet:<BR>http://www.cabi-bioscience.ch/wwwgisp/index.html?cmdSubmit=Go+to+the+Too<BR>lkit<BR><BR><BR><BR>Vacancies<BR><BR>INTERNSHIPS
ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WORK FOR PROGRAMME ON INTERNATIONAL<BR>TRADE AND
DEVELOPMENT. The South Centre as institution of the South<BR>seeks to promote
the development of the technical and intellectual<BR>capacities of professionals
from developing countries. Accordingly, the<BR>Centre offers internship
opportunities in the context of its work on<BR>trade and development. For
further information see:
Internet:<BR>http://www.eldis.org/news/adverts/09-09-03cs.htm
and<BR>http://www.southcentre.org/
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mjacobsen@ictsd.ch.<BR><BR>BRIDGES Trade BioRes© is published by the
International Centre for Trade<BR>and Sustainable Development (ICTSD),
http://www.ictsd.org, in<BR>collaboration with IUCN - World Conservation Union,
http://www.iucn.org,<BR>and IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and
Social Policy,<BR>CEESP,
http://www.iucn.org/themes/ceesp/index.html.<BR><BR>This edition of BRIDGES
Trade BioRes was edited by Marianne Jacobsen,<BR>mjacobsen@ictsd.ch.
Contributors to this issue were Heike Baumüller,<BR>Marianne Jacobsen, Evelyn
Kislig, Malena Sell and Alex Werth. The<BR>Managing Editor is Heike Baumüller,
hbaumuller@ictsd.ch and the Director<BR>is Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz,
rmelendez@ictsd.ch. ICTSD is an independent,<BR>not-for-profit organisation
based at: 13, ch. des Anémones, 1219 Geneva,<BR>Switzerland, tel: (41-22)
917-8492; fax: 917-8093. Excerpts from BRIDGES<BR>Trade BioRes may be used in
other publications with appropriate<BR>citation. Comments and suggestions are
welcomed and should be directed<BR>to the Editors or the
Director.<BR><BR>BRIDGES Trade BioRes is made possible in 2003 through the
generous<BR>support of the Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, and
the<BR>Environment (Netherlands) and the Swiss Agency for the
Environment,<BR>Forests and Landscape (BUWAL). It also benefits from ICTSD's
core<BR>funders: the Governments of Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands
and<BR>Sweden; Christian Aid (UK), the Rockefeller Foundation, MISEREOR,
NOVIB<BR>(NL), Oxfam (UK) and the Swiss Coalition of Development
Organisations<BR>(Switzerland).<BR><BR>ISSN
1682-0843<BR>------------------------------------------------------------------------</FONT><BR></FONT><FONT
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