[Pirateninfo] BRIDGES Trade BioRes, Vol. 3 No. 16 16 October, 2003

Fre Okt 17 19:02:47 CEST 2003

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BRIDGES Trade BioRes, Vol. 3 No. 16    16 October, 2003
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I. AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES 
         - EU Policies: The CAP, Natural Resources And Illegal Logging

III. IN BRIEF
         - Post Cancun: Who Will Take The Initiative?
         - Promoting Conservation and Economic Benefits: Bioprospecting
         - New Reports On GM Contamination
         - Fair Trade Coffee, A Growing Market Also For Kraft
         - Supermarkets - A New Threat To Small African Farmers

IV. EVENTS & RESOURCES
         - Events
         - Resources

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Agriculture And Natural Resources
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EU POLICIES: THE CAP, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ILLEGAL LOGGING

Following intensive negotiations and discussion on the reform of the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the EU Agriculture Council, on 29
September, moved towards implementing the first steps of the CAP
compromise package and debated support reductions for various
agricultural sectors. During the meeting agriculture Ministers also
started off discussions on the future of the EU tobacco, cotton, olive
oil and sugar sector. Furthermore, as part of its 6th Environment Action
Plan the EU has published its first strategy on the sustainable use of
natural resources -- aimed at raising a policy debate amongst a broad
range of stakeholders -- and has moved towards developing legislation on
the import of illegally logged timber. 

First phase of CAP reform implemented 

The EU Agriculture Council approved first regulatory measures targeted
at implementing the EU-internal compromise deal on reforming its Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP), which had been agreed on 26 July 2003 in
Luxembourg. The reform package will affect the milk, rice, cereals,
durum wheat, nut and dried fodder sector. Part of the reform aims to
reduce direct payments for bigger farms and redirect payments into the
rural development pillar of the CAP. In addition, large parts of the
production-linked payments will be merged into a single farm payment
scheme, while payments will be largely decoupled from production and
made contingent on cross-compliance with environmental, food safety and
animal welfare standards (see BRIDGES BioRes, 30 June 2003,
http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-30/story2.htm). However, part of
community farm support remains coupled to production, in particular in
the cereals sector, oilseeds and protein crops (25% coupled), potato
starch (60%), and in the durum wheat (40% of supplementary aid per
hectare) sector. This is meant to give EU member states flexibility,
security and a smooth transition to producers amidst what has been
described as the most radical change since the foundation of the CAP in
1958. Furthermore, partial compensation and support for income losses
resulting from a reduction of intervention prices and community support,
as well as incentives to produce quality products will be provided in
the, inter alia¸ durum wheat sector, the rice sector and the nuts
sector. 

By diminishing trade-distorting support in the agricultural sector, the
CAP reform is expected to strengthen the EU's position at the WTO
negotiations on agriculture, which, however, are currently stalled due
to the collapse of the WTO Cancun Ministerial meeting in September (see
BRIDGES Weekly, 25 September 2003,
http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm). 

Discussion on reform of tobacco, cotton, olive oil and sugar sectors 

Further reform initiatives with respect to tobacco, cotton, olive oil
and sugar, sectors that previously were not covered under the Luxembourg
reform package, were also discussed. For tobacco the proposal suggests
phasing out the production-related subsidies over three years, including
decoupling existing premiums, abolishing the Community Tobacco Fund and
restructuring tobacco-producing areas. With regards to cotton and olive
oil the proposal suggests that 60 per cent of the subsidies would no
longer be linked to production, but be converted into new entitlements
to the single farm payment scheme. In addition, the Commission suggests
three ways to reform the sugar sector. One suggestion, which is likely
to be controversial among EU member states, would be to open the EU
sugar market to foreign competition, in particular from developing
countries. Another option would be to progressively eliminate production
quotas, and harmonise prices for imported sugar with internal EU prices.
The last option would be to slowly reduce quotas, tariffs and prices
without abolishing the current support system (see BRIDGES Weekly, 25
September 2003, http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/03-09-25/story2.htm.).

Although the reform is aimed at bringing better market orientation,
environmental benefits, enhanced competitiveness and more stable income
for farmers, proposals are likely to be met with strong resistance from
environmental organisations, EU producers and agriculture ministers,
alike. Opposition is in particular expected from France and Germany, the
major sugar producers in the EU, as well as from the Mediterranean
countries, the major producers of olive oil, cotton and tobacco. Oxfam,
on the other hand, believes that the proposals submitted would not be
sufficient to end surplus dumping. Oxfam argues that sugar farmers in
the EU would be compensated for lower prices through direct payments. In
2001 EU subsidies amounted to EUR 1.4 billion for sugar, EUR 973 million
for raw tobacco, EUR 2.524 million for olive oil and to EUR 773 for
cotton. 

Consultation on the sustainable use of natural resources 

On 1 October the EC Commission outlined its Thematic Strategy (available
at: http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/en/com/cnc/2003/com2003_0572en01.pdf)
on the sustainable use of natural resources, which aims to promote
economic growth without causing environmental degradation. The main
activities of the strategy include gathering and updating information on
the environmental impacts of resource use, assessing policies affecting
the use of natural resources, as well as identifying appropriate
measures to ensure that policies are supportive of the sustainable use
of natural resources. The gathered information will be used to develop a
knowledge base providing, amongst others, data on the specific
environmental impacts of the use of natural resources, as well as
related technological and socio-economic changes.  Based on this
information, the Commission hopes to be able to develop appropriate
policy assessments for example on how trade policy affects the import of
tropical timbers. Finally, through policy integration it is hoped that
resource-related environmental issues will also feature in other policy
areas. The overall aim of the multi-stakeholder process is to reach the
objectives of the Lisbon strategy by decoupling economic growth from
environmental degradation.

The resource strategy is linked to two other initiatives introduced this
year; the Integrated Product Policy assessing environmental impacts of
products through life-cycle assessments, and a waste strategy promoting
the recycling of waste and limiting the amount of waste produced. The
resource strategy, which is being developed in cooperation with European
institutions as well as public and private stakeholders, is expected to
be operational in 2005. The second stakeholder meeting to continue
discussions will be held on 14 November 2003. 

New EC policy to halt illegal logging

Related to the discussions on the sustainable use of natural resources
EU agricultural ministers on 13 October instructed the Commission to
draft legislation to allow only certified legal timber imports to enter
the region. This is an initiative to clean up the estimated EUR 1.2
billion in illegally sourced timber imports that cross EU borders. The
EU has a substantial market for harvested timber, with Africa being the
largest supplier of plywood and sawn wood, followed by Asia. The
proposed legislation foresees that the timber exporting countries or
regions sign up to the "Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade"
agreement, which obliges them to certify the timber exported to the EC
as legal. WWF supports the proactive steps of the EU towards
environmental sustainability, but remarks that there are still many
things to improve, such as integrating Public Procurement Directives in
its forest policies. The legislation on the import of illegally logged
timber is expected to be finalised by mid-2004.

ICTSD reporting; "EU Aims to Stem Illegal Rainforest Timber Trade,"
REUTERS, 14 October 2003; "EU Plan on Illegal Logging: now it's time to
legislate!," WWF.DK, 14 October 2003; "Sweet nothing in EU sugar
reforms," OXFAM, 23 September 2003; "Commission starts consultation on
sustainable use of natural resources," EURACTIV, 3 October 2003;
"Commission outlines strategy for sustainable use of resources,"
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 1 October 2003; "Brussels offers three ways to
start CAP reform," GUARDIAN, 24 September 2003; "Agricultural reform
continued: Commission proposes sustainable agricultural model for
Europe's tobacco, olive oil and cotton sectors," EUROPEAN COMMISSION, 23
September 2003. 

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In Brief
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POST CANCUN: WHO WILL TAKE THE INITIATIVE?

On 14 October, WTO Members convened for the first Heads of Delegation
meeting to consider the way forward after talks collapsed at the
ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, in September. All formal special
negotiating sessions will continue to be suspended and the General
Council Chair Carlos Perez del Castillo will hold consultations on four
key groups of issues -- agriculture, non-agricultural market access,
cotton and the Singapore issues. So far, no country or group of
countries has taken an active role in re-launching the negotiations. The
US is unlikely to make the first step after having declared its
intention to move ahead with "will do" countries on a bilateral basis.
Similarly, the EC has noted that it was in "listening mode" and would
not take the initiative. While the G-20 group of developing countries
have urged Members to "resume the task in Geneva in a constructive
spirit on all of the issues of the Doha programme" while focusing on
priority issues for developing countries, the group has yet to present
specific proposals or positions. Several Latin American countries have
recently left the group, including Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala,
Colombia and Peru, all of which are in the process of negotiating free
trade agreements with the US or are expected to do so in the future.

For further information, see BRIDGES Weekly, 15 October 2003,
http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/index.htm.

PROMOTING CONSERVATION AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS: BIOPROSPECTING

Tom Kursar, associate professor of Biology and Phyllis Coley, professor
of Biology have developed a new method for bioprospecting, which they
hope will help conserve tropical rainforests and at the same time bring
economic benefits to developing countries. The two biologists point out
that if the pharmaceutical industry established laboratories in
rainforest countries, these countries would have a greater incentive to
conserve their rainforests. Based on five years of research the
biologists conclude that usually only a very small number of plant
extracts found through bioprospecting are actually developed into drugs
and then it takes several years before developing countries earn
royalties on the new drug. The researchers' report points out that "by
conducting all of the research in Panama, we circumvent the issue of
uncertain royalties and provide immediate and lasting benefits in the
form of training, employment, technology transfer and infrastructure
development". Jeff McNeeley, chief scientist at IUCN, in a commentary
published with the study, welcomes the report as an "excellent first
step" turning what has been described as "biopiracy" to an economically
beneficial activity for developing countries, which also helps build the
capacity of local people. As a result of the project, the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute, employer of Kursar and Coley, and
Panamanian scientists have obtained provisional patents for three
alkaloid chemicals extracted from local plants.

The report was published in "Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment"
available at: http://www.frontiersinecology.org/

"Local Drung Discovery Industry Could Conserve Rainforests," ENS, 10
October 2003; "Rain Forest Plan Blends Drug Research, Conservation, "
National Geographic, 7 October 2003; 

NEW REPORTS ON GM CONTAMINATION

A new report, sponsored by a group of Mexican farmers and indigenous
communities, has revealed that Mexico's traditional maize crop is far
more contaminated with DNA from genetically modified (GM) maize than
previously thought. The study tested 2000 maize plants from 33
communities in nine Mexican states as positively contaminated with the
DNA from GM maize, including with DNA from the StarLink variety, which
was developed by the US based Aventis, and is only allowed for animal
feed in the US due to concerns that it causes allergic reactions in
humans. So far four government-sponsored studies have been undertaken in
Mexico over the past two years to examine whether maize in Mexico, which
is the centre of origin for maize, is contaminated from GM maize. Each
study found various degrees of contamination despite the moratorium on
planting of GM maize. At a press conference in Mexico City last week the
sponsoring groups of the study demanded a halt to maize imports, arguing
that the cheap US maize is displacing the use of native maize varieties.

In addition a new report published by the UK government on 16 October
shows that conventional varieties of oilseed rape, maize and sugar beet
are contaminated with GM straits in a much faster way than previously
expected. The report for example shows that bees can pollinate
conventional oilseed rape with pollen from GM oilseed rape over a
distance of 26 km. The report was originally commissioned to assess the
impact on farmland wildlife related to the planting of the
herbicide-resistant crops. With regards to wildlife the report shows
that in GM beet fields there were 60 percent fewer weed seeds, less
butterflies and fewer bees and in GM oilseed rape there were 80 percent
fewer weed seeds and also less butterflies. The report concludes that
this ultimately could lead to a decline in bird population. In a press
release Margaret Beckett, the UK environment minister said: "The trials
demonstrate the precautionary approach which the government has taken on
GM crops [...] the results will be considered as part of the
comprehensive risk assessment undertaken for every GM crop". The results
of the report will now be passed on the Advisory Committee on Releases
to the Environment that will advise the government on the implications
of the report. Concurrently with the release of the report Monsanto, a
biotechnology firm, declared that it would close its research plant in
Trumpington, Cambridge.

The Mexican maize report can be downloaded at Internet:
http://www.etcgroup.org/article.asp?newsid=407

The UK report can be downloaded at Internet: http://www.gmnation.org.uk/

"Farm-scale evaluations of GM crops - results published," DEFRA, 16
October 2003; "Maize Rage in Mexico," ETC Group, 10 October 2003;
"Mexican Maize Meets Banned Variety," IPS, 14 October 2004; "New
Research Highlights Dangers of Modified Crops," Friends of the Earth, 14
October, 2003.

FAIR TRADE COFFEE, A GROWING MARKET ALSO FOR KRAFT

A new study released by the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD), the World Bank, UNCTAD and the International Coffee
Organisation, points to the rapidly growing market for fair trade coffee
in Europe and Japan. Based on data from socially and environmentally
sustainable produced coffee sales the report concludes that the growing
market share of "fair trade coffee" not only provide a sustainable
solution for the environment but would also help to alleviate the
current crisis in world coffee prices and provide smallholders with a
competitive advantage to large companies. Concurrently the multinational
firm Kraft Foods Inc. has announced a new partnership with the
Rainforest Alliance aimed at buying coffee from producers who meet
certain social and environmental standards. However Kraft was criticised
by several "fair trade" organisations claiming that the standards
applied by Kraft are too slack to really make a difference to the
livelihoods of the coffee farmers. Instead "fair trade" organisations
advocate for the approach taken by Procter and Gamble last month who
developed a whole new line of fair-trade coffee under their gourmet
brand Millstone (see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 19 September 2003,
http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-09-19/inbrief.htm#2).

The report is available online at:
http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/sdvext.nsf/43ByDocName/SustainableDeve
lopment

"Kraft, some activists remain at odds over coffee," AP Business Writer,
8 October 2003; "The State Of Sustainable Coffee - Ground-breaking study
takes in-depth look at trends in coffee market," WORLD BANK RELEASE, 9
October 2003; "Sustainable Coffee Market Growing Rapidly, Report Says,"
UNWire, 10 October 2003 

SUPERMARKETS - A NEW THREAT TO SMALL AFRICAN FARMERS

According to a new study from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
(FAO), small farmers in Africa risk being marginalised as supermarkets
spread. New supermarkets are being established at a rapid rate across
urban areas and rural centres in Eastern and Southern Africa, and the
traditional supply and distribution systems for food, in which small
farmers play an important part, are being disrupted. Millions of small
farmers need to adapt to survive. In the words of Kostas Stamoulis of
the FAO, "if we don't help small farmers tap into the supply game and
become players in this new market they will be left on the sidelines".
In terms of benefits, the spread of supermarkets could provide a stable
market for farmers' produce, as well as create transport and
distribution jobs. In order to enjoy these benefits, however, the small
farmers need assistance and resources to, for example, set up
cooperatives and associations to meet the volume of supply requested by
the supermarkets, and learn to negotiate with large companies. Further,
credit schemes could be set into place to allow small farmers to buy
technology they need in order to meet new food quality and safety
standards. In South Africa, 55 percent of food is sold in supermarkets,
and in Kenya 200 supermarkets and 10 hypermarkets account for the same
amount of sales as 90,000 small shops. The trend is unlikely to be
reversed; hence the need for small farmers to adapt.

"Rise of supermarkets across Africa threatens small farmers," FAO
Release, 8 October 2003.

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Events & Resources
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Events

For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable
development, please refer to ICTSD's web calendar at
http://www.ictsd.org/html/calendar.htm. Please bear in mind that dates
and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not
always announce the important informal meetings of the different bodies.

Coming up in the next two weeks 

13-17 October, Lisbon, Portugal: CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONGRESS
2003. This event, organised every three years by Consumers
International, will focus on the theme of 'The future of consumer
protection: representation, regulation and empowerment in a world
economy'. It will consist of a series of plenary sessions, workshops,
training sessions, and fringe meetings on the changes in the global
economy and their implications for consumer rights. For more
information, see: http://www.consumersinternational.org/homepage.asp.

15-17 October, Geneva, Switzerland: CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING IN PREPARATION
FOR UNCTAD XI. The civil society meeting, organised by UNCTAD, will
follow up on the discussions and outcome of the Strategic Group Meeting,
which was held in September 2002 and will provide an opportunity to
discuss and exchange views among civil society representatives and
UNCTAD secretariat with regard to pertinent organisational and
substantive preparations of the civil society dimension for UNCTAD XI.
For further information contact Amel Haffouz of the UNCTAD secretariat,
tel: (41 22) 907 5048; fax: 907 0122; e-mail: amel.haffouz at unctad.org.

16 October, Brussels, Belgium: GREEN FACTS - CONVEYING SCIENCE INTO
POLICY: SCIENCE COMMUNICATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION-MAKING. The
workshop is organised by the Greenfacts foundation. The morning session
will have three simultaneous stakeholder workshops on issues of science
communication and environmental decision-making. The results will be
presented in the afternoon to a public conference with speakers from
UNEP, the EU, Industry and Environmental NGOs. The conference will be
followed by the official launch of the GreenFacts website
www.greenfacts.org. For further information, contact: David Zaruk; tel:
(32 2) 211-3425; email: david at greenfacts.org; Internet:
www.greenfactsfoundation.org/conference/.

16 October, Basel, Switzerland: FOOD SECURITY AND BIODIVERSITY
SYMPOSIUM. Hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation,
the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and the
International Plant Genetics Resources Institute. The event will examine
practical approaches and varied perspectives on what constitutes
reasonable sharing under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources. For further information see:
http://www.benefitsharing.org/index_en.asp?br=ns.

20-21 October, London, UK: UNEP'S 3RD WORKSHOP ON THE ENVIRONMENT. This
workshop is hosted by Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD). The
objectives include, inter alia, discussing ways to overcome the
challenges of reducing risk through environmental screening,
strengthening contacts and cooperation between financiers on the
environmental aspects of their work, and initiating processes to further
analyse issues raised during the workshop. For further information,
contact Martina Otto, tel: (33 144) 377-615; email:
martina.otto at unep.fr.

20-21 October, Tokyo, Japan: UNEP FI 2003 GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE: SUSTAINING
VALUE, A MEETING ON FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY. Organised by the United
Nations Environment Programme. The Roundtable provides an opportunity
for bankers, insurers, and asset managers from around the world to
discuss new ideas and challenges in the fields of finance, insurance and
sustainability. It will focus on the role of the finance sector to
promote best practice approaches in exercising good governance,
accountability, transparency, and reporting. These four disciplines are
integral to sustainable development, and reinforce the trust, confidence
and credibility, which underpin the long-term stability of the financial
system. For further information, contact: UNEP FI, email:
tokyo at unepfi.net; Internet: http://www.unepfi.net/tokyo/

24 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO-UPOV SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY RIGHTS IN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY. Organised by the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Union
for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The Symposium will
examine the role of intellectual property in plant biotechnology at the
international, regional and national levels. It will focus on how
patents and breeders' rights are effectively used and managed in this
field. For more information, see:
http://www.upov.int/en/news/index.html.

28 October, Amsterdam, the Netherlands: THE FUTURE OF FOOD & BIOTECH.
Organised by the Club of Amsterdam. The conference will address
questions related to food safety, food technology, food quality, related
global market developments and the role of locally produced foods based
on seasonality and variety. For more information, contact: Club of
Amsterdam, email: info at clubofamsterdam.com; Internet:
http://www.clubofamsterdam.com.

29-31 October, Davis, California, US: WORKSHOP ON ACCESSING BIODIVERSITY
AND SHARING THE BENEFITS. This workshop will aim to analyse the findings
of a study conducted on the status of national genetic resources access,
intellectual property right and benefit-sharing policies among countries
on the Pacific Rim. The workshop will also design strategies and provide
recommendations to the facilitation of the goals of the Convention on
Biological Diversity relating to genetic resources. For more information
contact: Santiago Carrizosa; tel: (1 530) 754-8506; email:
scarrizosa at ucdavis.edu; Internet: http://www.grcp.ucdavis.edu/

30-31 October, Berlin, Germany: MOVING FORWARD FROM CANCÚN - A
CONFERENCE ON THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Hosted by Ecologic - Institute for
International and European Environmental Policy. The conference assesses
the current trade and environment nexus at the interface of policy and
research. It is the first major conference to follow the WTO Ministerial
Conference at Cancun and will be an important opportunity to take stock
in light of the crucial negotiations to be concluded in 2005 and beyond.
For more information contact: Markus Knigge; tel: (49 30) 8688-0100;
email: knigge at ecologic.de; Internet:
http://www.ecologic-events.de/Cat-E/en/background.htm.

Other Forthcoming Events

4 November, Geneva, Switzerland: GATS, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT
WORKSHOP. Organised by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature and Centre for
International Environmental Law. This workshop will discuss the findings
of the study of a discussion paper entitled, "GATS, Water and the
Environment". The paper analyses the implications of the current WTO
negotiations to liberalise trade in services may have for global water
resources. It assesses possible consequences for domestic regulations of
water resources, particular those concerning extraction of water
resources and identifies potential implications of the GATS for water
laws and policies, strategic considerations and recommendations for the
GATS negotiations. For further information contact: Sabine Granger tel:
(41 22) 364 9012; email: sgranger at wwfint.org; Internet:
http://www.panda.org/ 

17 November -12 December, E-mail conference: MARKER-ASSISTED SELECTION.
Organised by the FAO Electronic Forum on Biotechnology in Food and
Agriculture. The theme of this web-based conference is marker-assisted
selection for crops, forest trees, livestock and fish in developing
countries. This will be the 10th conference hosted by the Forum since it
was launched in March 2000. For further information contact, email:
mailserv at mailserv.fao.org; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp 

26-27 November, New Delhi, India: NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON GM TECHNOLOGY:
The Relevance of GM Technology to Indian Agriculture and Food Security.
Organised by the Gene Campaign. The symposium aims to raise awareness
about GM technology  and its applicability and relevance in an Indian
context. A range of national and international experts will speak on the
various aspects of GM technology and its application. Furthermore, the
Agriculture Minister of India, Sri Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the
symposium and Dr M S Swaminathan will deliver the Inaugural Address. The
President of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, will deliver
the Keynote Speech.  For further information, contact: Gene Campaing,
tel: 
(91 11) 2651-7248; fax: 2696-9716; email: genecamp at vsnl.com Internet:
http://www.genecampaign.org/nov.html

Courses

January-June 2004, Geneva, Switzerland: BIO SECURITY COURSE. At the
University of Geneva and University of Lausanne. The course aims at
encouraging dialogue between specialists in different disciplines
concerned with bio security issues. This course permits participants to
explore the legal, scientific, technical, economic and ethical aspects
of biosecurity. Open to individuals from the public, private and
non-governmental sectors with a minimum two years experience in a field
linked to biosecurity. For further information, contact: Ezra Ricci,
tel: (41 22) 906-5975; email: ezra.rcci at iued.unige.ch; Internet:
www.unige.ch/formcont

RESOURCES

If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you
would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy or
review by the BRIDGES staff to Marianne Jacobsen, mjacobsen at ictsd.ch.

SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE PROVISION AND PRICING OF WATER SERVICES. By the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. This book
examines social issues related to the provision and pricing of household
water services. Properly designed water management policies can
contribute to both environmental and economic goals, but may face
resistance due to the perceived negative social impacts for some
stakeholders. Given the importance of household water supply and
sanitation services for social welfare, these social dimensions need to
be taken into account when key policy decisions are made regarding the
provision of water services. For further information, contact: email:
sales at oecd.org; Internet: www.oecd.org/bookshop.

CAPTURING CARBON AND CONSERVING BIODIVERSITY: A MARKET APPROACH. Edited
by Ian Swingland. This book looks at an alternative market-based
approach to reduce carbon emissions, save the planet from global
warming, conserve biodiversity, create sustainable livelihoods and save
money. It addresses the issue by making a case for the maximum use of
carbon sinks, particularly in the developing world. For further
information, see: Internet:
http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3944

BIOTECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: VOICES OF THE SOUTH AND
NORTH. Released by CABI Publishing. The book had its genesis at a March
2002 conference by the same name in Alexandria, Egypt. Its many
contributors discuss biotechnology applications in the fields of human
health, agriculture, and the environment and discuss ethical,
institutional, regulatory, and socio-economic issues associated with the
technology. The book's goal is to identify "ways and means" by which
biotechnology can serve humanity and improve the livelihoods of poor
people. Contributors include Gordon Conway of the Rockefeller Foundation
and M. A. Madkour of Egypt's Agriculture Genetic Engineering Research
Institute. For further information see: 
Internet:
http://www.cabi-publishing.org/Bookshop/book_detail.asp?isbn=0851996752

"Market Opportunities For African Agriculture: An Examination Of
Demand-Side Constraints On Agricultural Growth," released by the
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). This paper
explores market opportunities for growth in Africa's agricultural
sector. It states that rapid growth in African agriculture must be
central to any poverty reduction plan, but it cautions that investments
aimed at increasing agricultural productivity need to be linked to
market opportunities if they are not to depress commodity prices and
farm incomes. For further information see: http://www.ifpri.org/

"Paying for environmental stewardship: using markets and common-pool
property to reduce rural poverty while enhancing conservation," by J.
Shilling and J. Osha. for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and
published by Brent Nordstrom. This report identifies key issues and
international experiences in using markets and common-pool property to
reduce rural poverty and enhance resource conservation. The cases cited
in this report demonstrate that it is possible to create markets for
environmental stewardship to benefit local communities, and help to
identify how these opportunities can be developed. For further
information, see: Internet:
http://www.panda.org/downloads/policy/shilling.pdf

"Genetically Modified Crops and Sustainable Poverty Alleviation in
Sub-Saharan Africa," published by Third World Network Africa. It argues
that genetically modified (GM) crops are "relatively ineffective and
expensive" for improving African agriculture. The report assesses three
GM crops: Bt cotton, which is being cultivated in South Africa, and GM
sweet potato and maize, which are both under development in Kenya. The
report evaluates whether each of the three crops meets standards of
being: 1) demand driven; 2) site specific; 3) poverty focused; 4) cost
effective; 5) institutionally sustainable; and 6) environmentally
sustainable. For further information, see: Internet:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/GMCIFA.php

ENVIRONMENTALLY HARMFUL SUBSIDIES: POLICY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES. By the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. This report
contains the proceedings of the OECD Workshop on Environmentally Harmful
Subsidies (Paris, 7-8 November 2002). The workshop brought together, for
the first time, academic, industry and government experts on subsidies
to agriculture, fisheries, energy, industry, transport, forestry and
water resources - to take stock of both the available information on
subsidies and current understanding of their environmental impacts. For
further information see: Internet:
http://oecdpublications.gfi-nb.com/cgi-bin/OECDBookShop.storefront/. 

"Interpreting Para 6: Deal on Patents and Access to Drugs," by K.Ravi
Srinivas in ECONOMIC&POLITICAL WEEKLY, Vol. 38 No. 38. Paragraph 6 of
the Doha Declaration, recognising the need to ensure adequate and
affordable supplies of needed drugs in countries which do not have
manufacturing capacities while protecting the rights of patent-holders,
had directed the TRIPS Council to find an expeditious solution. The
solution came on the eve of the Cancun meeting. How is it likely to
affect developing countries? For further information, email:
krsriniv at indiana.edu; Internet:
http://in.geocities.com/ravisrinivasin/drguswto.doc and www.epw.org.in. 

Electronic Resources

ORIGIN – ORGANIZATION FOR AN INTERNATIONAL GEORGRAPHIC INDICATIONS
NETWORK Launched in Geneva in June 2003, ORIGIN was created to connect a
growing number of countries interested in geographical indications (GI).
Geographical Indications allow the protection of product names that are
unique because of their origin and specific production techniques.
Conceived as a network for exchanging information among producers of GIs
worldwide, ORIGIN's goal is two-fold: 1) promote geographical
indications as an instrument of development and protection for local
knowledge; 2) demand better protection at the international level for
Geographic Indicators. For further information, see: Internet: 
http://www.origin-gi.com/index.php

"Invasive Alien Species: a toolkit of best prevention and management
practice," Citation by R. Wittenberg and M.J.W. Cock. This online
toolkit was developed using comments and experience of participants in a
number of conferences. The toolkit is intended to be global in its
applicability, although there is a small island focus, recognizing that
the impact of invasive alien species on biodiversity is greater in small
island systems. The authors state that the toolkit will need to be
locally adapted for different countries or regions. For further
information see: Internet:
http://www.cabi-bioscience.ch/wwwgisp/index.html?cmdSubmit=Go+to+the+Too
lkit

Vacancies

INTERNSHIPS ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY WORK FOR PROGRAMME ON INTERNATIONAL
TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT. The South Centre as institution of the South
seeks to promote the development of the technical and intellectual
capacities of professionals from developing countries. Accordingly, the
Centre offers internship opportunities in the context of its work on
trade and development. For further information see: Internet:
http://www.eldis.org/news/adverts/09-09-03cs.htm and
http://www.southcentre.org/ 

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This edition of BRIDGES Trade BioRes was edited by Marianne Jacobsen,
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Marianne Jacobsen, Evelyn Kislig, Malena Sell and Alex Werth. The
Managing Editor is Heike Baumüller, hbaumuller at ictsd.ch and the Director
is Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, rmelendez at ictsd.ch. ICTSD is an independent,
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BRIDGES Trade BioRes is made possible in 2003 through the generous
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Environment (Netherlands) and the Swiss Agency for the Environment,
Forests and Landscape (BUWAL). It also benefits from ICTSD's core
funders: the Governments of Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and
Sweden; Christian Aid (UK), the Rockefeller Foundation, MISEREOR, NOVIB
(NL), Oxfam (UK) and the Swiss Coalition of Development Organisations
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ISSN 1682-0843
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"Wir brauchen keine Bio-Terroristen, wenn wir Gentechniker haben."
Independent Science Panel (www.indsp.org)
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