[Pirateninfo] Fw: BRIDGES Trade BioRes, Vol. 4 no. 5,
19 March 2004 (excerpts)
Martin Sundermann
Martin.Sundermann at ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Son Mar 21 12:43:20 CET 2004
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BRIDGES Trade BioRes, Vol. 4 No. 5 19 March, 2004
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II. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
- TRIPs Council: Renewed Calls For Moving Ahead On Biodiversity
IV. IN BRIEF
- Kyoto Protocol In Force In The EU
- South Africa Debates Future Biodiversity Strategy
- Agriculture And Forestry Threaten Bird Populations
- Ivory Trade Again Under Discussion at CITES
- Coffee Producers Complain About German Standards At WTO
V. EVENTS & RESOURCES
- Events
- Resources
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Intellectual Property Rights
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TRIPs COUNCIL: RENEWED CALLS FOR MOVING AHEAD ON BIODIVERSITY
At the 8 March meeting of the WTO Council for Trade-related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), a group of developing countries
renewed their efforts to speed up discussions on resolving potential
conflicts between the TRIPs Agreement and the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD) by putting forward a checklist of issues for further
discussion. While the EC, Norway and Switzerland signalled their
willingness to proceed with the debate in the TRIPs Council on the basis
of their proposal, the US and Japan opposed further discussions on the
points raised in the checklist.
In their submission, the group of countries, including Bolivia, Brazil,
Cuba, Ecuador, India, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela and Pakistan, highlight
concerns that the TRIPs Agreement allows the granting of patents for
inventions that use genetic material and associated knowledge without
requiring compliance with the CBD provisions (IP/C/W/420, available at
http://docsonline.wto.org). To address this gap and the resulting
problem of bio-piracy, the countries put forward a checklist of three
issues and related questions raised in previous proposals, namely
disclosure of origin and evidence of prior informed consent and
benefit-sharing related to genetic material and traditional knowledge
(see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 28 November 2003,
http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-11-28/story2.htm).
While the EC did not necessarily agree with all three points, such as
evidence of prior informed consent, it was willing to pursue the
discussions along those lines. It also stressed that in order to avoid
duplication, the TRIPs Council's work on traditional knowledge should
await the outcomes of the WIPO Intergovernmental Commission on
Intellectual Property Rights and Genetic Resources, Traditional
Knowledge and Folklore. Switzerland and Norway also signalled their
openness to discussions. In contrast, the US opposed the checklist,
arguing that there was no conflict between the TRIPs Agreement and the
CBD and that the CBD should not be enforced through patent law. The US,
along with Japan, called for the discussions to take place in WIPO. In
response, the India-led group, supported by other developing countries,
insisted that discussions should continue in the TRIPs Council pursuant
to the mandate set out in para. 19 of the Doha Declaration.
Also at the meeting, the EC responded to an earlier submission by the
African Group on the review of Article 27.3(b) (patentability of life
forms) of the TRIPS Agreement (IP/C/W/404; see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 13
June 2003, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/03-06-13/story1.htm). In general,
the EC supported the submission's suggested approach to identify and
focus on areas where agreement could be reached. However, the EC noted
that the African Group's call for a ban on patenting of life was likely
to be opposed by countries with biotechnology industries. Moreover, the
EC thought the African proposal to provide indefinite protection for TK
was "rather unacceptable", given that so far only names (i.e. trademarks
and geographical indications) received lifelong protection while patents
were subject to a 20-year time limit.
The special session on the multilateral register for wines and spirits
will be held on 7 April. The next TRIPs Council is currently scheduled
for 15-17 June. The Chair will hold informal consultations on health and
biodiversity in the meantime.
The WIPO Intergovernmental Committee is meeting from 15-19 March in
Geneva. BRIDGES Trade BioRes will report on the outcomes of the meeting
in the next issue.
Additional Resources
For an account of related discussions at the last meeting of the CBD in
Kuala Lumpur (9-20 February), see BRIDGES Trade BioRes, 20 February
2004, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/04-02-20/story1.htm.
For further details on discussions related to TRIPs & health at the
Council meeting, see BRIDGES Weekly, 10 March 2004,
http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/04-03-10/story1.htm.
ICTSD reporting; "Developing Countries call for focus on bio-piracy in
TRIPs/biodiversity talks," WTO REPORTER, 4 March 2004.
SOUTH AFRICA DEBATES FUTURE BIODIVERSITY STRATEGY
On 17 March South Africa held its first formal workshop to discuss its
future national biodiversity strategy. Developing a national strategy
for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and equitable
sharing of benefits derived from genetic resources forms part of South
Africa's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The
participatory process to develop the strategy was initiated in 1997 and
further refined during the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
2002 and during the World Parks Congress in 2003. Five task teams have
been working on key thematic areas, including conservation, sustainable
use, access and benefit sharing, alien invasive species and economic
integration and poverty alleviation. Crispian Olver, head of the
Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism said, "the biggest issue
facing the sustainable use of our natural resources is the issue of
equity." So far the task teams have come up with draft national
objectives, priorities and strategies for the thematic areas aimed at,
inter alia, ensuring that biodiversity conservation is an integral
component of all sectors of the economy and that benefits from
biodiversity and costs from maintaining the flow of environmental goods
and services are equitably shared. The strategy will be further
developed and refined in a consultative process involving local
authorities and provinces. A draft Action Plan will be discussed at a
national workshop in July 2004.
"South Africa's National Biodiversity Strategy Takes Shape," ENS, 18
March 2004.
AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY THREATEN BIRD POPULATIONS
The "State of the World's Birds 2004" report released by BirdLife
International concludes that agricultural expansion and unsustainable
forestry are the biggest threat to bird diversity. According to BirdLife
International, one in eight of the world's birds faces extinction -- a
total of 1,211 species. Several reasons for the extinction crisis are
cited by the organisation. Thus, the report finds that 50 percent of
important bird areas in Africa are at risk due to agricultural
expansion, while 64 percent of globally threatened birds are endangered
by unsustainable forestry. The report also identifies alien invasive
species as a major risk for birds in particular on islands. However, the
report also highlights positive examples show-casing threatened species
that have recovered following the improvement of management practices.
Thus, about a quarter of threatened bird species have already gained
from conservation projects, implemented by various stakeholders. The
report concludes that timely action based on sound science can reverse
the decline of bird diversity and the extinction threat. Birds have been
categorised as an "indicator species"; thus the report not only informs
about the state of bird species but also on the state of biodiversity in
general. In conclusion the report calls for coordinated action to both
improve the state of birds and to halt the loss of biodiversity.
The report is available at:
http://www.birdlife.net/action/science/species/sowb/index.html
"World's birds under threat," NEWS24, 8 March 2004; "Third of threatened
birds still without help," BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL, 8 March 2004.
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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. 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
19 March, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPLORING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND
DEVELOPMENTAL DIMENSIONS OF GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS. Jointly organised
with Institut de Développement Durable et les Relations Internationales
(IDDRI). The meeting will assess the potential of geographical
indications to contribute towards environmental protection and
sustainable development, including the protection of traditional
knowledge. Speakers will include Bernard Roussel, French National Museum
of Natural History, Antony Taubman, WIPO, and Christian López Silva,
CONABIO. The event will be held in Room B of WIPO. For further
information, contact: Marie Chamay, ICTSD, tel: (41 22) 9178-497; fax:
9178-093; email: mchamay at ictsd.ch; Internet:
http://www.iprsonline.org/index.htm
22, 25 and 26 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
(SPECIAL AND REGULAR SESSIONS).
23 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO
TRADE. An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at:
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/meets.pdf
23 March, Brussels, Belgium: FAIR TRADE - A CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT? The conference is jointly organised by EuroCoop, NEWS and
EFTA. The day-long conference will open a dialogue on the Fair Trade
contribution to sustainable development, options for support and
promotion of Fair Trade in Europe, and the particular role of EU trade
and development policies in overcoming the challenges and obstacles
facing Fair Trade. Speakers include representatives from Fair Trade
organisations, the European Commission and the European Parliament,
consumer organisations and others. For further information, contact:
email: Lousted_Olsen at eurocoop.coop; fax: (+32-2) 231-0757; fax:
231-0757; Internet:
http://www.eurocoop.org/home/en/conferencefairtrade/invitation.asp
24-26 March, Geneva, Switzerland: 3RD MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON
GMOS. Organised by the United Nations Economic Commission on Europe,
Environment and Human Settlements Division. This meeting will continue
to discuss the application of the Aarhus Convention to GMOs. For further
information, tel: (+41 22) 917-2468; fax: 917-0107; email:
public.participation at unece.org; Internet:
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/calendar.htm
27-28 March, Jeju, Republic of Korea: FIFTH GLOBAL CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
This Forum precedes and will present its results to the upcoming Special
Session of the UNEP Governing Council. As in the UNEPGC/GMEF meeting,
the GCSF will focus on the thematic issue cluster for the 12th Session
of the Commission on Sustainable Development, namely water, sanitation
and human settlements. For further information, contact: Ms.Kim Choony,
Korean Federation for Environmental Movement; tel: (+82-2) 735-7000;
fax: 730-1240; email: kimchy at kfem.or.kr; Internet:
http://www.unep.org/dpdl/cso/global_csf/issues.html
1-3 April, Kampala, Uganda: ASSURING FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY IN
AFRICA BY 2020. Organised by the International Food Policy Research
Institute and the government of Uganda, this all-Africa conference will
bring together the traditional and new actors and stakeholders to
deliberate on how to bring about change and action to assure food and
nutrition security. For more information, contact: Ms. Rajul
Pandya-Lorch; tel: (+1-202) 862-8185; fax: 467-4439; email:
r.pandya-lorch at cgiar.org; Internet:
http://www.ifpri.org/2020africaconference/index.htm
Other Forthcoming Events
15-17 April, New Haven, Connecticut, US: FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, CONSERVATION,
AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN THE AMERICAS.
Organised by Yale University. This workshop will explore cutting-edge
research, on-the-ground practice, and social movements that bring
together agriculture, biotechnology, conservation, development, and food
and trade policy. Representative from academia, civil society and
farmers from various countries will speak at the workshop. For further
information, contact: The Yale Center of International and Area Studies;
tel: (+1-203) 432-3422; fax: 432-5963 or 432-9381 email:
agroecology at yale.edu; Internet: http://www.yale.edu/las/food/index.html
26 April, New York, US: MEETING OF ECOSOC AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
together with the Bretton Woods Institutions, the World Trade
Organisation and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
will hold a special high-level meeting at the UN headquarters in New
York. The meeting will focus on specific issues within the integrated
approach of the Monterrey Consensus. For more information, contact:
email: esa at un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/
5-6 July, London, England: CONSUMERS, FARMERS AND FOOD: RECONCILING THE
FUTURE. Organised by The Royal Institute of International Affairs in
partnership with NewScientist magazine. Consumers' concerns about animal
welfare, food safety, GMOs, biodiversity and the environment have been
central to the debate surrounding food production in Europe. The event
will provide a forum to debate urgent issues related to food safety by
all interested parties: consumer groups, food companies, NGOs,
supermarket chains, governments and farmers' representatives. For
further information, contact: Dino Ribeiro, tel: (+44-20) 7957-5753;
email: dribeiro at riia.org; Internet:
http://www.riia.org/index.php?id=5&cid=55
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, email:
mjacobsen at ictsd.ch
ICTSD TRADE & ENVIRONMENT WEB PORTAL. On 15 March, ICTSD launched
trade-environment.org, a web portal at the crossroads of international
trade and the environment. The site contains a wide range of key
resources related to trade, environment and sustainable development. It
includes the latest news on T&E, a calendar of T&E events, links to
institutions working on T&E and relevant legal texts. The site is
designed to facilitate access to a wide range of knowledge on trade and
environment, thereby providing trade policy-makers and influencers with
the means to effectively participate in relevant policy debates. To
access the web portal, visit: http://www.trade-environment.org
AGRICULTURE AT THE WTO - 'FRAMEWORK PHASE' UPDATE REPORT. By ICTSD
(March 2004). The aim of this report is to provide stakeholders in
agriculture trade and sustainable development with a concise and
user-friendly description and analysis of the current developments in
the WTO agriculture negotiating process. The report also provides a
future outlook on emerging and pressing issues that need to be resolved
in order to break the deadlock in the agriculture negotiations. To
access the report, visit:
http://www.ictsd.org/issarea/atsd/products/docs/AgricultureNegotiations1
0.pdf
COFFEE MARKETS: NEW PARADIGMS IN GLOBAL SUPPLY & DEMAND by B. Lewin, D.
Giovannucci, P. Varangis, produced by the World Bank (2004). The report
highlights the linkages between the decline of world coffee prices and
agricultural subsidies in developed countries, in particular in the US.
The report furthermore argues that coffee farmers should find new ways
to diversify their production in order to gain improved market access as
well as organise themselves with the support of international
organisations and donors. The report is available at: Internet:
http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/ESSD/ardext.nsf/11ByDocName/PublicationsCof
feeMarketsNewParadigmsinGlobalSupplyandDemand
BIOTECHNOLOGY AND GENETIC RESOURCE POLICIES: WHAT IS A GENEBANK WORTH?
Edited by M. Smale and B. Koo (IFPRI, 2004). The volume contains a
series of IFPRI briefs on biotechnology and genetic resource policies
focussing on ex situ genebanks and related issues. The briefs present
syntheses and synopses of research conducted by a team from IFPRI’s
Environment and Production Technology Division and several
collaborators. The series is available at: Internet:
http://www.ifpri.org/pubs/rag/br1002.htm
THE IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON THE AGRICULTURAL SECTORS OF EAST AND
CENTRAL AFRICAN COUNTRIES. By P. Robbins, B. Ferris. Produced by
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA, 2003). This paper
looks at the process and impact of globalisation on agriculture. It
attempts to set these issues in a historical context, argues that East
and Central African countries have not appreciated the scale and
implications of the changes brought about by globalisation and that,
without urgent action on their part, they may seriously weaken their
economies in the years ahead. The paper is available at, Internet:
http://www.iita.org/info/impact_globalization.pdf
FOOD POLICY OLD AND NEW. By S. Maxwell and R. Slater (ODI, 2003). This
briefing paper looks at new issues emerging in the food policy arena,
including the impacts of urbanisation, industrialisation and
globalisation. Some of main concerns and challenges addressed include:
imperfect competition, externalities: health and environmental costs,
income distribution effects of changes in the food system, policy making
and regulation are problematic, particularly in relation to new topics
like biotechnology and to other issues that cut across national borders.
The paper is available at, Internet:
http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/briefing/bp_nov03.pdf
BIOTECH AND WORLD HUNGER. By A. Fish & L. Rudenko. Commissioned by The
Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, March 2004. This paper gives
an overview of the debate on genetically modified (GM) crops and their
potential to improve food security in developing countries. The paper
argues that poverty and the uneven distribution of food are not, as some
argue, the fundamental sources of global hunger. Solution to world
hunger would have to address broad systemic problems such as weak
governmental institutions and civil strife. The paper furthermore states
that agricultural biotechnology "may" play an important role in
addressing hunger. The paper is available at, Internet:
http://pewagbiotech.org/resources/issuebriefs/feedtheworld.pdf
US - EU FOOD AND AGRICULTURE COMPARISONS. By the US Department of
Agriculture Economic Research Service, February 2004. This report
provides information and analysis on a wide range of topics relating to
agriculture in the United States and European Union (EU), including
comparisons of farm structure, production, agricultural productivity,
risk management, environmental, commodity policy, trade, and food
consumption, as well as implications of EU enlargement for bilateral
relations. The report is available at, Internet:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/WRS0404/
US DUMPING ON WORLD AGRICULTURAL MARKETS. By the Institute for
Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP, February 2004). This issue of the
IATP dumping report concentrates on dumping from US-based multinational
corporations in February 2004. Dumping is one of the most damaging of
all current distortions in world trade practices. Developing country
agriculture, vital for food security, rural livelihoods, poverty
reduction and trade, is severely harmed by the competition from major
commodities sold below cost of production prices in world markets. The
report is available at Internet:
http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library/uploadedfiles/US_Dumping_on_Worl
d_Agricultural_Markets_Febru.pdf
"Inserting GM products into the food chain: the market and welfare
effects of different labeling and regulatory regimes". By M. Fulton and
K. Giannakas in the AMERICAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS 86 (1,
2004). The purpose of this article is to examine the system-wide effects
of the introduction of genetically modified products with and without
labelling. For each regime, the decisions and welfare of consumers,
producers, and life science companies are examined. The article
explicitly incorporates the consumer response to the introduction of GM
technology and considers different market structures of the life science
sector.
Electronic Resource
DATABASE: BIOTECH SAFETY STOREHOUSE. This database provided by the US
government lists genetically modified (GM) crops approved in the US. The
database can be searched by crop, type of modification, or developer.
Furthermore, the page includes US government health and environmental
risk assessments. The website is available at, Internet:
http://usbiotechreg.nbii.gov/
Vacancies
Marie Curie Training Site Fellowships. The Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
invites applications from doctoral students who wish to develop their
studies on environmental policies, modelling and decision-making,
focusing on water resources management. Fellows will be involved in the
ENVIRON Project and will work within FEEM Research Programme on Natural
Resources Management. FEEM is a non-profit, non-partisan research
institution actively involved in the field of sustainable development.
For more detailed information on the research activities and projects of
FEEM please visit the FEEM web site:
http://www.feem.it/Feem/Pub/Programmes/Natural+Resources+Management/Acti
vities/ For additional information, contact: Riccardo Tarquini, email:
riccardo.tarquini at feem.it
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BRIDGES Trade BioRes© is published by the International Centre for Trade
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and IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy,
CEESP, http://www.iucn.org/themes/ceesp/index.html.
This edition of BRIDGES Trade BioRes was edited by Marianne Jacobsen,
mjacobsen at ictsd.ch. Contributors to this issue were Heike Baumüller,
Marianne Jacobsen and Evelyn Kislig. 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,
not-for-profit organisation based at: 13, ch. des Anémones, 1219 Geneva,
Switzerland, tel: (41-22) 917-8492; fax: 917-8093. Excerpts from BRIDGES
Trade BioRes may be used in other publications with appropriate
citation. Comments and suggestions are welcomed and should be directed
to the Editors or the Director.
BRIDGES Trade BioRes is made possible in 2004 through the generous
support of 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 (Switzerland).
ISSN 1682-0843
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