Issue No. 557, 16-30 Nov 2013
WTO urged to remove restraints on public food stockholdings

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Experts stress importance of public stockholding for food security
Developing-country governments should be allowed to acquire food stocks for food security purposes without being restrained by inequitable WTO farm trade rules, an expert report advocates.
by Kanaga Raja

Rights expert charts progress on right to food
Recognition of the right to food is key to combating hunger and food insecurity, says a UN rights expert.
by Kanaga Raja

Sustainability standards on right to water bear meaning for finance
A UN report on sustainability in the realization of the rights to water and sanitation raises issues relating to, among other areas, finance, investment and fiscal policy.
by Aldo Caliari

Poverty and racism inextricably linked, says UN expert
Another UN rights report examines the vicious cycle between poverty and racial discrimination. Kanaga Raja highlights its main findings.

Gamani Corea, dedicated servant of the development effort
Chakravarthi Raghavan remembers the “visionary and developmentalist” that was Gamani Corea, former head of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Key global agencies fall short on poverty reduction
The internal governance of institutions overseeing global finance and their impact on the world’s poor have been described as “very disappointing” by a watchdog coalition of anti-poverty groups.
by Jim Lobe

US a favourite roost of vulture funds
Identified as a “preferred jurisdiction” for vulture funds, the US is being urged to curb the activities of these investors which stymie efforts to restructure the debt of poor countries.
by Carey L. Biron