E-Com at MC11 is effort to hijack basic internet governance issues
(Chakravarthi Raghavan, Geneva, 22 November 2017)
As issues relating to the monopolistic/oligopolistic control over information and data by the Silicon Valley technology giants and their platforms are beginning to attract adverse public and political attention around the world, these technology platforms (Google, Facebook, Twitter) are attempting to hijack the issue of internet governance and democracy by writing trade rules at the WTO under the rubric of "e-commerce".

US transparency proposal criticised at WTO Goods Council
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 15 November 2017)
The United States proposal, setting out stringent procedures on transparency and notification requirements under the WTO Agreements including penalties, was criticised at a meeting of the WTO Goods Council on 10 November by over a dozen WTO Members, both developed and developing.

A new vice-chair, consultations to intensify on organisation of MC11
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 30 October 2017)
With less than seven weeks to go for the eleventh Ministerial Conference of the WTO, the Chair of the General Council, Ambassador Xavier Carim of South Africa, is holding intensified consultations and meetings on the organization of MC11 and the kind of outcome document members would like to see coming out of MC11.

The African Group position on e-commerce talks at WTO
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 24 October 2017)
The African Group has formally circulated on 20 October, as a restricted official document, the full statement that it had delivered at an informal meeting on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce on 16 October.

South countries shoot down proposals for e-commerce negotiations
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 18 October 2017)
A large majority of developing and least developed countries shot down on Monday (16 October) proposals from major industrialized and some developing countries for establishing a "Working Party" or "Working Group" on Electronic Commerce at the World Trade Organization's upcoming ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires, several trade envoys told SUNS.

Consensus eludes trade ministers at Marrakesh
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 16 October 2017)
The just-concluded informal trade ministerial summit in Marrakesh on 10 October brought into sharp focus the linkages between fisheries subsidies and improvements in the Doha trade remedy rules, and between the permanent solution for public stockholding programs and domestic support.

MC11 will be scene for fierce US vs South battle
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 10 October 2017)
The World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires beginning on 10 December is going to be a fierce battle between the developing and poorest countries on the one side, and the United States on the other, trade envoys told SUNS.

CSOs urge WTO Members to abandon expansionist agenda
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 10 October 2017)
Some 300 civil society organisations (CSOs) from more than 150 countries have raised the alarm that some members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are "pushing a dangerous and inappropriate new agenda" in the run-up to the WTO's eleventh ministerial conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires beginning on 10 December.

African Group will not negotiate e-commerce rules at WTO
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 9 October 2017)
The African Group on Thursday fiercely rejected proposals by major industrialized countries and their allies in the developing world for changing the structure of the current electronic commerce work program so as to establish a separate Working Group at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial conference in Buenos Aires beginning on 10 December, trade envoys told SUNS.

ICs and allies in South push for new mandate on e-commerce
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 27 September 2017)
Major developed countries and their allies in the developing world have upped the ante for launching negotiations on electronic commerce at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires beginning on 10 December. They have issued a fresh call for pursuing negotiations under a new mandate as opposed to the 1998 e-commerce work program, trade envoys told SUNS.

Developing nations and LDCs reject new E-com work programme
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 28 July 2017)
The developing and least-developed countries on Wednesday (26 July) rejected proposals from major developed countries and their allies in the developing world for a new work program for electronic commerce for addressing cross-cutting issues, trade envoys told SUNS.

South call for credible results, including on PSH & SSM at MC11
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 27 July 2017)
The developing countries, individually and along with their coalitions on Tuesday called for credible results based on the Doha work program, including the permanent solution for public stockholding programs for food security, at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires in December, trade envoys told SUNS.

Formulaic approach to MC11 outcomes to ensure comfort for US?
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 22 June 2017)
Attempts to finalize a formulaic approach of outcomes for the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires this December are being intensified with the sole aim of ensuring that the United States remains comfortable without having to undertake any fresh commitments, according to people familiar with the development.

North to try to bury DDA, push e-commerce & MSME talks at MC11
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 14 June 2017)
Major developed countries and their "allies" in the developing world have intensified efforts to quietly bury the Doha Development Agenda negotiations while launching negotiations on electronic-commerce and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial conference in Buenos Aires in December, several ministers and trade envoys told SUNS.

South nations demand credible, concrete outcomes on Doha at MC11
(D. Ravi Kanth, Paris, 12 June 2017)
Trade ministers from India, South Africa, Indonesia, and the ACP countries on Thursday called for credible and concrete outcomes based on the outstanding Doha issues at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires in December, according to people familiar with the development.

Positions unchanged on public stockholding, SSM, HOD told
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 10 May 2017)
An informal Heads of Delegation meeting at the World Trade Organization on Monday showed that members remain sharply divided on the key issues and possible deliverables at MC11 in Buenos Aires, with a large majority of developing countries insisting that the focus should be based on the Doha Work Programme and Nairobi Ministerial decisions, and not on any new issues like E-commerce or investment facilitation.

Friends of E-Commerce lay out roadmap for MC11 and beyond
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 27 April 2017)
The Group of Friends of E-Commerce for Development (FED) at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has put forward a roadmap of seven key issues relating to e-commerce aimed at paving the way for conversations to be held on this issue in Geneva as well as at the WTO's upcoming eleventh ministerial conference to be held in Buenos Aires this December.

ICs intensify efforts on e-commerce negotiations at MC11
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 13 March 2017)
Major developed countries have decided to intensify their efforts for launching negotiations on several controversial issues in electronic commerce at the World Trade Organization's eleventh ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires later this year, trade envoys told SUNS.

WTO Members voice their views on key issues for MC11
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva, 28 February 2017)
An informal Heads of Delegation (HOD) meeting at the WTO on 23 February heard a range of members voicing their views on what they see as their priority issues for possible deliverables at the eleventh ministerial conference (MC11) in Buenos Aires later this year.

WTO secretariat & DG reproached for vitiating negotiating climate
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 27 February 2017)
India and several developing countries on Thursday (23 February) reproached the World Trade Organization Secretariat led by Director-General Roberto Azevedo for "vitiating" the negotiating climate by pushing controversial new issues such as e-commerce and investment facilitation, despite opposition from a large majority of members, trade envoys told SUNS.

14 developing countries meet DG, push e-commerce
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 16 February 2017)
In a coordinated effort with the World Trade Organization director-general Roberto Azevedo, 14 developing countries on Tuesday (14 February) called for urgent discussions on four issues concerning "electronic commerce and development", despite opposition from a majority of developing and least-developed countries, trade envoys told SUNS.

Azevedo pushing differentiation, negotiating North's agenda for MC11
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva, 9 February 2017)
The World Trade Organization director-general Roberto Azevedo has told several trade envoys that differentiation among developing countries would happen in the development dossier of the unfinished Doha negotiations, trade envoys told SUNS.