Issue
No. 626, 1-15 October 2016
Threat of debt distress looms
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New
debt crises threaten global stability
Global debt has jumped alarmingly to $152 trillion and as capital
flows out from developing countries, some are facing new debt crises.
by Martin Khor
New
UNSG urged to hold global meet on tax havens
A UN human rights expert has called upon the incoming new UN Secretary-General
to convene an international conference to discuss measures to combat
tax dodging and illicit financial flows, abuses which he says “shock
the conscience of mankind”.
by Kanaga Raja
UN
rights body creates new mandate on right to development
The UN Human Rights Council has established the position of a Special
Rapporteur on the right to development who will be tasked with engaging
in and supporting efforts to fulfil this right.
by Kanaga Raja
Development
as human right – an unfulfilled promise to billions
A UN event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the
Declaration on the Right to Development resounded with calls to realize
this fundamental right in the face of the myriad challenges along
the development path.
Efforts
on to formally bury DDA talks at Buenos Aires next year?
The 2017 Ministerial Conference of the WTO, to be held in Buenos Aires,
could be the scene of a fierce debate among member states that determines
the future of the Doha Round talks and of new issues mooted for negotiation.
by D. Ravi Kanth
US,
EU foisting e-commerce agenda at WTO amidst disarray in South ranks
With the developing countries not putting up a coordinated front,
the US and the EU are ratcheting up focus on electronic commerce at
the WTO.
by D. Ravi Kanth
India’s
TFS initiative meets US roadblocks
An Indian proposal for a WTO agreement on easing services trade has
come up against resistance from the US.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Opinion:
Pensions for all
Social pension schemes which provide a measure of income security
for all persons in old age need not be beyond reach.
by Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Rob Vos
Analysis:
Business and human rights: The failure of self-regulation
While no effective international mechanism exists to safeguard human
rights, the interests of transnational corporations are assiduously
protected through a global web of binding legal frameworks. In light
of this unequal state of affairs, a network of social movements and
organizations from across the world is steering an initiative to dismantle
the corporate-centred “architecture of impunity”.
by Erika González, Juan Hernández Zubizarreta and Mónica Vargas
