Issue
No. 649, 16-30 September 2017
WTO
members still far apart on Ministerial outcome
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MC11
becoming a North-South battle
North-South faultlines are becoming more evident in the run-up to
the WTO’s eleventh Ministerial Conference in December, with most developing
countries calling for outstanding items on the WTO agenda to be addressed
even as developed countries mainly seek to shift the focus to new
issues.
by D. Ravi Kanth
DG,
chairs of negotiating bodies on state of play ahead of MC11
The progress reports presented at the 24 October HoD meeting on the
various strands of talks taking place leading up to the WTO Ministerial
Conference underlined the scale of work needed in the little time
remaining to achieve convergence on the outcomes to be delivered at
Buenos Aires.
by Kanaga Raja
No
convergence on PSH or domestic support reduction
Attempts by the WTO head to spur progress towards outcomes at Buenos
Aires on the key issues of public food stocks and domestic farm subsidies
have yielded no breakthrough thus far.
by D. Ravi Kanth
Outcome
unlikely on domestic regulation in services at MC11
Prospects of an agreement at Buenos Aires to discipline domestic regulation
of services trade appear slim, with many countries arguing that more
time is needed to resolve prevailing differences in this area.
by D. Ravi Kanth
US
attempts to use wrecking ball against WTO
A new US proposal on transparency and notification requirements envisages
drastic punitive measures for non-complying WTO members while at the
same time bypassing the WTO’s Doha work programme. D. Ravi Kanth considers
the potentially far-reaching implications of the US move.
Abandon
“failed policies” of privatization and austerity, IMF told
Decrying the ruinous impacts of IMF loan conditionalities demanding
privatization, deregulation and austerity, a UN rights expert has
urged the Fund to ensure that its lending practices do not fall foul
of human rights norms.
by Kanaga Raja
Opinion:
The World Bank’s simplistic claims on business regulations and inequality
An annual report card on 190 countries’ business climates uses shoddy
research to promote deregulation as a means of reducing inequality.
by Peter Bakvis
