19 May 2000 : news summary:

International Organisations, Agencies & Partnerships

‘China close to joining WTO‘, IND, 12/5/00
~ Chinese deal with EU expected in the next week.
Also: ‘Welcoming China to the world‘, FT, 17/5/00
~ Discusses the merits of allowing China to join the WTO.
‘Boost for Clinton on China trade‘, FT, 18/5/00
~ Two committees in US have voted in favour of extending permanent normal trade relations to China.

‘WTO hits back at criticism aired in Seattle‘, FT, 16/5/00
~ With the launch of the WTO’s annual report comes a rejection of the criticism it has been subject to recently.

‘Make WTO rules ‘fair’, says UNDP report‘, TWNF, May 2000
~ The rules of international trade need to undergo major change in order to redress the inequality that currently exists and to aid the alleviation of poverty according to a new report by the UNDP: see www.undp.org

Economic Development

‘Rand on the run after Zimbabwe land grab‘, DM, 13/5/00
~ S. African rand continues to fall as Zimbabwe crisis continues.

‘Confidence in Colombia slipping away‘, FT, 12/5/00
~ Despite Colombia’s track record investors keep away as confidence fades.

‘Long snakes, short ladders‘, FT, 15/5/00
~ Examines the catalogue of disasters and conflicts that help perpetuate the poverty and disease that afflicts Africa. Looks at how misguided claims of recovery and indiscriminate donors have worked against a recovery.

Aid & Debt

‘Agreement on ending tied aid is blocked‘, FT, 12/5/00
~ A deal aiming to end tied aid, ‘the practice of earmarking development aid for the purchase of goods from donor countries’, has been deferred despite the support of "a large majority" of countries.

‘War stops meeting‘, SB, 14/5/00
~ Ethnic conflict prevents Sri Lanka’s meeting of donor countries.

‘Labour accused over lack of overseas aid‘, IND, 16/5/00
~ Labour accused of breaking pledge to increase overseas aid.

‘Shambles of £7bn EU aid‘, T, 16/5/00
~ Investigation into EU aid programme highlights ‘waste and incompetence’.
Also: ‘Short labels EU the worst aid agency in the world‘, G,18/5/00
Also: ‘Patten threatens to cut EU’s foreign aid budget‘, IND, 17/5/00 ~ Aid budget may be slashed because of staff shortages.

‘The nations in need that the west ignores‘, EXP, 17/5/00
~ Feature on the inequitable way which the West responds to third world crises.

Health

‘Boost for Aids fight‘, G, 12/5/00
~ Five of the world’s largest drug companies have vowed to cut the price of Aids treatment in the developing world.

‘Aids denial that may kill millions‘, EXPoS, 14/5/00
~ Mbeki’s dissident Aids advisor could cause the deaths of millions by spreading the notion that HIV does not kill.

‘Out of the shadows‘, WHO Press, 4/5/00
~ The WHO’s Global Campaign Against Epilepsy aims to promote a better understanding of epilepsy and to help approx. 3-4 million Africans who suffer unnecessarily because of ‘ill-formed attitudes’.

‘Should tobacco regulation be a priority for WHO‘, T, 18/5/00
~ Letters debating the WHO stance on tobacco.

Education

‘Girls get short shrift in world education system‘, Terraviva, April 2000
~ Examines the slow progress being made towards education for girls in sub-Saharan Africa.

Government

‘Short under pressure on arms sales report‘, IND, 15/5/00
~ Clare Short refuses to sign the government’s annual report on arms sales claiming that protests against arms sales applications that may increase poverty in the given country have been ignored.

‘Hoon will tell MPs of Sierra Leone aims‘, T, 15/5/00
~ Hoon to clarify the role of British troops in Sierra Leone.

‘How to be good and slash your tax bill‘, EXP, 17/5/00
~ Gordon Brown’s new tax breaks for donating shares to charities.

‘Short may get £1bn budget increase…‘, FT, 18/5/00
~ DFID could get £1bn extra for international aid.

Technology

‘Leap frogging the Digital Divide‘, Terraviva, April 2000
~ Reports on initiatives in the South to bridge the digital divide.
Also: ‘Bridging the digital divide‘, CAB, April/May 2000, pp8-9
~ Article looks at a number of partnerships and schemes.

‘Attacking the divide‘, Impact, Winter 2000, pp2-3
~ The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is joining forces with Japan’s Softbank to set start-up Internet companies in developing companies.

Business, Trade and Development

‘Tourism linked to sustainable development‘, Terraviva, April 2000
~ Africa must develop its tourism industry in a way that is sustainable in the globalised economy and can be used as a tool for environmental protection

‘Sponsored trekkers ‘harm poor nations‘, ES, 15/5/00
~ Tourism Concern has raised doubts about the benefit for the host nation of sponsored activity events abroad.

‘The double aims of fair trade‘, Terraviva, April 2000
~ Article promoting the duel aims of fair trade; "to improve the fate of small Southern producers" and "to increase public awareness of unfair international trade rules".

‘Moral Judgement‘, The Economist, 13-19 May 2000, p6
~ Letter regarding business ethics from the Centre for Business and Professional Ethics.

‘Ethics under the microscope‘, FT, 12/5/00
~ For the first time policies on SRI must be incorporated into UK pension funds statements of investment principles.
Also: ‘Ethical Investment’, CAB, April/May 2000, p14
~ Reports on various developments in ethical investment, including a CSR Service launched by PIRC.

‘Environment‘, CAB, April/May 2000, pp16-7
~ Looks at who is doing what regarding environmental concerns in the business world.
Also: ‘How to get ahead on environmental reporting’, CAB,Apr/May 00, pp26-7

Agriculture

‘The poverty of a Reith Lecturer’s thinking‘, DT, 16/5/00
~ Matt Ridley’s takes a look at the beneficiaries of the green revolution and attacks Vandana Shiva’s Reith Lecture.
Also: ‘Feeding frenzy‘, G(S), 17/5/00
~ Edited extract from Vandana Shiva’s Reith Lecture.

‘Deal offers free GM rice to poor farmers while rich must pay‘, FT, 16/5/00
~ Astra-Zeneca is allowing third world farmers free GM rice which combats Vitamin A deficiency while the developed world must pay in an attempt to improve the image of the biotech industry.

‘Bt-corn may not be safe, says American geneticist‘, TWNF, May 2000
~ A US scientist investigates the potentially harmful effects of genetic engineering on health and the ecology.

Environment

‘Brazilian bill threatens rainforest‘, G, 12/5/00
~ Brazilian draft law to reduce protection for the Amazonian rainforest.

‘UK’s £200m aid for dam stalled‘, G, 17/5/00
~ Turkey unlikely to accept conditions placed on British aid for controversial Ilisu dam.

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