Essay: Hungary’s exit from the International Criminal Court is a sign of the times
In an article first published on The Conversation, MICHAL OVADEK says Hungary’s announcement that it will leave the ICC is evidence of the tectonic shifts taking place in international relations…
Tariffs tend to hit the poor harder, WTO says
Brussels, Belgium Reuters Import tariffs tend to disproportionately hit low-income households, the World Trade Organization said in a report on Monday, countering what it sees as backlash against open markets and rising protectionism. WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the 2024 World Trade Report reaffirmed trade’s role in reducing poverty and sharing prosperity “contrary to the […]
WTO chief warns of rocky road to deals amid “polycrisis”
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed cautious optimism on Sunday that more than 100 trade ministers meeting in Geneva would achieve one or two global deals this week, but warned the path there would be bumpy and rocky. The director-general from Nigeria said the world had changed since the WTO’s last […]
As Omicron spreads, calls mount to waive COVID vaccine patents
London, UK Thomson Reuters Foundation The emergence of the Omicron variant has reignited calls for patent waivers for COVID-19 vaccines to help developing nations get more jabs in arms as they battle to control the pandemic. Supporters say a waiver would save lives in poorer countries and help prevent the emergence of more deadly and […]
Non-profit groups tell WTO to reverse “vaccine apartheid” before any meeting
Washington DC, US Reuters More than 130 civil society groups largely from developing countries are calling for the World Trade Organization to cancel a ministerial conference next week and instead concentrate on approving an intellectual property waiver for COVID-19 vaccines. The groups, organised under a loose coalition called “Our World is Not For Sale”, said […]
WTO to start vaccine supply negotiations amid clash on patents
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters World Trade Organization members agreed on Wednesday to start formal negotiations on a plan to boost COVID-19 vaccine supply to developing countries, but face rival proposals – one with and one without a waiver of intellectual property rights. South Africa and India, backed by many emerging nations, have been pushing for eight […]
WTO vaccine waiver could take months to negotiate, faces opposition: experts
Washington DC, US Reuters World Trade Organization negotiations on a waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines could take months – provided they can overcome significant opposition from some member countries, trade experts say. The talks also are likely to focus on a waiver that is significantly narrower in scope and shorter in duration […]
Put idle capacity to work now making vaccines, says WTO head
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters The world cannot act soon enough to put idle manufacturing capacity to work making COVID-19 vaccines to help redress a massive imbalance in global supply, the head of the World Trade Organization said on Wednesday. WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments was “both the moral and […]
TOURISM: TOP SPOTS CRACK DOWN AS THEY BECOME VICTIMS OF THEIR OWN SUCCESS
EMMA BATHA, writing for Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on how nations are coping with the growing influx of tourists around the world…