Development

WTO May Fail Poorer Nations

http://www.news24.com September 3, 2003 Kuala Lumpur - Expressing pessimism about the next round of global trade talks, South African President Thabo Mbeki suggested on Wednesday that poorer nations link up with anti-globalisation protest groups to win a better deal on international trade.

Tariffs, Subsidies, Trade and All That

Public Agenda (Ghana) | August 17, 2003 In this era of globalisation one of the certainties of visiting a developed country like Ghana, is the perceptible western lifestyle one sees on the streets, hotels and even homes. This is made possible by the intrusion of powerful transnational multi-media that bombard homes with the `so-called western virtues.'

Fair Trade, no Trade in Asia as Social Issues are Left on the Shelf

Agence France Presse | By Karl Malakunas | July 20, 2003 The global campaign to sell "fair trade" coffee, chocolate and other common consumer products is a long way from succeeding in Asia as the region's middle and upper classes pay scant attention to social issues when shopping, industry players and social campaigners say.

Fixing Subsidies Won""t End Woes of the Poor

The Vancouver Sun | By Ben Bradshaw | July 21, 2003 A troubling detail accompanying the release of the UN Human Development Report for 2003 makes it clear why farm subsidies are hard to defend: Every European cow gets a $3-a-day subsidy whereas 40 per cent of Africans live on less than $1 a day.

Left Behind: Globalization is Pushing Coffee Prices to Historic Lows

The Houston Chronicle | By John Otis | July 13, 2003 Bibiano Mendoza has spent much of his life gingerly plucking crimson coffee cherries by hand at their peak moment of ripeness. Now, instead of pondering retirement, the sunburned, 60-year-old grandfather frets about where he'll get his next meal.

Kohler Urges Developed Countries to End Trade Imbalances

Africa News | July 11, 2003 Developed economies must reduce trade-distorting subsidies and improve market access for developing countries, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Horst Kohler has said.

NGOs: More Than Flower Power

Christian Science Monitor | By Peter Ford | July 11, 2003 When Global Exchange decided to make Starbucks sell "fair trade" coffee, the nongovernmental organization campaigning for more thoughtful and fairer ways of running the world economy planned dramatic demonstrations outside the chain's outlets nationwide.

Boom Bubble of 1990s Leaves 50 Nations Poorer

Reuters | By Evelyn Leopold | July 8, 2003 The boom of the 1990s left some 50 nations worse off than they were 10 years earlier, jeopardizing pledges by world leaders to cut poverty in half by 2015, a major U.N. report said.

Saving Coffee by Spending More: ""Fair-trade"" Certification for Specialty Beans Aims to Keep Growers on Their Land in the Developing World

Chicago Tribune | By James P. DeWan | July 3, 2003 Back in the day, milk was milk, vegetables came in cans, and everybody got their chickens from a funny-looking guy named Frank we all knew from TV.

EU Blasts US "Lectures" over GMOs and Africa

Agence France Presse | July 1, 2003 The head of the European Parliament Tuesday angrily rejected US "lectures" about genetically modified organisms as deputies debated new laws that would allow an EU ban on GMOs to be lifted.