One of the most thoughtful trade publications out there is Trade Insight, published by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE). Like nearly everyone, SAWTEE is exploring ideas on how to move forward and manage trade and development in the wake of the World Trade Organization's insistence in pursing a deeply unpopular agenda of further trade deregulation.
As the opening editorial states, "The increasing threat of climate change, inability of developing countries to benefit from international trade, widespread abuse of human rights, etc have put into question the adequacy and efficacy of existing global regimes to address such issues."
IATP's Carin Smaller takes on this question in her article in the same issue, "The Global System Needs a Makeover." She writes, "The past 60 years of multilateralism have been characterized by a deep disconnect between the international trade and investment regimes on the one hand, and the body of international norms that evolved out of the UN system on human rights, labour and the environment, on the other."
Carin argues that, "The World Bank, the IMF and the WTO must start cooperating with the UN processes in a meaningful way - and also vice versa. . the two systems cannot continue to operate in isolation of each other."
IATP will publish a series of papers this year on how a new global system can help us better tackle some of the most daunting challenges the world must face together, such as climate change, poverty, and hunger.
