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KEY PUBLICATIONS AND ONLINE RESOURCES

TRADE AND INVESTMENT IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

This page was updated on: 01/12/10

 

 

UNCTAD HANDBOOK OF STATISTICS ONLINE 2003
(UNCTAD, 2003) The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released a comprehensive collection of statistical data relevant to the analysis of international trade, foreign direct investment and development.
The database presents reference statistics considered by UNCTAD to be of importance for describing, in the context of the globalization, how developing countries have evolved during the last decades, with data going back to 1950. The data is organized into eight chapters: international merchandise trade; trade and commodity price indices; structure of international trade by region; structure of international trade by product; international trade in services; international finance; indicators of development; and special studies. This resource is also available as a CD-ROM. More information is available at: http://www.unctad.org/statistics/handbook and users can register to use the database at: http://stats.unctad.org/restricted/eng/ReportFolders/Rfview/Explorerp.asp

 

SELF-REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - GUIDELINES SET BY WORLD INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS FOR THEIR MEMBERS' FIRMS: AN UPDATE 1996–2003
(UNCTAD, December 2003) This report updates a 1996 effort to appraise the environmental guidelines of world industry associations. In examining the current guidelines of world industry associations, the monograph looks at global environmental management, environmentally sound production and consumption patterns, risks and hazards minimization, and full cost accounting.  The review states that the commitments to self-regulation that were made at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 have been strengthened by major industry associations in some but not all areas. Increased interest in environmental reporting and in broadening stakeholder communication has been seen in the extractive industry sectors. In contrast, other areas, such as those relating to phase-out of hazardous waste and full cost accounting, have received few policy commitments. The report is available at: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/iteipc20033_en.pdf

 

ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLES FROM THE TROPICS: MARKET, CERTIFICATION AND PRODUCTION INFORMATION FOR PRODUCERS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADING COMPANIES
(UNCTAD, October 2003) This new publication by UNCTAD considers how developing countries can enhance their production and export of organic products. The export value for organic food in 2000 was approximately US$20 billion, and the market is expected to increase by 10-30% over the coming decade. UNCTAD notes the heavy restrictions faced by developing countries in entering the organic products market, highlighting the challenges in meeting the sanitary, phytosanitary and technical requirements of importing countries. The guide recommends implementing food quality and safety programmes, increasing consumer confidence and conforming to regulations of importing countries, and contains information on market potential and conditions for access to European, American and Japanese markets, details of production and processing requirements and best management practices, and a list of contacts in the target markets. More information is available at: http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditccom20032_en.pdf

 

TRADING IN KNOWLEDGE: DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES ON TRIPS, TRADE AND SUSTAINABILITY
(Earthscan, September 2003) Edited by Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, Christophe Bellmann and Graham Dutfield, this 358-page book reveals and clarifies the issues at stake in intellectual property rights negotiations and treaties, in particular TRIPS and the ramifications for biotechnology, agriculture, traditional knowledge and policy responses. More information is available at: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=4020

 

UNCTAD TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2003
(UNCTAD, October 2003) In its 2003 report on global economic trends and forecasts, UNCTAD analyzes the troubled state of the world economy with a focus on Latin America. The report finds that average growth for all developing countries was 3.3 percent in 2002 compared to 5 percent attained in the 1990s, and projects that developed economies will repeat the substandard growth rate of less than 2 percent of the last 2 years. The report considers trends and prospects of financial flows to developing countries and transition economies, and of trade flows and balances. It also looks at capital accumulation, economic growth and structural change, and industrialization, trade and structural change. The report finds that despite expansion of domestic demand in developing countries, growth was hampered by external factors and dependence on foreign capital flows. It also notes how efforts by poorer countries to reduce the size of the public sector and substitute state-driven strategies with more internationally-oriented market models have undermined growth and reduced the rate of technological progress. More information.

 

THE STATE OF TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT LAW 2003: IMPLICATIONS FOR DOHA AND BEYOND
(IISD and CIEL, 2003) Produced by IISD and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and launched at the recent WTO Cancun Ministerial, this book explores four key issues, tracking their progress from the pre-WTO rulings to the most recent decisions, examining in each case the environmental implications, and the implications for the Doha negotiations. The issues, which the authors find have fundamentally changed over the last decade, are: PPMs and extraterritoriality; WTO-MEAs; science and precaution; and TRIPS-CBD. More.

 

INVESTMENT, DOHA AND THE WTO
(IISD and RIIA, 2003) Launched at the recent WTO Cancun Ministerial, this paper served as background to the IISD-RIIA Chatham House experts' meeting on investment, and the subsequent briefings in Geneva and Brussels. The final version looks at investment agreements – bilateral, regional, multilateral – and asks if Doha, and the WTO as an institution, can deliver an agreement. It then asks what an international investment agreement would look like if it were designed to promote sustainable development. More.

 

THE DOHA ROUND BRIEFING SERIES
(IISD and ICTSD, 2003) This set of 13 briefings, co-produced between IISD and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), was updated for the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Cancun. They offer an executive summary of the key negotiating issues and are written for the non-expert with a strong interest in trade policy and negotiations. All issues.

 

MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND THE WTO
(RIIA, September 2003) Authored by Duncan Brack and Kevin Gray, this new report outlines why MEAs contain trade measures, and how effective they have been. The report further analyses potential sources of conflict with WTO rules and suggests a range of options for resolving the conflict. The report is available at: http://www.riia.org/pdf/research/sdp/MEAs%20and%20WTO.pdf

 

DEMANDING ACTION IN CANCÚN: A CHECKLIST FOR AGRICULTURE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND TRADE
The Monterrey Bridge Coalition and Future Harvest have created a checklist of global commitments on trade, agriculture and the environment in advance of the fifth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Cancún, Mexico from 10-14 September 2003. These include commitments made at the WTO Doha Ministerial, the 2003 G-8 Summit, the UN Millennium Summit, the International Conference on Financing for Development, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The checklist.

WORLD INVESTMENT REPORT 2003 – FDI POLICIES FOR DEVELOPMENT: NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
(UNCTAD, September 2003) The World Investment Report 2003 focuses on the decline in foreign direct investment (FDI), which dropped 21 percent in 2002. Earlier chapters discuss the overall trends in FDI, which by and large have dropped dramatically, with no rebound expected for 2003. The reasons for the downturn are addressed from a global perspective as well as by region. The report considers key issues surrounding national FDI policies and international investment agreements, with a focus on the rise of such agreements, the right to regulate, home country measures and corporate social responsibility. Implicated in the decline of FDI are factors such as weakening economies, falling stock markets, financial restructuring and slowing down of privatization. More information is available at: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=2412&lang=1

 

TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT AT THE WTO: ISSUES FOR CANCÚN
(International Development Committee, UK Parliament, 2003) The report spells out three elements that are required to ensure that the development round is a success: development-friendly agreements; effective participation by developing countries; and flexibility for developing countries within the WTO rules. A copy of the report can be downloaded at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmintdev.htm#reports

 

THE WORLD COMMODITY SURVEY 2003-2004, THIRD EDITION
(UNCTAD, 2003) The World Commodity Survey examines the global factors that have had an impact on raw material markets. This survey is intended especially for policymakers in developing countries who wish to enhance the operation of the commodities sector. It analyzes the principal trends in raw materials, the evolution of the oil market, the role of the state in the present international context and market instability as new risks emerge. The survey also addresses company governance through a detailed study of the Enron case. The report can be obtained from: http://r0.unctad.org/infocomm/WorldCommSurvey/coverpage.htm

 

THE SINGAPORE ISSUES AND THE WORLD TRADING SYSTEM: THE ROAD TO CANCUN AND BEYOND
(World Trade Institute, 2003) This book provides a comprehensive analysis on the proposals relating to each of the Singapore Issues - investment, competition, government procurement, and trade facilitation. It also provides recommendations for policymakers in the run-up to the WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancún in September 2003. The table of contents and the first chapter are available at: http://www.wti.org/research/MFI%20paper%20Ferrarini%20WTI.pdf, while the book is accessible through: http://www.wti.org/index.html?research/publications.htm

 

WTO DOHA ROUND - TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BRIEFS
(IISD, 2003) These briefing papers aim to set out what is at stake in the WTO Doha Round of negotiations in the areas of international development and environment. There are six briefs in the series each of which focuses on an issue of particular importance for sustainable development: non-trade concerns relating to agriculture; special and differential treatment; trade facilitation; government procurement; development and agriculture; and investment. The series will be updated periodically as the negotiations proceed. To obtain a copy of the briefing series, visit: http://www.iisd.org/trade/wto/sdc_briefing_may_2003.asp

 

EAST ASIA INTEGRATES: A TRADE POLICY AGENDA FOR SHARED GROWTH

(World Bank, 2003) This report emphasizes the advantages of a regional trade strategy between and within East Asian countries. The report urges policymakers to broaden their approach beyond the technical perspective of trade policy to emphasize development outcomes and links to social stability, in their national development strategies, in their regional and bilateral agreements, and in their global negotiating positions. The report.

 

THE EU BETWEEN JO BURG FOLLOW-UP AND CANCUN POLITICS: HOW TO SET THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK FOR INVESTMENT RULES

(Heinrich Böll Foundation, 2003) This is a summary report of a public hearing held on 6 March, 2003 in Brussels, Belgium that brought together European policymakers and civil society. The hearing served as an exchange of views on trade policy and sustainable development in the aftermath of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and in anticipation of the World Trade Organization's Fifth Ministerial Conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico in September 2003. To download the report visit: http://www.boell.be/web/72_50.htm

 

BACK TO BASICS: MARKET ACCESS ISSUES IN THE DOHA AGENDA
(UNCTAD, 2003) This study highlights the benefits of tariff elimination in the allocation of resources, and makes the case that the elimination of export subsidies, if not accompanied with tariff reduction, can have negative effects on some regions, notably Africa. The report concludes that while developing countries as a group potentially have much to gain from improved access, the extent and distribution of these gains depend a great deal on the extent to which developing countries participate in the liberalization process and on the agreed negotiation targets and modalities. To download the report, visit:
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=3120&intItemID=1397&lang=1

 

SEARCHING FOR THE HOLY GRAIL? MAKING FDI WORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT