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WHAT’S NEW AT CUTS
# 19
June 2004
‘Curb Wastage to Contribute 8.9% to National Income: 'CUTS' Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS
International attended the pre-Budget Consultation Meeting for Economists
with Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram at New Delhi on June 5, 2004 and made
a presentation entitled “Curb Wastage to Contribute 8.9 percent to National
Income”, which was well captured by the media. Mehta suggested the government must
ensure a proper project management system to ensure timely implementation
of works, which would also deliver the crucial multiplier effect on the
economy. He also suggested that Competition Act,
2002 should be implemented effectively to ensure significant gains to the
national income and if the government adopts a policy of ‘conservation
and productivity for growth’ and takes measures to curb wastages in the
economy, about Rs. 200, 000 crores could be saved and contributed to the
national income… More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/news-cuts1.htm#press2004-18 “Funds
for the elimination of hunger, trade preferences among developing
countries, and re-establishment of the links between trade and employment –
these were some of the ideas, which were conceived by the delegates from
over 180 nations taking part in the 11th Session of UNCTAD.
Intense debates and discussions took place to find how best the
international community could fight against poverty and enable the poor
countries to reap the benefits of the international trading system. . Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary-General,
CUTS International, shared the findings of the multi-country project,
“Investment for Development” carried out by CUTS, in seven developing
countries. The study came out with three critical factors, which stand in
the way of harnessing fruits from FDI. They are: lack of… More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/news-cuts1.htm
“United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development” (UNCTAD XI)
FORTHCOMING
EVENT
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South Asian Civil Society Network on International Trade Issues
(SACSNITI)
Islamabad, Pakistan, 23-25
August, 2004
CUTS
Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CITEE), in
association with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan;
Oxfam GB in Pakistan; and South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics &
Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal, is organising a conference, titled “WTO
Post-Cancùn Developments: Options for South Asia”, on August 23-25, 2004 in
Islamabad, Pakistan.
The
main objectives of the events are:
·
To take stock
of the developments, which have taken place vis-à-vis the international
trading system after the Cancùn Ministerial Conference of the World Trade
Organisation (WTO).
·
To
cross-fertilise views and experiences of various stakeholders, including
government officials, NGOs, business representatives, and media persons from
South Asian countries.
·
To explore
various options for South Asian countries with respect to a select set of
critical issues.
EVENT
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MID-TERM
REVIEW MEETING
“Achieving Better Market Access” & “International Working Group on the Doha
Agenda”
Hotel Trident, Jaipur,
June 28-29, 2004
CUTS
Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE)
organised a brainstorming meeting of the projects “Achieving Better Market
Access” (ABMA) and “International Working Group on the Doha Agenda (IWOGDA-II)
at Hotel Trident, Jaipur on June 28-29, 2004.
·
The ‘ABMA’
project is looking at improvement of the market access for the developing
countries.
·
The ‘IWOGDA
II’ project is analysing two complex topics in the WTO context:
transparency in government procurement, and trade facilitation.
One
of the main objectives of both the projects is to assist least developed and
developing countries to evolve appropriate positions at the WTO by building the
capacity of negotiators and other stakeholders. A further aim is to make OECD
country governments aware of the current positions and capabilities of
developing countries. The meeting assembled experts from Africa, South America,
Asia, and Europe. It discussed interim progress reports of the projects. During
the inaugural session, Pradeep S. Mehta, Secretary General of CUTS
International said, “Improving market access for all countries is the ethos of
the WTO”.
More
about ABMA on: http://www.cuts-international.org/wnciss18.htm
More
about IWOGDA II on: http://www.cuts-international.org/iwogda-II.htm
PUBLICATIONS
--------------------------------------------------------------
q
Event
Report
CUTS
Centre for International Trade, Economics and Environment (CITEE) organised the
Afro-Asian Seminar – From Cancun to Sao Paulo: The
Role of Civil Society in the International Trading System, in
q Research Report
Demystifying Agriculture
Market Access Formula: A Developing
Country Perspective After
At the Cancún meeting, a
draft ministerial text on agriculture emerged, known as the Derbez
Text. It was not surprising that at Cancún the WTO
members failed to accept a ministerial text on agriculture. The Derbez Text had made the framework very complex, which the
paper, "Demystifying Agriculture Market Access Formula" tries to
demystify.
q
Quarterly
Newsletter
Policy Watch
In this
quarter, the newsletter covers policy responses, implementation and distortions.
The current developments in the areas of infrastructure, trade and economics,
governance and reforms, and accountability are covered in the newsletter.
q Monographs
Trade Policy Making in
India – The reality below the water
line
This
paper discusses the issue and concludes, in broad terms, that India struggles
with trade policy making, essentially because domestic and international
thinking on development and economic growth is seriously out of alignment, and
that there are few immediate prospects of this changing, for a variety of
entirely domestic political reasons.
ABC of GATS
This monograph is an attempt to educate the reader
with the basic issues concerning trade in services, as under General Agreement
on Trade in Services (GATS), the aim of which is to explain the structure and
implications of the GATS agreement, especially for developing countries.
q
Briefing
Paper
“TRIPs-Plus”:
Enhancing Right Holders’ Protection, Eroding TRIPs’
Flexibilities
The
focus of this paper is limited to those “TRIPs
plus” issues that are related to patents. It discusses how these agreements
are threatening to limit the ability of weaker bilateral/regional partners to
promote technological innovation and to prevent the abuse of intellectual
property rights by patent holders.
q
Bill Blow-up
Small Enterprises’ Development Bill – A Step in the Right Direction
In India, a plethora of laws exist for the small-scale
sector, which often overlaps, leading to complexities. Keeping this in mind, the
Government has introduced a Bill in the Parliament, which is known as the Small
Enterprises’ Development Bill. This paper is a brief for the Parliamentarians
to help them understand the new legislation, thereby enhancing the quality of
the debates, so that better laws are enacted.
ARTICLES
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End Of
Textiles Quotas May Not Be Smooth
The Financial Express, June
18-19, 2004
The demise of the quota system in the Agreement on Textiles
and Clothing at the end of this year may not be smooth on several counts, says Pradeep
S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International. It is evident that even if
the quotas are phased out, the rich countries will find unfair ways and means
to prevent nations, including China, with a comparative advantage in textile
and clothing, to maximise…
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art18_2004
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art17_2004
WTO & International Law
The Hindu,
One dimension of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that has,
perhaps, gone unnoticed is the contribution it has made to the domain of public
international law. The character of international law has always been a moot
issue, says Prabash Ranjan
of CUTS International. Today, in the form of the WTO, we have a model that
imparts a relatively stronger…
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art16_2004
Push Hard for Quality FDI
The Hindu Business Line, June
07, 2004
With the new government at the Centre assuming office
with the support of the Left parties, foreign direct investment (FDI) has
become a topic of debate, says Nitya Nanda of CUTS International. Merely receiving more FDI
is no panacea for developing countries' problems. The challenge before India is
to get quality FDI that fosters development. As it is, getting FDI is quite
difficult, but…
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art15_2004
OECD Steel Subsidies
Agreement: Wrong Path to Tread
The Financial Express, June
04, 2004
The international community is engaged in
a trade negotiation, not at the WTO, but at the Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), says Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS
International. Negotiating an international agreement at the OECD would set a
wrong precedent for a number of reasons. This would encourage countries to ask
for negotiations at the OECD on…
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#art14_2004
CUTS IN MEDIA
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Use
mosquito repellants with caution: experts
Deccan Herald, 28 June, 2004
More on: http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM26_2004
Forget Small Savings:
Economists
The Economic Times, 06 June, 2004
More
on:http://www.cuts-international.org/cutsinmedia2004.htm#CIM24_2004
Pundits Ask PC To Push Public Investment
The Financial Express, 06
June, 2004
More on:http://www.cuts-international.org/articles2004.htm#CIM23_2004
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