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CITES, PIC Meetings Test Balance Between Trade and Environmental Protection	The inherent tension between economic and environmental interests became abundantly clear at recent meetings in Geneva on trade in endangered species and on chemicals trade. more
International Conference Focuses on Future of Rice	A mega-conference in New Delhi, India, recently debated a multitude of issues related to rice, including the role of biotechnology, trade, poverty alleviation and the growing impact of climate change on cultivation. At the meeting, ministers from nine Asian countries adopted a declaration on cooperation in the field of rice research and development, recognising the importance of rice in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Meanwhile, the international World Food Day was celebrated on 16 October, focusing on the theme of "investing in agriculture for food security." more

In Brief

Iceland Back In the Whale Hunt Ship Recycling Convention Under Negotiation Developing Countries Concerned About Private Sector Standards Can NAFTA Protect the Caribou and Spotted Owl? Act Now: Climate Damage Will Cost Trillions Conference Promotes Sustainable Bioenergy Agenda

Events    &   Resources
Events	23-24 October, Mexico City, Mexico: GLOBAL FORUM ON TRADE. The OECD Trade Directorate is organising a Global Forum on Trade in partnership with the World Bank, and with the support of the Government of Mexico. This Forum would consider market access across various development dimensions including global (MFN) liberalisation, North-South trade and South-South trade, trade in services, and regional trade liberalisation - as a complement to multilateral liberalisation. For further information, contact Kaveri Bopiah, tel: (33 1) 45 24 17 90; e-mail: kaveri.bopiah@oecd.org.
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Resources	A SIMPLE GUIDE TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, BIODIVERSITY AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE. By Tejaswini Apte (2006). The aim of this book is to demystify the subject of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for a wide audience. The handbook introduces the world of IPRs, biodiversity and biodiversity-related traditional knowledge in clear, simple language. Presented in a Question & Answer format, it begins with the most basic questions and progresses to more complex issues, making it easily accessible to laypersons as well as those who are already familiar with the subject. The Jargon Buster section breaks through the complicated language commonly used in IPR-related writing, and is designed to be a handy reference. The publication is part of the Biodiversity Information Pack, produced by Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group (Pune/Delhi, India), GRAIN (Delhi, India) and the International Institute of Environment and Development (London, UK). For further information and to order the book contact Swati Arjunwadkar, tel: (91 20) 25654239; e-mail: kvbooks@vsnl.net; internet: http://www.kalpavriksh.org.
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ISSN 1682-0843