Tropical Timber Council Tackles Illegal Logging, Trade in Threatened Species	Illegal logging and trade in threatened timber species featured prominently at a major international forest policy meeting in Papua New Guinea. With an eye to improving the conservation and management of the world's forests, delegates discussed ways to combat illegal timber practices and control trade in tree species that face potential extinction. more
Multilateral Talks at a Crossroads in 2007?	The head of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, has drawn parallels between the arduous negotiations on trade and those on climate change, stressing the importance of finding multilateral solutions. According to Lamy, "If there were to be a failure [of the Doha Round trade negotiations], it would be a serious blow to the multilateral...system and in coming years we will need that system more. I don't think it will be possible to deal on climate change issues, which are 10 times more complicated, if it is not through multilateral negotiation." more
Codex: Work on Labelling of Biotech Food to Continue	Delegates at the 35th session of Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL) held from 30 April to 4 May in Ottawa, Canada, agreed to establish a working group to continue work on Draft Guidelines for the labelling of biotech food and food ingredients. Discussions were based on a report prepared by a working group reviewing countries' experiences with mandatory and voluntary biotech labelling to help provide guidance for the development of the Draft Guidelines. Although major biotech producers continued to argue that negotiations should be discontinued -- partially owing to their concern over the issue of mandatory labelling in any potential WTO dispute -- many countries continued to support the development of standards to provide guidance to governments in establishing regulations in this area. more
Commentary: The Global Energy and Climate Agenda -- Stuck in Paralysis or Time to Rethink Old Dogmas?	Currently hardly any issue is dividing the players in the international political arena more than climate and energy. Climate is the "make it or break it" issue for the G8 summit in June. The quest for energy resources is set to become -- or, in fact, may already be -- the primary driver of most international conflicts. The depth of these fissures became only too obvious at the UN Commission for Sustainable Development. When it ended its 15th session on 11 May, for the first time it did so without a result. The EU refused to sign onto a draft text issued by the Chair -- the Qatari energy minister -- that essentially tried to continue the fossil fuel agenda for many more decades. more

In Brief

Marine Scientists Appeal to WTO to Halt Overfishing Environmental Provisions Strengthened under White House, Democrat Trade Deals Asian Nations Toughen Stance on Wildlife Smuggling Future Fate of Foodstuffs A Fresh Look at the Commodities Problem

Events    &   Resources
Events	28-30 May Anchorage, Alaska: INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION. The fifty-ninth annual meeting of the IWC will be preceded by a meeting of the Scientific Committee from 7 to 18 May, and by a special symposium on infectious and non-infectious diseases of marine mammals and impacts on cetaceans, from 5-6 May. For further information visit http://www.iwcoffice.org/meetings/meeting2007.htm.
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Resources	WHALES, SUSTAINABILITY AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE. By Duncan Currie (Review of European Community and International Environmental Law 16, 2007). The international governance structures in place with respect to whales are dominated by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). However, the IWC's constitutive document, the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling, lacks many critical elements of good governance that have evolved in other venues since the conclusion of the convention. In light of such developments, the author argues that the IWC is in need of substantial reforms, and that the development of an entirely new convention is the best way to proceed. To purchase the article, visit http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/reel/16/1.
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ISSN 1682-0843