BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest

Lead Stories
NAMA POSITIONS "DIVERGING RATHER THAN CONVERGING," DIMMING HOPES FOR DOHA DEAL	Is an agreement possible in the Doha Round negotiations on industrial goods? Or do governments' 'red lines' simply not overlap enough to allow them to strike a deal? The answer remains far from clear, officials suggest, after a week of talks served once again to highlight WTO Members' differences instead of pointing the way to convergence.
PARTICIPANTS SATISFIED WITH PROGRESS IN WHO TALKS ON BOLSTERING MEDICAL INNOVATION	The World Health Organization's Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) is charged with developing a global strategy for the discovery, development, and delivery of medicines and other health products, as well as for encouraging pharmaceutical innovation in developing nations. In theory, this session of the committee, which runs through 10 November, is supposed to come up with an action plan to present to the WHO's 193 member states at the global health body's annual summit in May 2008.
US HOUSE PASSES PERU FTA WITH SUPPORT FROM DIVIDED DEMOCRATS	Negotiations on expedited liberalisation for environmental goods and services were front and centre at last week's meeting of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment-special session (CTE-SS).

In Brief	WTO in Brief
Palm Oil Proves Sticking Point in India-ASEAN FTA Talks

Events        &        Resources
Events	15 November, Geneva, Switzerland. HIGH-LEVEL MULTISTAKEHOLDER MEETING: MOBILIZING RESOURCES AND HARNESSING KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPMENT - INVESTMENT AND THE LOCAL PRODUCTION OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINES. This dialogue, organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will discuss options for strengthening developing and least-developed countries' local capacities in the pharmaceutical sector, including through investment, intellectual property rights, and trade. It will have an emphasis on innovative approaches to the use of TRIPS flexibilities, on development objectives and on the feasibility of national approaches taken by various countries in line with their international commitments. Internet: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Meeting.asp?intItemID=2068&lang=1&m=14735&year=2007&month=11
Resources	ASSESSMENT OF THE WORLD BANK'S ASSISTANCE TO AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA. By the World Bank's Independent Evaluation Group, November 2007. The report comes at a critical time for the Bank, as it reassesses its work in this area, in light of the recent release of the World Development Report on agriculture, and statements from World Bank President Zoellick, that highlight Africa and agriculture as top priorities for development. The under-performance of the agriculture sector, which accounts for a large share of GDP and employment in the region, has been a major drag on Africa's development. It argues that Sub-Saharan Africa is a development priority for the donor community. Internet: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTOED/EXTASSAGRSUBSAHAFR/0,,contentMDK:21489079~isCURL:Y~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:4174768,00.html.
BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest is made possible through the generous support of the Government of the United Kingdom (DFID) and ICTSD's core donors including the Governments of Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden; Christian Aid (UK) and NOVIB (NL). BRIDGES Weekly also benefits from support for the BRIDGES series of publications from donors including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.