BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest

Lead Stories
LDCs OUTLINE PRIORITIES, AS WTO MEMBERS TRY ONCE AGAIN FOR DOHA DEAL	The world's poorest countries have set out a common set of priorities for a global trade accord, as WTO Members gear up for another attempt to strike a deal in the long-running Doha Round trade talks. Trade ministers from the group of least-developed countries (LDCs) met in Maseru, Lesotho from 27-29 February in an attempt to promote their interests, in the event that the ongoing push for a WTO agreement is successful.
EASTER MINI-MINISTERIAL UNLIKELY, SAYS WTO AG CHAIR	The chair of the WTO agriculture negotiations has admitted what many trade diplomats have been saying privately for some time: a 'mini-ministerial' meeting around Easter to finalise a framework global deal on cutting tariffs and subsidies is not a realistic possibility.
WITH TALKS AT IMPASSE, NAMA CHAIR SUGGESTS TRADEOFFS BETWEEN FORMULA, FLEXIBILITIES	In an attempt to help WTO Members find a way out of the impasse in the Doha Round industrial goods talks, the chair of the negotiating committee has outlined some ways in which they might trade deeper tariff cuts off against wider exceptions for some products so as to reach an acceptable compromise.
WIPO CTTE ON GENETIC RESOURCES AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE LOOKS FOR WAY FORWARD	Members of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) have identified a number of steps in order to move forward long-running discussions on the policy, legal and practical aspects of the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore.

In Brief	WTO in Brief
WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property Meets For First Time	EU, US Initiate WTO Dispute Proceedings Against Chinese News Regulations Thailand and India Prevail in Dispute Against US Anti-Dumping Measures on Shrimp

Events        &        Resources
Events	10 March, New York, United States of America. MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOAL AFRICA STEERING GROUP COMMITTEE. This meeting will convene the MDG Africa Steering Group for the second time, following its launch by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 14 September 2007. The MDG Africa Initiative aims to bring together the UN system, international financial institutions such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, and the European Commission. The Steering Group will consider the proposed recommendations and implementation business plans developed by the MDG Africa Working Group across seven thematic areas, including: health; education; infrastructure; agriculture and food security; statistical capacity; aid predictability; and strengthening joint efforts at the country level. For more information: e-mail: secretariat@mdgafrica.org.
Resources	LINKING AFRICAN SMALL PRODUCERS TO LARGE DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS: ENHANCING CAPACITY OF MOZAMBICAN PRODUCERS TO SUPPLY THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARKET. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, February 2008. The export of non-traditional agricultural products from Africa has the potential to contribute to economic growth and poverty reduction. This study is based on interviews with various government departments and agencies, small and large growers, input suppliers, exporters, processors and donor agencies, as well as on a covering of the relevant literature. It gives an overview of the changes taking place in the Mozambican horticulture subsector and how opportunities to trade with the larger markets within South Africa can be exploited. It explores the potential for strengthening exports of horticultural products from one African country, Mozambique, and possible measures in support of this sector. Within this context, the opportunities for small farmers to supply South African importers are evaluated. Meetings with South African supermarkets and importers as well as standards and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) bodies were also held to determine constraints facing Mozambican exporters. Some recent reports were also reviewed. The fieldwork and literature review confirmed market opportunities and identified a number of technical issues that constrained farmers in Mozambique, particularly those from the family sector, from being able to supply South African supermarkets. The paper is available online at http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditccom200617_en.pdf.
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.