South Centre in partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) have launched the first e-Learning course on the theme of “Intellectual Property Policy and Development”. The online course will be run from 9 June - 25 July 2008.
With the adoption of the WIPO Development Agenda, the international community and developing countries in particular will have to address various IP policy issues such as public health and patents, protection of traditional knowledge, and access to digital content. This instructor-led online course, which has been reviewed by leading academics and policy makers, will provide participants from the South and North with the necessary background knowledge to address IP policy issues in various areas such as public health, agriculture, traditional knowledge, and digital and internet content.
The course is FREE for delegates and government officials from South Centre member countries. - USD 150 for other participants/institutions from South Centre member countries, and for all participant/institutions from Goup of 77 member countries which are not South Centre member countries.- USD 400 for all other participants/institutions.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
South Centre launches online course of IP and Development
Thursday, April 3, 2008
African Union Ministerial Conference on Trade and Finance
Dr. Yash Tandon, Executive Director of the South Centre is attending the Conference of the African Ministers of Trade and Finance taking place at the Conference Centre of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1 - 3 April 2008. The meeting is being held in two phases. The Meeting of the Senior Officials will hold from 1-2 April 2008, followed by the Ministerial Meeting on 3rd April 2008.
The Conference of the African Ministers of Trade and Finance will dwell on the following issues: Panel Discussion on the Assessment of Interim Economic Partnership Agreements; the state of the EPA negotiations and that of the WTO negotiations; Operationalisation of Aid for Trade; Harmonisation of EPA texts and Monitoring and Evaluation of the implementation of EPAs;
Regarding the state of the EPA negotiations, the representatives of the five African Negotiating groups will present up to date reports on the status of the EPA negotiations. The focus will be on the main areas of divergences with the EU. The negotiating groups would also inform the meeting on the approach to be used in the continuation of the negotiations with the EC.
Press Release: New Voting Formula at IMF Falls Short of Bringing Genuine Change
Last week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cautiously backed plans for some redistribution of voting power among its 185 member countries.
Dr. Yash Tandon, Executive Director of the South Centre, a Geneva-based intergovernmental thinktank for developing countries, said that "the proposed changes with respect to votes in the IMF as a result of a new voting formula – while positive in recognizing the need for such changes – do not however go far enough to remedy the governance imbalance in the IMF. What is being proposed is too little and preserves developed country control over the IMF. To be genuine about sharing governance power in terms of votes, the increase should be much more.
Genuine IMF governance reform will not occur simply through marginal increases of voting rights. The real issue is how developing countries can have a stronger ‘voice’ in IMF governance and actually shaping how the institution is run. This means that other aspects of IMF governance must also be dealt with – e.g. enhancing developing country collective action and voice in the IMF by making the constituency system more representative and strengthening the multilateral and developing country institutions that support them."
See South Centre press release at: http://www.southcentre.org/info/news_views/IMF_Voting_Rights_1April08.pdf
See quote appearing in the article "IMF governance renovations: fresh paint while foundations rot" by Bretton Woods Project: http://www.brettonwoodsproject.org/art-561041
Monday, March 31, 2008
Informal Roundable Discussion - UNCTAD XII
South Centre organized an informal Roundtable Discussion today (31st March) on Commodities Issues in the context of UNCTAD XII from 12h30- 15h00 in Room XXIV, Palais des Nations. The event was organized in cooperation with Action Aid.
'We will all live to regret it', Professor Girvan warns that EPA could widen inequalities among Caricom states
LEADING Caribbean scholar of the political economy, Professor Norman Girvan, has said the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the CARIFORUM group and the European Commission could create wide inequalities among Caricom member states and fragment the Community.
Addressing the closing session of the ninth annual Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) conference at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Friday evening, Girvan called the EPA "an agreement we will all live to regret at a time not too far into the future".
The EPA, which was brokered last December, gives Caribbean countries duty and quota free access in goods (with the temporary exception of rice and sugar) and services to EU, and is supposed to be the replacement for preferential trade agreements.
Read the complete article at:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080329T180000-0500_134009_OBS__WE_WILL_ALL_LIVE_TO_REGRET_IT__.asp
Professor Norman Girvan, Member of the South Centre Board, Honoured
This year's Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies (SALISES) conference was held in honour of Professor Norman Girvan, from 26th to 28th March, under the theme, 'Reinventing the political economy tradition of the Caribbean’ at the Mona’s Visitors Lodge, University of West Indies, Mona.
19 young professionals from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia and South Africa visit South Centre
South Centre hosted 19 young professionals from China, India, Brazil, Mexico, Egypt, Indonesia and South Africa who formed a part of the "Managing Global Governance” programme of the German Development Institute (DIE) in Bonn for a briefing session on the programmes and activities of the South Centre.
The briefing was held on 28th March (Friday) at the South Centre and presentations were given by the coordinators of Trade for Development Programme (TDP), Innovation and Access to Knowledge Programme (IAKP) and the Information and Outreach Programme.
Political scholars charged to report the real, non-diplomatic truth to govts
Academics, especially political economy scholars, must not be afraid to tell governments real, non-diplomatic truths, according to Dr Yash Tandon, executive director of the South Centre in Geneva, Switzerland.
"We who research, write and critique have an obligation, in my view, to speak truth to power, to say how things are and how they should be from the vantage point of some distance from political power and authority," Tandon said.
He was speaking at the Sir Arthur Lewis Institute for Social and Economic Studies' (SALISES) ninth annual conference at the University of the West Indies, Mona, Wednesday night. He said the challenges some Caribbean intellectuals have made to the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the CARIFORUM group, was a case in point.
Read the complete article at:http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/html/20080328T190000-0500_133979_OBS_POLITICAL_SCHOLARS_CHARGED_TO_REPORT_THE_REAL__NON_DIPLOMATIC_TRUTH_TO_GOVTS.asp
International Investment Agreements and the Exercise of National Policy Space
South Centre organized a working lunch event on "International Investment Agreements and the Exercise of National Policy Space" on 20 March from 1 pm -3pm.
Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret, Senior Legal Advisor, International Arrangements Section (IAS), Division on Investment, Technology and Enterprise Development (DITE), UNCTAD was the lead speaker. During her presentation, she elaborated upon the recent experiences of developing countries with respect to investment agreements contained in both bilateral investment treaties and other treaty arrangements, in particular providing Bolivia's experience as a case study.
Discussions followed on global trends in relation to international investment agreements and the development policy space issues and implications of such agreements for developing countries.
The event was organized by the Global Governance for Development Programme of the South Centre.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Multilateral Trading System, the Doha Round and Regional Trade Agreements
Luisa Rodriguez, Programme Officer with the Trade for Development Programme, South Centre delivered a presentation on relationship between trade and development at the conference on "The Multilateral Trading System, the Doha Round and Regional Trade Agreements: Perspectives and Challenges for Mexico and Central American Countries" organized by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation and the WTO Secretariat from 3-5 March 2008 in Mexico.
