South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 52, 25 November 2010): African Ministers Call for Rethink on EPAs
The focus on this issue is on the Economic Partnership Agreements that African countries are negotiating with the European Commission. As is well known these negotiations have faced an impasse for a long time.
At the African Union conference of Trade Ministers in Kigali in early November, the African Trade Ministers at the AU Conference called on Europe to rethink the basic premises of these EPAs.
The Bulletin has articles analysing this latest situation.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 51, 29 October 2010): Some Key Issues Missing From G20 Agenda
This issue of South Bulletin focuses on the key issues in the international monetary system, many of which are missing from the agenda of the G20 which will hold a Summit in November. Three articles deal with the need to reform the IMF and the global financial systems.
Other articles deal with recent emerging issues in the global economy – the currency chaos, volatile capital flows, and a new protectionism in the U.S.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 50, 27 September 2010): The Global Crisis of Water Shortage
This issue of South Bulletin focuses on the growing shortage of water which has emerged as one of the major crises of our times. A third of the world's people face water scarcity and by 2025 two-thirds of people may suffer water stress. This crisis should be at the top of the global agenda.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 49, 28 July 2010): South Should Also Be Paid For Eco-Disasters
The new South has a cover story on why developing countries should also be eligible for compensation by transnational companies responsible for environmental disasters. The recent $20 bil fund set up by BP for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico should be a model for companies to compensate for disasters such as in Bhopal, the Ecuadorian Amazon and the Niger Delta.
The Bulletin also focuses on ACTA (Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement), a TRIPS-Plus treaty being negotiated by 11 members that would be harmful to health and consumer interests and to developing countries. The Bulletin analyses ACTA and carries statements by India, China and Brazil at the WTO on why TRIPS-Plus enforcement is harmful.
Other articles make comments on the austerity policies of developed countries, and on why a climate deal needs to be based on equity in “carbon space”
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 48, 30 June 2010) - China, East Asia need new growth strategy
This latest issue of South Bulletin focuses on why China and other East Asian developing countries require a rethinking of the growth strategies, as the global economic slowdown has exposed their over-reliance on exports.
The articles include estimates on the dependence of China on exports for its growth (much higher than previously estimated), why the trade surplus of China with the US is much smaller than widely thought, and the way forward for future growth in China. Another aricle discusses why other East Asian countries face deeper problems and also need a policy re-thinking.
The Bulletin reports on the latest June climate talks in Bonn: how developing countries suffered a setback in a new text, and how the talks reveal continuing deep differences.Another article reports on a dire warning by climate scientists why the "paltry pledges" of the Copenhagen Accord are driving the world to a temperature increase of 3 to 4 degrees.
