South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 58, 20 December 2011): Durban Launches New Round of Climate Talks - And the WTO Ministerial Conference is Marked by Both Calm and Divisions
This issue of the South Bulletin has two major main issues: The Durban Climate Conference, and the WTO's 8th Ministerial Conference, both held in December 2011.
The Durban conference has given rise to a new round of climate change negotiations, which will start in 2012 and is scheduled to end in 2015. This decision was made after intense negotiations lasting several days and during a dramatic night of plenary sessions marked by passionate speeches. Though the decision was made to launch new talks leading to a legal protocol or "an agreed outcome with legal force", the terms of reference of the new round will be decided next year, when the differences among countries can be expected to continue.
At the WTO's Ministerial Conference in Geneva, there was (in contrast to Durban) a calm and relaxed atmosphere. But there were also many issues that divided the countries, mainly on North-South lines. The South Bulletin provides preliminary analyses of these two major events.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 56, 3 October 2011): Bracing For A New Global Financial Crisis
This issue of the South Bulletin focuses on the recent deterioration in the state of the global economy and the effects this will have on developing countries.
The Bulletin also gives details of the Conference co-organised by the South Centre on Options that developing countries have in facing the global financial turmoil.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 55, 11 July 2011): Capital Flows Booms & Busts Damaging to South
This issue of South Bulletin focuses on the adverse effects of the boom and bust cycle in capital flows into and out of developing countries, which has caused adverse effects in many economies.
After the financial crisis, capital flows resumed their large surge into some developing countries. This has caused them many problems, such as currency appreciation affecting their trade, excess money, asset price boom and inflation.
South Bulletin (South Centre, Issue 54, 15 April 2011): Behind the Impasse in the WTO’s Doha Negotiations
This issue of South Bulletin focuses on the deep impasse in the World Trade Organization’s Doha negotiations. The "crunch time" has come for these talks. Although political leaders in the G20 pledged to conclude the talks by 2011, this is not likely to happen because there are still big gaps between the positions of developed and developing countries.
