This page lists recent changes made to this site. The "Find Out More" links will take you to the changes. If this jumps to the middle of a page, you can easily scroll up to understand the context of the new information a bit further.
Date of Update
Description
December 20, 2000
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at the WTO is seen as the next Multilateral Agreement on Investment. On a broad range of "services" this has a wider impact than many (undemocratic) international trade and investment agreements. Strong business lobby groups have helped make the US and European Union (EU) push the GATS hard to developing countries. If given the go ahead, it too would be seen to have "devastating effects on the ability of governments to meet the needs of the poorest and most powerless of their citizens" according to the World Development Movement. A new section has been added that introduces GATS and provides links to more information. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): Free Trade and Globalization / Causes of Poverty
Biotech companies say they will be able to help increase food security and relieve hunger. However, could it be that their acts of patenting plant genetic resources used in global food and agriculture could itself be a threat to food security? Some of these foods have taken centuries to develop and the traditions passed freely down. A potential solution exists in the form of an agreement called the International Undertaking on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. If it becomes legally binding, then farmers rights and fair access to genetic resources may be achieved. A new subsection on this has been added, as well as a number of additional links to more information. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): Hunger and Poverty / "GE Food will solve world hunger" / Population and Feeding the World
December 5, 2000
What is the relationship between population sizes and hunger? Is there any? Hunger in fact, is shown more to be a problem of poverty than of population sizes. A chapter from a book has been posted titled, "Myth: Too many mouths to feed" that provides a detailed look at this issue. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): Hunger and Poverty / Food Dumping [Aid] / GE Food and Hunger
Links to collections of articles on issues to do with corporations and medical research have been added. A number of these are from the Third World Network, who provide a series of articles on patents, pharmaceuticals and profits. This issue is disturbing because the pharmaceutical industry continues to spend less on drugs that most of humanity needs, and when they do, they want to ensure they get maximum profits, which can sometimes mean that those who need the drugs cannot afford them. As a result, the "market" dictates, that these corporations prioritize on those drugs and treatments that the wealthy will be able to purchase, including those that are not the most urgently needed. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): Corporations and AIDS / Corporations
Some additional links on the issue of AIDS have been added. This includes a collection of articles from the Media Channel, that look at how the media have handled this terrible world epidemic, and another from UNAIDS, a United Nations program, that provides many reports and statistics. The recent World AIDS Day again highlights the impact AIDS is having around the world, especially in poorer societies. Media and corporate reaction in the West has been largely criticized for being belated and profit driven. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): AIDS in Africa / Pharmaceutical Industry and AIDS / Corporations and Medical Research / Disease: Global Killers / Poverty
Additional links on the media for the Israel/Palestine conflict has been added. This is a collection of articles from the Media Channel. It provides a collection of articles looking at the media coverage of this conflict and the various bias that is involved. Find Out More »
- Related Section(s): Israel/Palestine Conflict / The Middle East / Geopolitics
Global Issues
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) at the WTO is seen as the next Multilateral Agreement on Investment. On a broad range of "services" this has a wider impact than many (undemocratic) international trade and investment agreements. Strong business lobby groups have helped make the US and European Union (EU) push the GATS hard to developing countries. If given the go ahead, it too would be seen to have "devastating effects on the ability of governments to meet the needs of the poorest and most powerless of their citizens" according to the World Development Movement. A new section has been added that introduces GATS and provides links to more information.