United Nations : UNCTAD launches its Productive Capacities Index (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on 8 February launched a new tool, the Productive Capacities Index (PCI), aimed at supporting developing countries in "understanding the status of their productive capacity" and how it can be improved.

Trade : Agriculture talks in disarray over assault on development, S&DT issues (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
The Doha agriculture negotiations at the WTO appear to be in disarray due to a fresh assault on the core developmental issues being raised by developing countries as well as on the special and differential treatment (S&DT) in Article 6.2 of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA), negotiators told the SUNS.

UN : The West vs Global South - you have the numbers, we have the money (PRIV)
(IPS, New York)
When the 134-member Group of 77, the largest single coalition of developing countries, was trying to strike a hard bargain in its negotiations with Western nations years ago, one of its (Western) envoys famously declared: "You have the numbers. We have the money."

Opinion : Intellectual property, cause of death, genocide (PRIV)
(IPS, Kuala Lumpur/Sydney)
Kuala Lumpur/Sydney, 9 Feb (IPS/Jomo Kwame Sundaram and Anis Chowdhury*) -- The refusal to temporarily suspend several World Trade Organization (WTO) intellectual property (IP) provisions to enable much faster and broader progress in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic should be grounds for International Criminal Court prosecution for genocide.