Trade : WTO DG delivers mixed signals for MC12 (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
With less than 42 working days left for the World Trade Organization's 12th ministerial conference (MC12), the WTO director-general Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on 4 October delivered a somewhat mixed message that laid emphasis on the progress made in the non-mandated plurilateral Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) issues.

United Nations : UNCTAD-15 conference gets underway in Barbados (PRIV)
(Kanaga Raja, Geneva)
The fifteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD-15) got underway in Bridgetown, Barbados on 4 October, under the theme "From inequality and vulnerability to prosperity for all".

WHO : Divergence on proposed pandemic treaty & IHR strengthening (PRIV)
(Nithin Ramakrishnan and K M Gopakumar, Kochi/New Delhi)
There are "real differences" of views among World Health Organization member states with regard to the possibility of a pandemic treaty proposed by the European Union and strengthening of the existing International Health Regulations (IHR).