Trade : E-commerce and the World Trade Organization (PRIV)
(Deborah James, Washington DC)
In the early 1990s, transnational corporations (TNCs) in the agriculture, services, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing sectors each got agreements as part of the WTO to lock in rights for those companies to participate in markets under favourable conditions, while limiting the ability of governments to regulate and shape their economies. The topics corresponded to the corporate agenda at the time.

Climate : Talks end with adoption of "Fiji Momentum for Implementation" (PRIV)
(T. Ajit and Meena Raman, Bonn)
The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) closed early morning of Saturday, 18 Nov, a day later than its scheduled ending, with the adoption of what was called the "Fiji Momentum for Implementation" (also known as decision 1/CP.23).

United Nations : The world is losing the battle against child labour (PRIV)
(IPS, Buenos Aires)
The IV Global Conference on the Sustained Eradication of Child Labour, which drew nearly 2000 delegates from 190 countries to the Argentine capital, left many declarations of good intentions but nothing to celebrate.

United Nations : The harsh plight of 152 million child labourers (PRIV)
(IPS, Rome)
While trillions of dollars are being spent on exploring remote galaxies, Planet Earth is still home to harsh realities that could be easily - and much less expensively - resolved. One of them is that worldwide 152 million children are currently victims of child labour.