Trade : US unveils draft GC decision on providing S&DT only to LDCs (PRIV)
(D. Ravi Kanth, Geneva)
In a controversial draft General Council (GC) decision, the United States has proposed that the WTO's Special and Differe ntial Treatment (S&DT) provisions be available only to the least-developed countr ies (LDCs) while denying it to other developing countries.

Venezuela : International aid feeds hope and fuels confrontation (PRIV)
(IPS, Caracas)
The international food and medical aid awaiting entry into Venezuela from neighboring Colombia, Br azil and Curacao is at the crux of the struggle for power between President Nico las Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, recognised as "legitimate preside nt" by 50 governments.

Q&A : Suriname's president champions preserving the world's forests (PRIV)
(IPS, Paramaribo)
At the Bonn Climate Conference in 2017, Suriname announced its aspirations to maintain its forest coverage at 93 percent of the land area.

Environment : "Today, we declare our love to our forests and ecosystems" (PRIV)
(IPS, Paramaribo)
High Forest Cover and Low Deforestation (HFLD) nations ended a major conference in Suriname on Thursday, with the Krutu of Paramaribo Joint Declaration on HFLD Climate Finance Mobilisation.

Climate : Our forests provide world with oxygen but we need more finance (PRIV)
(IPS, Paramaribo)
Suriname, the most forested count ry in the world, is this week hosting a major international conference on clim ate financing for High Forest Cover and Low Deforestation (HFLD) countries.