• TRADE AND INVESTMENT PUBLICATIONS
• SELECTED WORLDWIDE WEBSITES

Creating the International Standard for the Trade in Live Reef Food Fish. July 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 88 pages, 2.09 Mb). APEC
This report describes the work undertaken to develop environmentally and socially sustainable standards for live reef food fish trade (LRFFT) in recognition of the need to eliminate trade’s destructive impact on coral reef systems and to provide a foundation for a lasting trade in healthy live reef food fish within the Asia-Pacific region. The report provides a comprehensive review of options for implementation and use of the new LRFFT standard and framework options under which the standard could be used.
Accessed on 10 October 2005 from:
<http://www.apecsec.org.sg/apec/publications/free_downloads/2005.MedialibDownload.v1.html>

Global partnership for development: Thailand's contribution to millennium development goal 8: Thai successes in the MDGs. 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 80 pages, 651 Kb). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and United Nations Country Team in Thailand.
This paper outlines the steps that Thailand has made towards the achievement of the eighth Millennium Development Goal (MDG): the development of a global partnership for development. The steps include: actively sharing with other countries the knowledge of what it takes to rapidly reduce poverty, improve health and education, and face the challenges of environmentally sustainable development; opening up markets to imports from least developed countries; providing significant amounts of foreign direct investment; helping to establish bilateral and sub-regional cooperation frameworks and trade agreements; establishing cordial relations and promoting constructive cooperation with countries in South Asia and Africa; and offering a significant amount of official development assistance. The paper details the successes in all these areas and suggests ways in which they can be further strengthened in pursuit of achieving not only the eighth but all the MDGs.
Accessed on 7 October 2005 from: <http://www.undp.or.th/publications/MDG8Entire_report.pdf.pdf>

Key Issues in WTO Dispute Settlement - The First Ten Years. October 2005. For Sale. Price: 125.00 CHF. WTO
This publication provides a unique view of the operation and evolution of the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement system by WTO Secretariat professionals and outside experts, covering the first ten years of the WTO. Each chapter is based on the individual author's personal experience with, or study of, the system. The book provides an informative reading for those who wish to gain further insights into how the system has operated in practice since 1995.
Accessed on 7 October 2005 from:
<http://onlinebookshop.wto.org/shop/article_details.asp?Id_Article=662&lang=EN>

The impact on Russia of WTO accession and the Doha agenda: the importance of liberalization of barriers against foreign direct investment in services for growth and poverty reduction, Vol. 1 of 1. October 2005. Policy Research Working Paper. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 35 pages, 0.99 Mb). World Bank
This publication uses an economic model to assess the impact of global free trade and a successful completion of the Doha Agenda on the economy of the Russian Federation, highlighting effects on the poor. The authors estimate that Russian WTO accession in the medium run would result in gains averaged over all Russian households equal to 7.3 per cent of Russian consumption, with virtually all households gaining. They find that global free trade would result in an average gain of 0.2 percent of consumption, while a successful completion of the Doha Development Agenda would result in an average loss of 0.3 per cent of consumption. The Russian Federation, as a net food importer, loses from subsidy elimination, and the gains from tariff cuts in other countries are too small to offset these losses. The results strongly support the view that the Russian Federation’s own liberalization is more important than improvements in market access as a result of reforms in tariffs or subsidies in the rest of the world. Foremost among the own reforms is liberalization of barriers against FDI in business services.
Accessed on 10 October 2005 from:
< http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2005/09/23/ >

Trade Finance Infrastructure Development Handbook for Economies in Transition. September 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 125 pages, 125 Mb). UNESCAP
The handbook was developed with the aim of building capacity of selected economies in transition in the area of trade and investment, with a view to enabling them to respond more effectively to the challenges and opportunities emerging from the globalization process. It provides information that may help to strengthen the trade finance aspects of national trade development strategies and to foster a better understanding of the issues and mechanisms that may need to be discussed with officials in charge of financial sector regulation.
Accessed on 26 October 2005 from: <http://www.unescap.org/tid/publication/tipub2374.pdf>

Trade, foreign firms, and economic policy in Indonesian and Thai manufacturing: MNEs and structural change in the Thai and Indonesian manufacturing industry. May 2005. (PDF-Format, 36 pages, 1111 Kb). East-West Center.
This paper examines the rapid growth and changing composition of manufactured exports in Indonesia and Thailand, and documents the importance of contributions of foreign multinational enterprises (MNEs) to export growth in the machinery industries. It also emphasises how low protection was a key facilitator of rapid export growth in the MNEs that dominated the electric, office, and computing machinery industry, while high protection reduced incentives to export. Trade policy in both countries has generally become more outward-oriented, a development which even the Asian financial crisis did not reverse. The paper suggests that MNEs will continue to play a significant role in the development of manufacturing and exports in these important Southeast Asian economies. In the future, trade preferences arising from regional and bilateral trade agreements may influence MNE investment decisions and alter global and regional trade patterns in manufacturing
Accessed on 7 October 2005 from: <http://www.eastwestcenter.org/stored/pdfs/ECONwp078.pdf>

Turning the Corner: The Economic Revival of Central Asia. June 2005. Available on-line (PDF-Format, 23 Pages, 391 Kb). Public Policy Research Center, Kazakhstan.
This paper reviews the characteristics of economic growth of Central Asia Republics (CARS) which accelerated to historically unprecedented levels by high commodity prices – particularly oil and natural gas – and buyout demand, increasing inward investment, macroeconomic management and development of infrastructure. The paper argues that there are signs that the oil and gas sector led growth has stimulated the development of the services sector (construction and banking) as well as some manufacturing activities. Distinctions are drawn between the economic structure and performance of resource-rich (oil and natural gas) economies and the other CARs who have fewer resources. Drawing on this analysis, the outlook for the CARs for the next ten years is projected against a background of global prospects. The paper also seeks to guide CARs policy makers by suggesting the direction of future economic performance as well as indicating key policy issues.
Accessed on 26 October 2005 from:<http://www.pprc.kz/files/policy-eng-3(08).pdf>

http://www.cofco.com.cn/en
China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation
Email: ithelp@cofco.com.cn
China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp. (COFCO) is a state-owned company established in Beijing with the main businesses include agricultural commodities trading, food processing, hotel operations and real estate development as well as financial services. It is one of the largest import and export companies in China, the most powerful and longstanding trader in agricultural commodities and foodstuffs, and a key conduit between the international agribusiness and China's domestic market. The website provides information of products and businesses run by it’s company chains and updated trading information of national commodities.
Accessed on 28 October 2005

http://www.af/
Government of Afghanistan
E-mail: Hamid.Majdee@undp.org
This central website of Afghanistan provides information on Afghanistan's national budget, the Government's donor assistance database, and on major international conferences on Afghan reconstruction. The donor assistance database provides open access to information on all major projects in Afghanistan, and is based on regular reporting by donors, UN agencies and NGO partners. Also available are key speeches and policy documents, and information on the consultative group (CG) process; the key means through which the Government works together with its partners to coordinate and manage aid. The CGs cover all major sectors (education, health, transport, etc) and helps to ensure that aid is managed effectively and for the benefit of Afghanistan's most vulnerable people.
Accessed on 3 October 2005

http://www.iatp.org/
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
E-mail: iatp@iatp.org
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) promotes resilient family farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research and education, science and technology, and advocacy. IATP works with organizations around the world to analyze how global trade agreements impact domestic farm and food policies. Alongside a global coalition, IATP advocates for fair trade policies that promote strong health standards, labor and human rights, the environment and, most fundamentally, democratic institutions. IATP is developing alternative economic models that include clean sources of energy such as wind power and biofuel that would spur rural development.
Accessed on 31 October 2005

http://www.igtn.org/
International Gender and Trade Network
E-mail: secretariat@coc.org
The International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) is a network of gender specialists who provide technical information on gender and trade issues to women's groups, NGOs, social movements, governments, and academic institutions. The IGTN is a Southern-led network that builds South/North cooperation with the aim of developing more just and democratic trade policies.
Accessed on 27 October 2005

http://www.korea-saudi-business.org/intro.htm
Korea-Saudi Arabia Business Council
Email: ksseo@s-oil.com
The Korea-Saudi Arabia Business Council was established in 1998 to promote the economic exchange between the private sectors of the Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia, to facilitate trade and investment between the two countries, to boost the economic and technical cooperation, and to enhance the understanding and amity among Korean and Saudi Arabian companies.
Accessed on 24 October 2005

http://www.kpdnhep.gov.my/
Malaysia Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs was formed to foster ethical domestic trade development and to protect consumer importance. It’s task fields and functions include: domestic trade supervision; consumer protection; intellectual property; licensing for sales and distribution of petroleum and petrochemistry materials; rules and activities with regards to petroleum industry, petrochemistry and gas safety; prevention of fraud in trade; weights and measures; registration and monitoring of companies and businesses; and research of principles and strategies with regards to domestic trade development, consumerism and intellectual property.
Accessed on 24 October 2005

http://www.businessmobility.org/
The Business Mobility Group, APEC
Email: apec@immi.gov.au
The role of the Business Mobility Group (BMG) is to make it easier for business people to move around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region. It aims to reduce the time and expense associated with applying for visas and entry permits, and promote the free flow of trade and investment around the region. The APEC Business Mobility Group is one of the working groups within the APEC forum. Key initiatives include the APEC Business Travel Card and the APEC Business Travel Handbook.
Accessed on 24 October 2005

http://www.cairnsgroup.org/
The Cairns Group
Email: agriculture.negotiations@dfat.gov.au
The Cairns Group is a diverse coalition of 17 agricultural exporting countries from Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, which account for over 23 per cent of the world’s agricultural exports to achieve free and fair trade in agriculture that provides real and sustainable benefits for the developing world. The Group has been an influential voice in the agricultural reform debate since its formation in 1986 and has continued to play a key role in pressing the WTO membership to meet in full the far-reaching mandate set in Doha. The Cairns Group's objectives in the WTO negotiation are: deep cuts to all tariffs (including tariff peaks) and removal of tariff escalation; the elimination of all trade-distorting domestic subsidies and the elimination of export subsidies and clear rules to prevent circumvention of export subsidy commitments. The Group supports the principle of special and differential treatment for developing countries. Members of the Group are: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Paraguay, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Uruguay.
Accessed on 26 October 2005

http://www.chamber.kz/eng/
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Astana, Kazakhstan
E-mail: akmcci@dan.kz
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Astana is a public association, representing the interests of regional business in their relationships with the authorities and society at large. The Chamber provides a wide array of services including training courses, assistance in setting up trade mission abroad, certification of goods and their origin, quality control of goods, and customs broker service.
Accessed on 24 October 2005

Information is taken mainly from secondary sources and UNESCAP accepts no responsibility for its accuracy. Mention of any companies and their products does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.