Eminent lawyer Dr. Kamal Hossain attended
the Dinner Reception at Rajendrapur as the Guest of
Honour
Biological Resources
in Asia
(From Page-1)
sharing with local and indigenous communities. The
issues of partnership and consent were also highlighted.
The participants particularly stressed the need for
sustainable use and management of biological resources
through fair and equitable terms and conditions for
which a set of guidelines should be developed with
support from relevant international and intergovernmental
organisations.
Reaping the WTO-TRIPs Benefits
Local and international experts recommend a biodiversity
strategy
A comprehensive national strategy and systematic documentation
of traditional knowledge about bio-diversity will
enable Bangladesh to utilise the potential benefits
originating from the WTO Ministerial Declaration on
Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual
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Property Rights (TRIPs). To this end, a national body
on TRIPs should be formed and the country's patent
system should be modernized.
Experts put forward these views at an international
dialogue on Trade, Biological Resources and Intellectual
Property Rights organised by CPD in collaboration
with ICTSD, QUNO and BELA. The dialogue was held at
the CIRDAP Auditorium, Dhaka on April 18, 2002.
Presided over by CPD Chairman Professor Rehman Sobhan
the dialogue was attended, among others, by Mr. M.
Morshed Khan MP, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh,
as the Chief Guest and Ambassadors Eduardo Perez Motta
and Dr. Toufiq Ali, Permanent Representatives of Mexico
and Bangladesh respectively, in Geneva as the Special
Guests. CPD Executive Director Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya,
Mr. Mahfuz Ullah of Centre for Sustainable Development,
Ms. Rizwana Hasan of BELA also took part in the discussion.
Particapants of the Dialogue on TRIPs
: (From left) Permanent Representative of Bangladesh
in Geneva Ambassador Dr. Toufiq Ali, Chairman of WTO-TRIPs
Council Ambassador Eduardo Perez Motta, Foreign Minister
Mr. M. Morshed Khan MP, CPD Chairman Professor Rehman
Sobhan and ICTSD Executive Director Mr. Ricardo Melendez
Ortiz
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Budget Sets Ambitious Targets,
but a Road Map is Missing
CPD ED briefs the Press
In a post-budget press briefing, the CPD
Executive Director Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya observed that
the proposed budget for fiscal year 2002-03 sets high targets
but does not contain a package of transparent and time-bound
reform measures to achieve those targets.
Dr. Bhattacharya noted that though the Finance Minister
mentioned about a mid-term (three-year) framework in his
budget speech, no mid-term targets were set. Dr. Bhattacharya
maintained that whilst the Finance Minister modestly succeeded
in bringing fiscal balance, issues related to acceleration
of investment have remained more or less unaddressed. "If
the crisis arising out of depressed investment and savings
rate is not properly addressed, the country is not likely
to come out of the recession and subsequently, fiscal balance
and balance of payment situation will further deteriorate"
- he added.
Referring to the provision of making black money white through
investment, Dr. Bhattacharya said, "It is very unethical,
counter-productive and against equality which has not boosted
investment elsewhere."
Dr. Bhattacharya felt that increase of import duty on some
goods like computer, powder milk, sugar and cement clinker
would also create a negative reaction among the people.
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| CPD Quarterly |
April-June
2002
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