G8 Summit Laquila - Italy

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has criticised leaders of the G8 industrial nations for failing to make deeper commitments to combat climate change.

On Wednesday, the leaders, meeting in Italy, agreed to cut emissions by 80% by 2050, but Mr Ban said big cuts were needed sooner rather than later.

The leaders are set to meet their counterparts from emerging economies to discuss a new deal on global warming.

US President Barack Obama will chair the session, in the city of L'Aquila.



ANALYSIS

Richard Black, BBC News

Now G8 leaders will try to persuade some major developing countries to halve global emissions by 2050. Governments such as China's, that are concerned about climate impacts, may find the figure desirable. But they are unlikely to be impressed with what they see as fine words from the West unmatched by real short-term commitments.

Unmatched, too, by money. Of the major developing nations, India especially has long argued that it will not compromise its economic growth by agreeing to climate curbs.

So if the West wants the developing world to go through its own energy revolution, it is going to have to fund a lot of it.
Are G8 climate targets realistic?

The second day of the summit has begun, opening up its discussions to take in the so-called G5 nations - Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. Egypt is a special invitee.

The G8 leaders said on Wednesday they had agreed to try to limit global warming to just 2C (3.6F) above pre-industrial levels.
See how global temperatures have risen

That is the level above which, the United Nations says, the Earth's climate system would become dangerously unstable.

The G8 leaders also said rich nations should cut emissions by 80% by 2050 while the world overall should reduce them 50% by 2050.

But correspondents say emerging nations appear reluctant to sign up and tough negotiations lie ahead.

'Moral imperative'

Mr Ban said Wednesday's agreement was welcome, but the leaders needed to establish a strong and ambitious mid-term target for emissions cuts by 2020.

"This is politically and morally imperative and a historic responsibility for the leaders... for the future of humanity, even for the future of Planet Earth," he told the BBC.

Mr Ban said the leaders also had to come up with financial incentives for poorer countries to reduce pollution and aid to help them mitigate the effects of climate change.

President Obama arrives late for his G8 family photo

President Obama will chair the Major Economies Forum meeting on Thursday afternoon.

The countries represented there account for some 80% of the emissions of gases that are blamed for global warming.

'Still time'

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins, in L'Aquila, says the talks with India and China will be difficult.

China's president has headed home to deal with the ethnic violence in Xinjiang, so there are now questions whether his delegation will be more cautious.

G8 KEY ISSUES/TIMETABLE
THURSDAY: Climate Change
Brazil, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt join talks
1230 GMT - Junior G8
1300 GMT - Major Economies Forum meeting
FRIDAY: Development
0630 GMT - crisis' impact on Africa with African leaders attending
0830 GMT - food security
1100 GMT - final news conference
G8 members: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, US

At a glance: summit agenda
Mr Berlusconi's G8 Party
Climate change around the world
Climate targets: Global pledges

Our correspondent adds that India is already complaining that the G8's long-term targets for 2050 are too long-term and that G8 countries are ducking interim targets for 2020 which would make their 40-year ambitions more credible.

But in a meeting with Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Mr Obama said there was still time to close the gap between developed and developing nations before UN talks on a new climate change treaty in Copenhagen in December.

The summit host, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, has said a deal should be all-inclusive.

"It would not be productive if European countries, Japan, the United States and Canada accepted cuts that are economically damaging while more than five billion people in other countries carried on as before," he said.

The G8 summit began in L'Aquila on Wednesday, with the first day largely taken up with discussion of the fragile state of the global economy.

The leaders also issued a statement reaffirming that they were "deeply concerned" by Iran's nuclear programme and condemning North Korea's recent nuclear test and missile launches.

African leaders will join the summit on Friday to push for a new initiative to fund farming in the developing world and tackle global hunger.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8141715.stm


G8 Official website


15400 File Claims in Madoff Ponzi Scheme

Seychelles to seek best world trade entry deal - 13.08.2009

Seychelles is deciding on the best possible agreement under which we might join the World Trade Organisation (WTO), assistant registrar general Brassel Adeline has said.

“We must see how we would negotiate to get the best possible deal so that as a small nation we benefit to the maximum through the WTO,” he said during the three-day workshop on intellectual property rights now going on at the Coco D’Or Hotel, Beau Vallon.

“After this workshop we will be better equipped to know what advantages Seychelles will have under whatever treaty we might sign.”

Attorney-General Ronny Govinden said fresh negotiations will also take place on an economic partnership agreement with the European Union as we reopen talks about joining the WTO.

He told the delegates Seychelles is looking for help from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo) to draft new intellectual property rights laws “covering geographical indications, layout designs of integrated circuits and undisclosed information”.

“The laws will also cover the rights of artists and performers and will strengthen existing ones. Seychelles respects intellectual property rights and regards laws and other measures to protect them as important aspects of long-term economic development,” he said.

“Efficient and effective protection of intellectual property rights (IPR) is vital for development in terms of promoting foreign investment, the transfer and dissemination of technology and protecting local businesses and artists, as well as helping the integration of Seychelles’ economy into the regional and global economies.”

Mr Govinden listed the laws we already have to protect intellectual property rights, namely the Patent Act of 1901, the Trade Marks Decree of 1977 and the Copyright Act of 1982.

“These laws give legal protection to patents, trade or services, marks and copyrights, but they are not enough, which is why we joined Wipo in March 2000. And in November 2002, Seychelles became party to the Paris Convention on Protection of Industrial Property and the Patent Cooperation Treaty,” he said.

“We have also entered several bilateral investment treaties and double taxation avoidance agreements.”
Mr Govinden said the Seychelles International Business Authority is a “one-stop shop” for licensing and regulating offshore business activities. It also registers international business companies and trusts, protected cell companies, special licence companies and limited partnerships.

The people attending the workshop are mainly customs, police and trade officers, economists and other staff from the ministries of Finance and Foreign Affairs.

They heard presentations from Giulio Zanetti and Cleopatra McDonald from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), which is hosting the workshop together with the two ministries.

Other trainers include Mr Adeline, who gave statistics on the types and number of properties registered; ombudsman Gustave Dodin – the immediate past registrar general – who talked about the history of IPR here; Gabriel Essack, who outlined the rights concerning traditional knowledge and folklore; and David Matatiken, who talked about ongoing negotiations on the protection of plants and biodiversity.

Intellectual property rights workshop - 14.08.2009

Seminar boosts our bid to join world trade body

Delegates at the three-day workshop on intellectual property rights found there is a need to review the local laws governing IPR, assistant registrar general Brassel Adeline said yesterday.

Delegates during the closing session of the workshop yesterday

“The seminar has been very useful and has shown us where we are, in terms of the legislative framework, and we can now see how to adjust the various aspects we need to, so as to accede to the World Trade Organisation,” he said.

“It is good we have the opportunity to negotiate the WTO treaty before we sign it.”

Vivienne Focktave from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said as a member of the group negotiating the terms of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union, she was very satisfied with the workshop, which she described as successful.

“We managed to bring together all the major stakeholders involved in intellectual property rights, for example representatives of the attorney-general’s office, the police who enforce the law, as well as representatives of herbalists,” she said.

“We have looked at the text of the EPA which we are negotiating with the European Union and we have also increased awareness of IPR issues.”

Ombudsman Gustave Dodin commended the delegates for actively taking part in the workshop, saying he was sure everybody learned a lot about IPR. Mr Dodin chairs the national sub-group on the subject.

He congratulated the main trainer, Guilio Zanetti, whose method of presentation was hailed by the delegates. He is not only an expert in IPR laws but also in passing on information, they said.

Yesterday’s sessions were chaired by Cleopatra McDonald of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, which organised the workshop at the Coco D’Or Hotel, Beau Vallon, together with the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance.

The Ministry of Finance is leading the negotiations for our entry into the WTO.

http://www.nation.sc/index.php?art=16742

Comments:

Can any of those who attended the three days workshop help or assist us to clarify, given that Seychelles have diplomatic representation in Britain - beside other EU member state. In Britain the criminal, dreadful and corrupted practice, the mechanism they use for creaming, pilfering, compelling members of our community to part with vital knowledge for free under duress, threaths, bullying. How this stands before the laws, mechanism and instruments they have been explained and led to understand will work and suppose to work.

For the past 25 years and indeed now, the Intellegence used to put that Seychelles EU community Portal project, the many EU Institutioins, governments, multinational benefiting importantly - with no acknowledgement , payment or exchange of goods. Those Lawyers in Seychelles, the Judicial system and the NGO how they view ans see this.

Is there any instruments to weigh, analyze, evaluate the impact of such intellectual work, inpute and their use and abuse on the WWW.

This includes the many small and high parties in Seychelles we have been complaining of the use and abuse of such IP which belongs to our EU Sechelles - Seychelles Community.