October 3, 2019: A new article by Deborah James from the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows how e-commerce rules in the WTO and other trade deals could limit developing countries’ ability to tax the business activities of transnational corporations, reducing much needed revenue for public services and the development of decent employment and to fund their digital industrialisation.

September 30, 2019: The School of Regulation and Global Governance at Australian National University convened a capacity building roundtable on September 6^th that addressed the impact that trade and investment agreements have on health and health policy.

September 26, 2019: The Canberra Times and SBS news have reported that the Australia-Indonesia trade deal could face Senate opposition after key cross benchers, including the Greens, Centre Alliance and One Nation expressed concerns about aspects of the deal, including provisions for an additional 5000 temporary seasonal fruit and vegetable pickers each year who are vulnerable to wage theft and other forms of exploitation.

September 25, 2019: The South African Government has submitted proposals to the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) review of ISDS. ISDS enables foreign investors to claim compensation from governments in international investment tribunals if they can claim that domestic laws reduce the value of their investment. 

September 24, 2019: Social Action for Community and Development, Focus on the Global South and other Cambodian civil society organisations have developed a short video showing the risks that the RCEP poses to communities across Cambodia, including farmers and workers.

September 23, 2019: Austrian lawmakers have rejected a trade agreement between the EU and the South American block of Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina (Mercosur) in response to the Amazon fires in Brazil.

September 17, 2019: AFTINET Convener, Dr Pat Ranald, has published an op-ed in the Conversation today about progress in RCEP negotiations after Malaysia’s trade minister Datuk Darell Leiking revealed that Malaysia and each of the other 15 parties to the RCEP negotiations had agreed to exclude ISDS provisions from the deal.

September 16, 2019: German company Uniper has threatened to bring an ISDS case against the Dutch government after a decision to ban coal-based power generation by 2030.

September 12, 2019: AFTINET held a Parliamentary Forum on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement on Wednesday 11 September in order to inform Parliamentarians of the social and environmental risks of the agreement and provide an update on progress in the negotiations.

September 9, 2019: The South Centre, an intergovernmental organisation of developing countries, has released a new report analysing ISDS cases relating to Intellectual Property rules in international investment agreements and trade agreements with investment provisions.