April 14, 2006 IN THIS ALERT: WTO: World Trade in Services Grew by 11% in 2005 Lamy Urges India to Contribute to Rapid Progress of Doha Talks Cordell Hull Institute Holds Seminar on the Plurilateral Approach, April 6 U.N. Reports on the Growth and Change of International Investment Agreements WTO: World Trade in Services Grew by 11% in 2005 According to "World Trade 2005, Prospects for 2006," recently released by the WTO Secretariat, world trade in commercial services increased by 11%, to $2.4 trillion last year.  This represents a marked deceleration in growth compared to the previous year.  The available data indicates faster growth in commercial services trade in Asian economies, particularly India and China, than in North American or European economies, although the US remained the world's largest exporter and importer of commercial services.   The 2006 outlook remains uncertain, according to the report.  "The global trading system is undergoing a period of transition," explains WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy.  "Shifting economic circumstances, major advances in technology and the emergence of new players on the global scene all underscore that we are on the cusp of big changes."  Lamy called on Member governments to strengthen and stabilize the global trading system by concluding "this year an ambitious agreement in the Doha round of global trade negotiations."  Click here for a copy of the report. Lamy Urges India to Contribute to Rapid Progress of Doha Talks In an April 6 speech to the Indian Council for Research on International Relations in New Delhi, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy urged India to contribute to a "win-win outcome" in the Doha Round, emphasizing how much India has to gain from a successful Round.  He added that it benefits India "to fight for an open, stable and predictable global trading environment" since it "would be the first to suffer if protectionism prevails."  Click here for a copy of Lamy's speech. Cordell Hull Institute Holds Seminar on the Plurilateral Approach, April 6 On April 6, the Cordell Hull Institute held a Trade Policy Roundtable on "getting beyond" bilateral request-and-offer bargaining in the Doha Round services negotiations.  The half-day seminar focused on the potential of the collective request approach to mobilize a critical mass of support in the services negotiations.  Presenters included Richard Self of Nathan Associates, Aaditya Matto of the World Bank, and Sydney J. Key of Boston University.  The event concluded with an address by Bob Vastine, President of the Coalition of Service Industries, on the private sector's role in gathering support for liberalizing trade in the services sector.  Copies of the presentations and additional information will be made available on the Institute's website. U.N. Reports on the Growth and Change of International Investment Agreements International investment agreements (IIAs) continue to proliferate at the bilateral, regional, and interregional levels, with the number of IIAs exceeding 5,200 at the end of 2005, according to a report by the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).  The report identifies the emergence of a “new generation” of IIAs, which not only contain commitments to liberalize, protect and/or promote investment but also include investment-related issues such as intellectual property rights, competition, services and the movement of labor.  These new agreements have led to increasingly complex rules for investors and thus, new challenges for policymakers.  The report suggests several approaches for addressing these problems.  Click here for the report.