For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. Please bear in mind that dates and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not always announce the important informal meetings of the different bodies.
Coming up in the next two weeks
18 - 26 November, Valencia, Spain: THE 8TH CONFERENCE OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES TO THE RAMSAR CONVENTION (COP-8). Organised by Ramsar Convention Wetlands. For further information, contact: Mr. Dwight Peck; fax: (41 22) 999-0169; email: peck@ramsar.org; Internet: http://www.ramsar.org/index_cop8.htm
18- 22 November, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LAW OF PATENTS (EIGHT SESSION). For further information, contact: WIPO, tel: (41 22) 338-9111; fax: 733-5428; email: WIPO.mail@wipo.int; Internet: http://www.wipo.inthttp://www.wipo.org/news/en/index.html?wipo_content_frame =/news/en/conferences.html
20-22 November, Delft, the Netherlands: FROM CONFLICT TO COOPERATION - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT. Organised by UNESCO and Green Cross International. This event is a part of organiser’s contribution to the World Water Assessment Programme. For further information, contact: Janos Bogardi, UNESCO France; fax: (33 0 1) 4568-5811; email: pccp@unesco.org; Internet: http://www.unesco.org/water/wwap/pccp/delft_first_circular.pdf
21 November, 18.00-20.00 CET: ONLINE CHAT "NEW WTO TRADE ROUND: TALKING TRADE - WHAT’S GOING ON?" Does trade make a difference? What’s up in the World Trade Organisation (WTO)? Are trade negotiations also good for development and environment? One year after the launch of the new trade negotiations round, European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, the Egyptian Trade Minister Youssef Boutros-Ghali and a representative of WWF, Dr Keith Tyrell, will debate whether this round is on track and voice their hopes and concerns. For further information concerning this discussion, see: http://europa.eu.int/comm/chat/lamy9/index_en.htm.
21 November, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA: WHEN MEDIA, SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY COLLIDE: THE CASE OF FOOD AND BIOTECHNOLOGY. Organised by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. For further information, contact: The Pew Initiative, tel: (202) 347-9044; fax: 347-9047; Internet: http://pewagbiotech.org/events/1121/.
21 November, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. Various items will be discussed from the annual report to the Council for Trade in Goods. Followed by 22 November, 15:00, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. Items to be discussed include programme March 2002-March 2003 under Paragraphs 13 and 14 of the Doha Development Agenda (TN/AG/1).
21 November, Brussels, Belgium: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE TRADE — A NEW APPROACH. Commissioner Pascal Lamy is keynote speaker at a meeting concerning the Sustainable Trade and Innovation Centre (STIC) project. This new global partnership is geared to enable developing country producers to benefit from growing market pressures to integrate environmental and social factors into their export strategies. The project is designed by the Commonwealth Science Council (CSC), European Partners for the Environment (EPE) and the Dutch Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), with the support of DG Trade. For further information, contact: fax: (32 2) 539-4815; email: info@epe.be; Internet: http://trade-info.cec.eu.int/civil_soc/meet.php? action=consult&critere=82
21 November, Brussels, Belgium: SUSTAINABLE TRADE AND INNOVATION CENTRE EUROPEAN BRIEFING. will include workshops and lectures on various areas of sustainable development with the primary focus being the European arena. For further information, contact: tel: (32 2) 539-4815; email: info@epe.be.
21-22 November 2002 CLIMATE POLICY FOR THE LONGER TERM FROM HERE TO WHERE? The event is organised by the Royal Institute For International Affairs (RIIA) in association with Climate Strategies. For further information, contact: Georgina Wright; tel: (44 207) 957-5754/ 957-5700; fax: 322-2045/ 957-5710; email: conferences@riia.org; Internet: http://www.riia.org
21-22 November, Vancouver, British Columbia: THE THIRDS ANNUAL BIOFUTURE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION. Organised by BioFuture. This conference will focus on Technical/Management and the latest science and business applications and solutions of the biotechnology industry. This four-tier conference targets industry technical and financial leaders. For further information, contact: BIOFUTURE; fax: (403) 256-8495; Internet: http://www.biofuture.org/
25 November, Bellagio, Italy: CALL OF THE EARTH: A GLOBAL DIALOGUE. This event is part of an initiative initiative in response to the "threats and challenges of emerging international IP policies which do not adequately reflect or respond to the concerns of indigenous peoples." For further information, contact: Alejandro Argumedo, Call of the Earth Project Coordinator; email: ipbn@web.net; Intenet: http://www.earthcall.org
25 - 26 November, London, England: THE WORLD FOOD AND FARMING CONGRESS (WFFC). This Congress offers the opportunity to hear divergent views on the future of world agriculture; to debate critical issues and to offer key recommendations to the world’s food and farming leaders. For further information on this conference, contact: Isabel Dennis; tel: (44 20) 7370-8853; fax: 7370-8235; email: info@wffc.co.uk; Internet: http://www.wffc.co.uk.
25-27 November, 10:00, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE- RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. Discussion will include, among other items, Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS agreement and public health. Followed by 28 November, 10:00, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. Discussion will focus around negotiation of the establishment of a multilateral system of notification and registration of geographical indications for wines and spirits.
25-29 November, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO STANDING COMMITTEE ON THE LAW OF PATENTS (EIGHT SESSION). For further information, contact: WIPO, tel: (41 22) 338 9111; fax: 733 54 28; Email: WIPO.mail@wipo.int; Internet: http://www.wipo.org/news/en/index.html?wipo_content_frame =/news/en/conferences.html
25-29 November, Rome, Italy: SIXTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE VIENNA CONVENTION and 14TH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL ON OZONE-DEPLETING SUBSTANCES. For further information, contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: (254-2) 623-850 or 621-234; fax: 623-601 or 623-913; Internet: http://www.unep.org/ozone/mop/14mop/14mop.shtml
26 November, University of Leuven, Belgium: SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GLOBALISATION. This year’s conference will examine the two following questions: How can we counterbalance the fast-moving one-sided economic globalisation process? What are the ethical, social and ecological conditions to make globalisation work for everyone? How do we evaluate the results so far of the Doha Development Agenda? For further information, contact: email: information@globalisationdebate.be; Internet: http://www.globalisationdebate.be.
26 November, Amsterdam, Netherlands: LINKAGES - HOW DO WE BRIDGE THE GAP ON TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND LABOUR. For further information, contact: tel: (91 141) 207-482; fax: 207-486/203-9; email: cuts@cuts.org; Internet: http://www.cuts.org/linkages-index.htm
27-28 November, New Delhi, India: OECD WORKSHOP ON ENVIRONMENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND MARKET ACCESS: ADDRESSING DEVELOPING-COUNTRY CONCERNS IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA. The objective of this Global Forum workshop is to promote constructive dialogue among representatives of Member and non-Member economies on market access issues arising from environmental requirements (standards and regulations), and ways to improve the capacity of developing countries to meet those requirements. It is hoped that this event will contribute to advancing the process initiated in Doha and contribute to the preparations for the WTO’s Fifth Ministerial Conference to be held in September 2003 in Mexico. For further information, contact: Ronald Steenblik, OECD; tel: (33 1) 4524-9529; email: ronald.steenblik@oecd.org.
27 - 29 November, Cusco, Peru: MEETING OF MEGADIVERSE COUNTRIES. Organised by The Group of Like Minded Megadiverse Countries. An expert meeting on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS) and traditional knowledge will take place over the first two days of this. The final segment of the meeting will bring together Ministers and high-level representatives of the Group to analyse and approve a political statement. To view the Cancun Declaration of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries, see:http://www.embamexcan.com/english/Enviornment/CancunDeclaration.html
2 - 4, Palais des Nations, Geneva: DECEMBER TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD, THIRTIETH EXECUTIVE SESSION ON LDCs. Organised by UNCTAD. This event has been planned to discuss the Least Developed Countries Report 2002. For further information, contact: the UNCTAD secretariat: fax: (41 22) 917-0056; email: unctad.meetings.services@unctad.org.
4 December, Hamburg, Germany: THE REGULATION OF GMOs IN INTERNATIONAL, EUROPEAN AND NATIONAL LAW. This seminar will feature the current regulatory framework and policy-making on genetically modified organisms within international, EU and national law. Academics, representatives from government, industry and NGOs will discuss the state of affairs and options for the future in various jurisdictions. For further information,contact: Ms. Karin Meyer- Pannwitt; tel.: (49 40) 766-18072; fax: 766-18078; email: meyer-pannwitt@tutech.de; Internet: http://www.tutech.de
5 December, London, England: ROUND TABLE ABOUT INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THE PATAGONIAN FOREST SECTOR. Organised by The British Argentine Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and the Argentine Embassy in the UK. During the event Dr. Guillermo Defossé, chairman of Patagonian Andes Forest Research and Advisory Center (CIEFAP-Centro de Investigación y Extensión Forestal Andino Patagónico and Ricardo Irianni, Undersecretary for Forestry of the Province of Chubut will speak. For further information, contact: Mrs Claudia Morales; tel: (02 07) 495-8730; email: enquiries@ bacc.newnet.co.uk.
Other forthcoming events
9-17 December, Geneva, Switzerland: FOURTH SESSION OF THE WIPO INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMITTEE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND GENETIC RESOURCES, TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE AND FOLKLORE. For further information, contact WIPO; tel: (41 22) 338-9111; email: WIPO.mail@wipo.int.
13 - 17 December, Cairo, Egypt: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PROMOTING BEST PRACTICES FOR CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF BIODIVERSITY OF GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE IN ARID AND SEMIARID ZONES. The focus of this conference will be on best practices in developing countries for science, for public policy and management, for increasing the participation of local people in decision making, and for improving partnerships and capacity building. The conference is part of a project funded by UNEP/GEF and is implemented by the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations. For further information, contact: Helen Martin; fax: (39 040) 224-0689; email: info@twnso.org.
18 - 20 December, New Delhi, India: SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE, WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT, AND EARTH CARE POLICIES. The second International Conference of the Bhoovigyan Vikas Foundation, closely following on the heels of the WSSD, proposes to discuss issues pertaining to Sustainable Agriculture, Water Resources Development, Earth-Care Policies and fusion of technologies for sustainable agricultural development. For more information, contact: M. Moni; tel: (91 011) 436-2790, 436-0975; fax: 436-4873; email: bhoovigyan@rediffmail.com; Internet: http://www.bhoovikas.nic.in