Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 21 • 30th November 2007

Events

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For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar, http://www.trade-environment.org/page/calendar.htm.

ICTSD events

3-5 December, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil: TROPICAL PRODUCTS, TRADE, NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND POVERTY. This objective of this dialogue — which is co-organised by ICTSD and the Institute for International Trade Negotiations (ICONE) — is to determine a better sense of how the WTO agricultural negotiations on tropical products can increase benefits for developing country exporters of these products and identify elements of a pro-poor, pro-sustainable development agenda for tropical commodities. It will address issues of interest to all developing country exporters of tropical products, in Latin America, Asia and Africa. More particularly, the dialogue will address challenges ranging from tariffs, tariff escalation, preference erosion and possible trade adjustments, non-tariff barriers, sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, sensitive products and domestic support. The dialogue will also address other imperatives of a global strategy for sustainable development in agricultural trade. This will include supply chain, value chain, fuel crops and the environment. Internet: http://www.ictsd.org/dlogue/2007-12-03/2007-12-03-desc.htm

4 December, Bali, Indonesia: TOWARDS A STRATEGY FOR SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND TRADE OF BIOENERGY. Organised by ICTSD in collaboration with IEA Bioenergy Task 40 and Stockholm Environment Institute, this event will bring together a panel of experts from intergovernmental organisations, government and policy research institutions to address the vast array of economic, social and environmental questions that arise as countries formulate their policies on biofuels. It will be held from 18:00 to 19:30 at the Grand Hyatt, in Room Hydro. Internet: http://www.ictsd.org/dlogue/2007-12-04/2007-12-04-desc.htm

5 December, Bali, Indonesia: SCALING-UP ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ACCESS TO CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES: OPTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION. Rapid and global diffusion of energy efficient and renewable energy technologies will play an essential role in mitigating climate change. To what extent intellectual property regimes may be barriers for access to these technologies in developing countries? What are options for enhancing international cooperation and trade in energy efficient and clean energy technologies? What could be expected from new initiatives towards greater energy efficiency and use of clean fuels in emerging economies such as China? These are questions to be addressed by a panel of experts and stakeholders from national, intergovernmental and policy research institutions at an event organised by ICTSD in collaboration with IEA, UNEP and Danish Ministry of the Environment. It will be held from 15:30 to 17:30 at the EU Pavilion, in Room Lisbon. Internet: http://www.ictsd.org/dlogue/2007-12-05/2007-12-05-desc.htm

Other events coming up in the next two weeks

3-7 December, Rome, Italy: GLOBAL MINOR USE SUMMIT. The conference aims to: address challenges in specialist use and minor crops; discuss requirements for residue trials; discuss approaches to harmonised data; support crop classification and grouping measures; and to support countries’ access to advance residues programmes. Internet: http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPP/Pesticid/JMPR/MinorUseSummit.pdf

3-14 December, Bali, Indonesia: THIRTEENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC AND THIRD MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL. UNFCCC COP 13 and Kyoto Protocol COP/MOP 3 will take place from 3-14 December 2007 at the Bali International Conference Center and adjacent Nusa Dua facilities, Indonesia. These meetings will coincide with the 27th meetings of the UNFCCC’s subsidiary bodies and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments from Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol. COP 13 and COP/MOP 3 are also expected to be accompanied by a UNFCCC Dialogue on Long-Term Cooperative Action on Climate Change and various other events. Internet: http://www.unfccc.int

4-5 December, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: CONFERENCE ON BIOFUELS: AN OPTION FOR A LESS CARBON-INTENSIVE ECONOMY: UNCTAD XII PRE-EVENT. The conference will attempt to address how trade can work for climate change, how trade policy can contribute to a transition to a less-carbon intensive economy, and how climate policy can be compatible with/enhance trade competiveness. It will also discuss the size, main trends and future prospects of the biofuels market. Internet: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1&m=14692&year=2007&month=12

4-6 December, Muguga/Nairobi, Kenya: IUFRO TRAINING WORKSHOP: WORKING EFFECTIVELY AT THE INTERFACE OF FOREST SCIENCE AND FOREST POLICY. Jointly organized by the International Union of Forest Research Organisations (IUFRO) and the Forestry Research Network of Sub-Saharan Africa (FORNESSA), this workshop aims to provide concepts and methods to researchers on how to plan, conduct and organise research activities so that results can more quickly and easily be transformed into usable information for problem-solving and policy-making. Internet: http://www.iufro.org/science/special/spdc/actpro/wkspmal07/trainwshpnairobi/

8 December, Bali, Indonesia: FOREST DAY: SHAPING THE GLOBAL AGENDA FOR FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE. This "Forest Day" event, an international forum on forest and climate change policies at the global, national and local levels, will be held in parallel with the 13th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Internet: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org//COP-ForestDay/Introduction.htm

10-13 December, Vienna, Austria: SECOND MEETING OF THE AD HOC JOINT WORKING GROUP ON ENHANCED COOPERATION AND COORDINATION BETWEEN THE BASEL, ROTTERDAM AND STOCKHOLM CONVENTIONS. The second meeting of the ad hoc joint working group will convene from 10-13 December 2007, at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in Vienna, Austria. The meeting will build on the work of the first meeting and consider opportunities for enhanced cooperation between the chemicals conventions. Participation is open only to the 45 members of the ad hoc joint working group. Internet: http://ahjwg.chem.unep.ch/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=29

11-13 December, Mahé, the Seychelles: CMS MEETING TO IDENTIFY AND ELABORATE AN OPTION FOR INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ON MIGRATORY SHARKS. This meeting is organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species. Internet: http://www.cms.int/news/events.htm

11-13 December, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: THIRD GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE. During the conference, participants will exchange and debate future realities on the theme "Emerging People, Emerging Markets, Emerging Technologies" from the perspective of our knowledge today. Internet: http://www.GKPOnTheFuture.org

12-14 December, Berlin, Germany: AGENDA AGROFUELS: OPPORTUNITY OR DANGER? A GLOBAL DIALOGUE ON US AND EU AGROFUELS AND AGRICULTURAL POLICIES AND THEIR IMPACTS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT ON NORTH AND SOUTH. This two and a half day seminar shall bring together farmer groups, environmental and consumer organisations, and development organisations from the US, EU and the Global South in order to continue a global dialogue on agrofuels which began in May 2007. It will assess the impacts of agrofuels and farm policies in the respective regions, and examine issues that have not yet been publicly addressed in depth. The meeting will offer a space to discuss the feasibility of agrofuel promotion and the criteria and elements on how to ensure a sustainable approach to agrofuels, that takes into account the interests of farmers, citizens and the environment both in the South and the North. Internet: http://www.igtn.org/page/779

Other upcoming meetings

17-20 December, Kunming, China: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION: ROLES OF TRADITIONAL FOREST-RELATED KNOWLEDGE. Organised by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and others, this conference will provide a platform for sharing of information and exchanging experiences related to traditional forest-related knowledge (TFRK) in the Asia-Pacific region, and highlight the importance of TFRK in achieving the millennium development goals and sustainable forest management. Internet: http://www.iufro.org/download/file/1928/3500/kunming07-tftfk-1st-announcemt-call.doc

21-25 January, Geneva, Switzerland: SIXTH MEETING OF THE CBD ABS WORKING GROUP. Internet: http://www.cbd.int

30-31 January, Tokyo, Japan: A CHANGE IN CLIMATE FOR WHALES: IS THERE A COMMON WAY FORWARD? - SECOND PEW-SPONSORED WHALE SYMPOSIUM. This meeting follows the first Pew Whale Symposium held in New York in April 2007 and will precede a special meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on the future of the whale conservation regime at the end of February, as decided at the last annual meeting of the IWC. Internet: http://www.pewwhales.org/tokyosymposium/

4-5 February, London, UK: THE FUTURE OF MIDDLE EAST ENERGY. The annual Chatham House conference on Middle East Energy 2008 will focus on the Middle East’s continued role as the dominant global energy supplier and how the region will tackle current and emerging challenges. The conference will seek to energy security, increasing communication about reserves and investment plans and the significance of challengers to Middle East exporters from other regions or energy sources. This event will also address what the long term outlook for gas is in the region and how significant gas exports are to its energy strategies. Sessions focusing on Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq will enable speakers and delegates to gain an in-depth view of the current situation in these countries and what future developments are likely. Requires advance registration. Internet: http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/conferences/view/-/id/109/

25-28 February, Galway, Ireland: SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HEALTH AND BIODIVERSITY. COHAB 2 will be convened by the Secretariat of the COHAB Initiative in collaboration with its international partners, U.N. agencies and other organisations at the forefront of policy, action and research in population health, international development, climate change, and nature conservation.The conference will focus on disaster prevention, relief and recovery, emerging infectious diseases and food resources, diets and nutrion. Conference sessions will explore how health aspects of the U.N. Millennium Development Goals are influenced by the status of global biodiversity, and will review the impacts and implications of the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. It will also look at the outputs of the recent reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Abstracts are invited for poster and oral presentations exploring the linkages between human, animal, plant and ecosystem health. Presentations highlighting lessons learned and experience gained from the design, planning or implementation of collaborative, inter-disciplinary approaches to health, nature conservation and international development issues, are particularly welcome. Contact: conference@cohabnet.org; Internet: http://www.cohabnet.org/cohab2008

27-28 February, Bonn, Germany: WORKSHOP ON MODELLING BIO-ENERGY IN AGRICULTURAL-ECONOMIC MODELS. The aim of the workshop is to bring together people active in modelling bio-energy with the help of agricultural-economic models to allow for an exchange of ideas and to support and advise the NaRoLa project team in setting up the integrated modelling system. The workshop will combine plenary sessions in which the status-quo and new advancements in modelling bio-energy will be presented with two parallel intensive workshops in which particular modelling approaches and associated problems will be discussed. Internet: http://www.ifw-kiel.de/konfer/narola/program.htm

19-23 May, Ca’ Tron di Roncade, Italy. INTRODUCTION TO BIOSAFETY FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED CROPS: EVALUATION OF SCIENTIFIC DATA AND RISK ASSESSMENT DOSSIERS. This is the first of two new biosafety workshops scheduled for next year by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Applications: http://www.icgeb.org/MEETINGS/crsform.htm

24-28 June, Geneva, Switzerland: TWELFTH EADI GENERAL CONFERENCE: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: THE NEED FOR POLICY COHERENCE AND NEW PARTNERSHIPS. Individuals and organisations are cordially invited to submit a paper for the 12th General Conference of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). The conference deals with the overarching theme: "Global Governance for Sustainable Development" and will be hosted by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva. The deadline for abstract submission is 28 November 2007. We kindly ask you to use the online submission tool for submitting your abstract. For further information on the conference topic, the working group sessions and the schedule is available at the conference website http://www.eadi.org/gc2008

September, Cape Town, South Africa: RISKS, BENEFITS AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE RELEASE OF GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS IN THE AFRICAN REGIONS. The second workshop of two new biosafety workshops scheduled for next year by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB). Applications: http://www.icgeb.org/MEETINGS/crsform.htm