Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 12 • Number 26 • 16th July 2008
Events
Coming up 17-23 July
17 July, London, UK. ENERGY SECURITY, THE FOOD CRISIS AND THE NIGER DELTA. Nigeria is undergoing fundamental change as it transforms from a developing country to an emerging economic power. At the same time, the country faces significant challenges in establishing good governance, economic diversification, and growth that benefits its entire people. The crisis in the Niger Delta and in energy supply, in food costs and availability, all have serious global, as well as national dimensions. Hosted by Chatham house, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, HE Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, will address these challenges and how they are to be overcome, as well the increasing impact Nigeria has in international affairs. For further information, please refer to http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/884/.
17-18 July, Bangkok, Thailand. SOUTH ASIA SUBREGIOINAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION (SASEC) MIDTERM REVIEW WORKSHOP OF RETA 6361: MANAGING HAZARDOUS WASTES AND 4th SASEC ENVIRONMENT WORKING GROUOP (EWG) MEETING. The EWG first convened in 2001 after the SASEC program was launched with ADB support. Its primary achievement to date has been the selection and implementation of two regional technical assistance (RETA) projects supported under the SASEC Program: a RETA to establish a regional air quality monitoring program implemented from 2003-2004, and the RETA on Managing Hazardous Wastes. The midterm workshop will discuss the following topics: results of the inventory of the hazardous wastes and completion of the inventory works; scope of assignment of the national consultants for drafting the policy for managing hazardous wastes; and potential needs of the RETA member countries for hazardous waste treatment facilities, either common facilities for RETA member countries, or individual facilities for each country. The fourth EWG Meeting will discuss and decide on the strategic directions of the EWG in view of the emerging issues and opportunities in the environment sector. For further information, please refer to http://www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2008/SASEC-Midterm-Workshop/default.asp.
17-18 July, Boulder, Colorado, US. LEAN AND GREEN SUMMIT. This summit will bring together the passions of two committed groups - advocates of operational excellence who see the implications lean principles have in sustainability and environmental advocates wanting to move industry toward sustainability. For further information, please refer to http://www.leanandgreensummit.com/.
18 July, London, UK. POLITICAL ORIGINS AND RESULTS OF ECONOMIC BOOMS: TAIWAN, EAST CHINA, THAILAND AND THE PHILIPPINES. This meeting, hosted by Chatham House in association with the China Policy Institute, will examine important causes and effects of booms, or non-growth, in the four countries and the political as well as the economic factors. In recent decades Taiwan, parts of China and Thailand have witnessed significant growth. However, economically and politically the Philippines have remained relatively stagnant. Booms in the tiger economies came after agrarian reform and was predominantly driven by small and medium-size enterprises. Business politics now dominates all four countries. For further information, please refer to http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/873/.
20-25 July, Vancouver, BC, Canada. SUMMER INSTITUTE IN SUSTAINABILITY. Sustainability is becoming a key issue for organisations of all sizes. Both the public and private sectors are facing increasing pressure to implement new sustainability programs, improve upon existing initiatives, and track and report their ‘carbon footprint’. The University of British Columbia together with the University of Washington Summer Institute in Sustainability provides an intensive professional development program targeted to administrators in corporations, local and provincial governments, and universities and colleges who wish to integrate sustainability as a core value in their organisation and develop sustainability policies and procedures that are mindful of public policy, stakeholder interest and the bottom line. For more information, please see: www.cstudies.ubc.ca/sustainability/.
21-25 July, Oxford, UK. THE 2008 FOREST AND NATURAL RESOURCE CERTIFICATION SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAMME. The Programme provides a range of course options dealing with current issues for those involved in forest certification, the procurement and the management of forest and wood products and sustainable production of biofuels and agricultural commodities. The courses are based on up-to-date practical experience and are designed to bring together key players in a range of fields to provide a unique training opportunity. For further information, please refer to http://www.proforest.net/2008-summer-training-course-1.
22-25 July, Manaus, Brazil. FOSTERING INDIGENOUS BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE AMERICAS CONFERENCE. Indigenous nations and communities are under increasing pressure to develop long-term sustainable economic development strategies. The FIBEA Manaus 2008 theme, Fostering Indigenous Business and Entrepreneurship in the Americas Conference, is timely given the importance and variety of business issues that need to be addressed for the development and fostering of business alliances, trade, and investment amongst indigenous businesses in North, Central, and South American countries. For further information, please refer to http://fibeamanaus.mgt.unm.edu/.
23 July, Nassau, the Bahamas. CARIBBEAN REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE ENERGY HIGH LEVEL SEMINAR: IMPLEMENTATION OF CREBAP. Two regional sustainable energy events will be held over these dates. The Department for Sustainable Development, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and the US government are collaborating to convene the Caribbean Regional Sustainable Energy High Level Seminar on July 23. On the following day a seminar entitled ‘Opportunities for Renewable Energy in the Caribbean’, sponsored by the US will be convened. The synergy of these two events provides the possibility of gathering the main energy and agro-energy stakeholders of the Caribbean for a regional effort to promote the implementation of the Caribbean Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Bioenergy Action Program (CREBAP) and to facilitate the expansion of sustainable energy development throughout the Caribbean. The Caribbean Regional Sustainable Energy High Level Seminar is designed to offer a forum to high level participants from Caribbean governments and the donor community for identifying: key impediments to promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency alternatives; priority technical and capacity building needs; and opportunities for rationalizing and improving coordination among the many entities working in the region. CREBAP will be presented as an effective instrument to address these issues. For further information, please refer to http://www.oas.org/dsd/reia/bahamas_workshop.htm.
WTO Events
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at: http:/www.wto.org/meets_public/meets_e.pdf. 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. Unless otherwise indicated, all WTO meetings are held at the WTO, Centre William Rappard, rue de Lausanne 154, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, and are open to WTO Members and accredited observers only.
17 July: WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF KAZAKHSTAN
18 July: WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF MONTENEGRO
18 July: WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
18 July: NEGOTIATING GROUP ON TRADE FACILITATION
Other Upcoming Events
24 July, Washington, DC, US. THE PROMISE AND THE PERILS OF AGRICULTURAL TRADE LIBERALIZATION: LESSONS FROM LATIN AMERICA. Co-authors Timothy A. Wise and Mamerto Pérez will present on the collaborative report, “The Promise and the Perils of Agricultural Trade Liberalization: Lessons from Latin America,” which examines both the promise of agricultural trade liberalisation for developing countries - growth through expanded exports - and its perils - the potential loss of rural livelihoods as low-priced imports flood domestic markets. The coordinators of the project conclude that the promise of export agriculture for development is overstated while the perils for small-scale farmers are very real. Sandra Polaski of CEIP will provide commentary on the links between this research and the current world food crisis. This presentation, which is being hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, will be followed by time for questions. Please RSVP to Ashley Morse at amorse@wola.org by Wednesday July 23.
24-25 July, New Delhi, India. TOWARDS A COHERENT TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY OF INDIA. This conference aims to provide a forum for discussion on the dynamic relationship between international trade and poverty reduction, at the national as well as international levels. It will address the need for mainstreaming India’s national development strategy to make use of the beneficial role that international trade can play in enhancing development and reducing poverty. The main conference themes cover regional trade openness index, income disparity and poverty; the need for mainstreaming international trade into the national development strategy of India; responding to the challenges of international trade and securing an inclusive path to development. Participants will include civil society organisations, farmer associations, business associations, media, academics, government officials, representatives from international and inter-governmental organisations, the donor community and media persons. For further information, please refer to http://www.cuts-citee.org/events.htm.
25-29 July, London, UK. THIRD GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXPOSITION. This meeting is dedicated to the exchange of scientific data, governmental assessments, and public policies concerning global climate change, including global warming and extreme climate events. Attendees at the Working Group on Climate Change and Global Warming (WGGWCC) 2008 Conference will be delegates from around the world, representing academic institutions, the corporate sector, non-governmental organisations, and national, state and local governments. Private and Public participation is highly encouraged. For further information, please refer to Sandy Williams: tel +44 703 196 2595; fax +44 870 471 8814; email: conference@wggwcc.com; and refer to the website: http://www.mladi.info/?id=3307&sekcija=skup.