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Coming up: 4-10 December
4 December, London, UK. BUILDING A LOW CARBON INDIAN ECONOMY. Hosted by Chatham House, the speakers will discuss the possibility of a low carbon economy in India and the opportunities this will bring to India’s economic growth and development. For further information, please refer to http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1007/.
4-7 December, Ankara, Turkey. HIGH-LEVEL WORKSHOP FOR NON-AFRICAN LDCs. This workshop will focus on status and trends for Asian, Caribbean and Pacific least developed countries (LDCs) with respect to the following issues: the current economic situation and implications for LDCs; financing and managing development; emerging relations of LDCs with new development partners; and what difference can be made in the areas of trade, investment and technology. The Workshop will be attended by the Permanent Representatives of Asian, Caribbean and Pacific LDCs, with the participation of relevant international agencies. The outcome of the workshop will be circulated to the United Nations (UN) group coordinators in order to contribute to the next UN-LDC conference. For further information, please refer to http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=2068&lang=1&m=16588.
6 December, Poznan, Poland. FOREST DAY 2. The Centre for International Forestry Research will co-host Forest Day 2 in collaboration with partner organisations in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF), coinciding with United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s 14th Conference of Parties. Forest day provides an international, multi-stakeholder forum on forest and climate change policies at global, national and local levels. For more information, please refer to http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/Events/CIFOR/forest_day2.htm.
8 December, London, UK. UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS: SIXTY YEARS ON. At this event to mark the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), signed in December 1948, Francesca Klug will ask why we are celebrating this milestone; what is its significance; and what is its relevance today? The speaker will also discuss how the UDHR represents a turning point in human rights thinking and started the ’second wave’ of human rights development. For further information, please refer to http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/998/.
8 December, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. BLUEPRINT FOR CANADA-US ENGAGEMENT UNDER A NEW ADMINISTRATION. During the past nine months, a group of Canadian and American experts have prepared a series of policy papers addressing themes that will be critical to Canada-US engagement. These include the border, defence cooperation, the Arctic, the energy-environment nexus, competitiveness, institutional linkages, the fallout from the financial crisis, the Americas, and engagement with the US and other key allies. For further information, please refer to http://www.carleton.ca.
8-9 December, Brussels, Belgium. RESOLVING THE FINANCIAL MARKETS CRISIS, THE NEED FOR A GLOBAL RESPONSE. In only a few weeks, the 2008 financial crisis completely reshaped the world and the financial system. The turmoil is far from being over yet and it is already apparent that the financial system will need a prolonged timeframe to recover from the consequences. When carefully observing the current market happenings, it is not bizarre to claim that the world economy has not experienced such turmoil since the ravaging times of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Organised by the European Finance Convention, this international discussion forum aims to provide a platform for a comprehensive debate on scenarios from different financial markets, presenting from a pan-European perspective and placing emphasis on various geographic regions. For more information, please refer to http://www.euroconvention.com/events.php?action=details&event_id=16&sub=intro&PHPSESSID=82394d23dd79cae3eb147dd48afb1e2a.
8-9 December, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM OF THE AMERICAS: GLOBAL CITIES IN CHALLENGING TIMES. Cities, transport infrastructure and productivity: economists know that a well-developed transport infrastructure is a key ingredient to a productive and prosperous city. But what is the best way to maximise its contribution? How can a city gain a competitive edge from its transportation infrastructure? For further information, please refer to http://www.forumforglobalcities.com.
8-9 December. Monetery, California, US. ON THIN ICE. The waters of the Arctic Ocean are warming and the Arctic ice is melting. As the ice melts, new opportunities arise. With these opportunities come new risks and challenges, including the potential for clashes to occur over disputed boundaries and resources increases. Now is the time for stakeholders involved to work together to prevent conflict in the Arctic region. This conference will bring together representatives from communities with diverse interests and perspectives to identify, raise awareness, and discuss points of conflict and confrontation or disagreement in order to help minimise them. For further information, please refer to www.csrs-nps.org.
8-10 December, Washington DC, US. BIODIVERSITY IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. This conference will provide an opportunity to look at what is happening to biodiversity in the context of radical climate disruption, human population rise, land use changes, globalisation and other economic forces. We will collectively develop a twenty-first century biodiversity science and conservation strategy. For further information, please refer to http://www.preventionweb.net/english/professional/trainings-events/events/v.php?id=3599.
9-12 December, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. INTERNATIONAL ARCTIC CHANGE 2008 CONFERENCE. Arctic Change 2008 invites researchers, students, policy makers, and stakeholders from all fields of arctic research and all countries to address the global challenges and opportunities brought by climate change in the circum-Arctic. With over 600 participants expected to attend, Arctic Change 2008 will be the largest trans-sectoral international Arctic research conference ever held in Canada. For further information, please refer to http://www.arctic-change2008.com.
10-11 December, Kampala, Uganda. NEPAD-OECD HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON ADVANCING INVESTMENT POLICY REFORM IN AFRICA. On the first day, the annual high-level meeting will bring together ministerial and top-level African actors key to investment policy reform to explore measures to implement concrete plans for sustainably improving countries’ investment climates. It will discuss ways to engage the business sector as an agent for development and how comprehensive investment policy reform can best be carried through, taking advantage of Africa’s own peer review process (APRM) and of multilaterally-backed policy tools such as the Policy Framework for Investment. On the second day, the expert roundtable on investment in transport infrastructure and regional integration aims to draw on experience sharing and best practice to identify the factors that are holding investment back in African countries’ transport sector. For more information, please refer to http://www.oecd.org/document/35/0,3343,en_2649_34893_41395555_1_1_1_1,00.html.
10-11 December, Geneva, Switzerland. JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE, FORTY-SECOND SESSION. The annual meeting of the Joint Advisory Group will examine the activities of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and make recommendations to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Trade and Development Board and the World Trade Organisation’s General Council. Discussions will focus on the strategic plan and strategic framework and the 2009 Programme Document. One session will be set aside for a presentation of ITC´s programmes for poverty reduction, trade and environment, and gender in trade. This meeting is open to United Nations specialised agencies and bodies and to other intergovernmental organisations with observer status and non-governmental organisations with an interest in trade promotion. For further information, please refer to http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=2068&lang=1&m=16528.
WTO Events
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted 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.
4 December: COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
5+8 December: COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES
9 December: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - SPECIAL SESSION
9 December: COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
10-11 December: JOINT ADVISORY GROUP (UNCTAD/WTO)
10 December: WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY
Other Upcoming Events
11 December, Washington DC, US. THE WORLD BANK, THE FINANCIAL CRISIS AND THE TRADE AGENDA LOOKING FORWARD. The ongoing global financial crisis and economic slowdown has important consequences for world trade, which is expected to decline for the first time since the early 1980s. The Director of the World Bank’s international trade program will survey this rapidly changing situation and discuss how the World Bank Group and others are responding. This session will examine: How is the World Bank Group responding to the global finance crisis through trade facilitation initiatives? How will exports from developing countries be affected by the higher cost of trade finance as well as reductions in demand? How will governments worldwide respond to pressure to increase subsidies in some countries and adjust trade policies in others? What actions are required to maintain the supply of trade finance and to resist pressures for protectionist responses? Can multilateral cooperation bring the Doha round to a successful close in the near future and delivering on Aid for Trade commitments in the current environment? For further information, please refer to http://www.wita.org/index.php?tg=addon/4/form&id_app=25&trt_step=163.
11 December, San Salvador, El Salvador. FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FOR CENTRAL AND NORTH AMERICA. This Forum’s main objective is to increase the sustainability of the energy sector by strengthening the collaboration and cooperation between the countries in Central and North America. The dialogue will be focused around the policies and mechanisms needed to catalyse the use and development of sustainable energy in this area, including such themes as renewable energy, market policies and sharing of experience in the use and deployment of advanced technologies. The Forum will be followed by a private sector seminar titled, Energy in Central America: Renewable Energy, Integration and Investments. For information on the seminar please visit the following website http://www.iamericas.org/energy/events/central-america-energy–renewables-integration-and-investment.html. For further information, pleas refer to http://www.oas.org/dsd/reia/MeetingSICA.htm.
15 December, Geneva, Switzerland. SYMPOSIUM ON PUBLIC SECTOR IP MANAGEMENT IN THE LIFE SCIENCES. Organised by the World Intellectual Property Organisation. Public research institutions account for a significant share of the research undertaken in the life sciences. Public funds also support a large amount of life sciences research by others. Given the direct publish interest in this research and its results, coherent intellectual property (IP) strategies and policies will help to ensure that benefits from new technologies resulting from these investments, for instance in fields such as public health, agriculture and the environment, flow to the public. This symposium will explore different national approaches, institutional policies and public-private partnerships, with a view to learning from practical experience. It will provide a forum for informal discussion on these themes with the aim of reviewing the central issues in public sector IP management in the life sciences. The event is open to the general public and is free-of-charge. For further information, please refer to http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/2008/lifesciences/ip_lss3_ge/.
15-17 December, Sirte, Libya. FAO HIGH-LEVEL CONFERENCE ON WATER FOR AGRICULTURE AND ENERGY IN AFRICA: THE CHALLENGES OF CLIMATE CHANGE. The purpose of this conference will be to address the availability of water resources in Africa under the circumstances of increased demand by the agricultural and energy sectors and in the context of changing climatic conditions. The conference will analyse the present situation and needs, in terms of water for agriculture and energy, and the potential, the costs and the sources of financing, with a view to proposing to heads of state and governments the policies, strategies and programmes for effective use and management of water resources. For further information, please refer to http://www.fao.org/nr/water/events.html or http://www.fao.org/nr/water/docs/sirteconceptnote.pdf.
19-20 December, Paris, France. SIXTH WORLD FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: PRIORITIES, FINANCING, GOVERNANCE. Launched in 2003, the Global Sustainability Forum provides an annual meeting for decision-makers and managers from the worlds of business, politics, education and the non-profit sector in the French-speaking world, with strong links to Asia, the US and Latin America. This annual event is intended to bridge the gap between the World Economic Forum of Davos and the alter-globalisation of Porto Alegre. For further information, please refer to http://www.fmdd.fr/synopsis.html.
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