Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 7 • Number 6 • 19th February 2003
Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch.
Coming Up This Week: 20-26 February
19-21 February, Geneva, Switzerland: FARMERS, FOOD AND TRADE - HEARING ON THE DRAFT REVIEW OF THE WTO AGRICULTURE AGREEMENT. This international workshop for NGOs, farmers and church groups will analyse the draft agricultural text being negotiated under the WTO. The focus of the analysis will be on food dumping, food security and rural development, market volatility, and the right to food. For further information please contact EED (Church Development Service) at tel: +49- 30-20355-225; email: r.buntzel@gkke.org .
20-21 February: SEMINARIO: EL ALCA, NEGOCIO PARA TODOS? Se analizarán las amenazas y consecuencias del ALCA para la soberania, la industria, la agricultura, el mercado interior y exterior, los recursos naturales, los servicios públicos, la educación, la salud y los derechos humanos. For further information contact: Hernan Perez Zapata, email: hernanperezapata@hotmail.com .
25 February, London, United Kingdom: MEDICAL PATENTS UNDER TRIPS AND HUMAN RIGHTS. For further information please contact the British Institute of International and Comparative Law, tel: +44 20 7862 5151; fax: +44 20 7862 5152; email: info@biicl.org ; or visit: http://biicl.org/ .
26 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO INTRODUCTION DAY. The sixth WTO introduction day aims to introduce newly arrived WTO delegates, non- governmental organisations and interested WTO-interns and staff to the WTO. For further information, contact: Mrs. Syrat, WTO Training Institute, tel: +41-22-739-5631.
26 February, New York, US: MEETING ON DISCLOSURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION: HOW TO PROVIDE ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION IN A FORM USEFUL TO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS. For further information contact Chantal Line Carpentier, tel: +1 514 350-4336; email: clcarpentier@ccemtl.org ; or visit http://www.cec.org/calendar/details/index.cfm?varlan=english&ID=1831 .
WTO Events
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/meets.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.
20 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO TRIPS COUNCIL.
20 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS.
20-21 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO NEGOTIATING GROUP ON MARKET ACCESS.
20-21 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING GROUP ON INTERACTION BETWEEN TRADE AND COMPETITION POLICY.
21 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO TRIPS COUNCIL SPECIAL SESSION.
22 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE AND COMPETITION POLICY.
24 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION.
24-26 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO TEXTILES MONITORING BODY.
25 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING PARTY ON GATS RULES.
25 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF UKRAINE.
26 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES.
26 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY.
Other Forthcoming Events
28 February - 1 March, Quezon City, Philippines: PHILIPPINE CONFERENCE ON GLOBALISATION, WAR AND THE WTO. The IBON Foundation is arranging this conference at the University of the Philippines in order to initiate a broad-based educational campaign on the World Trade Organization (WTO), globalisation, and war. There will be a main conference, workshops, a media conference, and a plenary debate. For more information, please visit: http://www.ibon.org/activities/2003/01/01.htm .
2-4 March, Brussels, Belgium: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TRADING CONFERENCE. The Emissions Marketing Association (EMA) is hosting this conference to promote a better understanding of the greenhouse gas and emission markets. Industry experts will speak on risk management, case studies from the industry, and greenhouse gas business opportunities. For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.emissions.org/conferences/default.html .
27-28 March, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium: WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND TRADE LIBERALISATION. This workshop, organized by the SUSTRA Network (a network of European scientists, stakeholders and policy-makers focusing on improving the socio-economic knowledge base) and the University of Louvain, will concentrate on encouraging the development of sustainability impact assessment (SIA) methodology and promoting capacity building in SIA. For more information, please visit: http://www.agro-montpellier.fr/sustra/ .
27-29 March, New York, US: THE APPEL CONFERENCE 2003 - REGULATION OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT. This conference at Columbia Law School will focus issues related to the regulation of foreign direct investment. Participants will address the appropriate level of regulation, as well as type of regulation (”soft” guideline/industry self-regulation/hard law or treaty/private contract) across a variety of issues, including labour, environment, expropriation, competition policy, and corruption. The conference will also launch the Columbia Centre for Global Legal and Policy Problems. For further information please contact Ms. Lenge Hong at tel: +1-212-854-1366; fax: +1-212-854-7946.
1 April, Washington D.C., US: ANNULMENT OF ICSID AWARDS - THE IMPACT OF RECENT DECISIONS. This joint IAI (International Arbitration Institute) / ASIL (American Society of International Law) conference will focus on the recent annulment decisions of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). The primary cases being looked at are Wena v. Egypt and Vivendi v. Argentina. The impact of ICSID’s application dismissal and partial award annulment in the respective cases will provide the focus for the conference. The Metalclad annulment decision, the function of national courts, and the United States Trade Act that calls for an appellate mechanism in foreign investment will be discussed as well. For further information please contact Nanou Leleu-Knobil at tel: +33-1-5389-7000; fax: +33-1- 5389-7070; email: nleleuknobil@shearman.com .
4-6 April, Durham, North Carolina: INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC GOODS AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY AFTER TRIPS. The Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School is hosting a conference on the intellectual property rights regime in order to examine its economic and legal foundations. Special attention will be paid to the Trade- related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and other international agreements. For more information on the conference, please visit: http://www.law.duke.edu/trips/index.html .
10-13 June, St. Gallen / Geneva, Switzerland: MODEL WTO 2003. Hosted by Oikos, a University of St. Gallen student group, this simulation game is a model of the negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). Students are encouraged to apply. Please visit: http://www.model-wto.org/ .