EVENTS
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. If you would like to submit an event, please email us.
Upcoming : 24 November - 30 November
24 November, Geneva, Switzerland: UNCTAD AD HOC EXPERT MEETING ON INSURANCE SERVICES. This UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting will offer participants an opportunity to discuss policy options that enhance the contribution of insurance services to growth, trade and development. It will also seek to identify approaches that developing countries may follow in building supply-side capacity and seeking access to global insurance markets as a means of effective integration into the global economy. For further information contact Mina Mashayekhi or Deepali Fernandes, tel: (+41) 22-917-5866/5652; fax: (+41) 22-917-0044; e-mail: mina.mashayekhi@unctad.org or deepali.fernandes@unctad.org.
24 November, Geneva, Switzerland: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON LINKAGES BETWEEN TRADE DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION. Organised by the Jaipur, India-based Consumer Unity and Trust Society Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE) in association with the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service, the symposium will discuss stakeholder perceptions on linkages between trade, development and poverty. For further information contact Ms. Pooja Sharma and/or Mr. S. K. Soni, tel: (+91) 141-228-2821; fax: (+91) 141-228-2485; e-mail: tdp@cuts-international.org.
28 November: IATP ONLINE COURSE: INTRODUCTION TO MULTILATERAL TRADE, THE AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE AND THE AGREEMENT ON SERVICES. These free two-week online pilot courses on the WTO, organised by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) in cooperation with Earth Council e-learning, are intended for non-governmental organisation staff. The courses are available on a first-come first-serve basis for the purposes of testing before the full-scale program is launched next spring.
28 November, Paris, France: TRADE AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT: CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION OF THE DOHA TRADE ROUND IN HONG KONG. This conference, organised by Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI), Chaire de Développement Durable and Groupe d’Economie Mondiale (GEM) from Sciences Po, will consist of two roundtable discussions. The discussions will address issues primarily related to the EU Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) impacts on human development and the world’s poorest farmers. The proceedings will be in both French and English with translation. Registration is required. For further information contact Julie Cohen, tel: (+33) 1-49-54-21-74; fax: (+33) 1-45-49-53-90; e-mail: julie.cohen@sciences-po.fr.
28 November-2 December, Melbourne, Australia: CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD IMPORT AND EXPORT INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION SYSTEMS, 14th SESSION. This Codex Alimentarius Commission meeting, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), will discuss issues related to proposed principles and revisions related to the Codex text. A series of discussion papers will be presented. For further information contact the FAO-WHO Joint Office, tel: (+39) 6-57051; fax: (+39) 6-5705-4593; e-mail: codex@fao.org.
29-30 November, Manila, Philippines: SUB-REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER CONSULTATIONS: POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES OF EUREPGAP IN ASIA. Using case studies from the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, this Philippine Exporters Confederation (PHILEXPORT) and UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) event, will discuss the pros and cons of the Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group’s Good Agricultural Practices (EurepGAP) — a series of sector-specific farm certification standards. UNCTAD will hold a stakeholder workshop on adapting to EUREPGAP requirements. A fee of USD 200 is required for this event. For further information contact PHILEXPORT, tel: (+63) 2-833-2531; fax: (+63) 2-831-3707; e-mail: communications@philexport.ph.
30 November-1 December, Montreal, Canada. THIRD NORTH AMERICAN SYMPOSIUM ON ASSESSING THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF TRADE. This two-day event, sponsored by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) will focus on the impact of investment and economic growth on the environment. Topics will include the maquiladora electronics industry, opportunities for renewable energy development, and the environmental policy implications of the North American Free Trade Agreement’s (NAFTA) Chapter 11. For further information contact the CEC, tel: Tel: (+1) 514-350-4300; fax: (+1) 514-350-4314; e-mail: info@ccemtl.org.
WTO
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, and are open to WTO Members and accredited observers only.
28 November: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
28-29 November: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
28 November: TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY - ROMANIA
28-30 November: NEGOTIATING GROUP ON RULES
30 November: TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY - ROMANIA
30 November: TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE
Other Upcoming
5-7 December, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPERT MEETING ON ENHANCING THE PRODUCTIVE CAPACITY OF DEVELOPING COUNTRY FIRMS THROUGH INTERNATIONALISATION. This UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting is expected to bring together high-level experts from the public and private sectors, as well as academia and international organisations, to examine issues related to outward foreign direct investment (FDI). For further information contact UNCTAD, tel: (+41) 22-917-5809; fax: (+41) 22-917-0051; e-mail: info@unctad.org.
9-10 December, Hong Kong, China: IP3: INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, INNOVATION POLICIES AND INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES. This conference, jointly organised by the China Information Technology & Law Centre at the University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law and the Intellectual Property & Communications Law Program at Michigan State University College of Law, will bring together leading academics, legal practitioners, technology experts and policy makers to address the latest developments and challenges in the areas of intellectual property and information technology. For further information contact Eliza Li, tel: (+852) 2859-2951; fax: (+852) 2559-3543; e-mail: ewlli@hkusua.hku.hk.
12 December, Hong Kong, China: SOUTH ASIAN CIVIL SOCIETY’S PERSPECTIVE ON DOHA ROUND. The event, jointly organised by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society’s Centre for Competition, Investment and Economic Regulation (CUTS-CCIER) and South Asia Watch on Trade Economics & Environment (SAWTEE), will launch the book "Developing a Common South Asian Position in Doha Round: A Civil Society’s Perspective." The book release will be followed by a panel discussion on the issues covered in the publication. For further information contact Ritu Lodha, tel: (+91) 141-228-2821; fax: (+91) 141-228-2485; e-mail: rl@cuts.org.
13-17 December, Hong Kong, China: HONG KONG TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM. The goal of this symposium, co-convened by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the University of Hong Kong in collaboration with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), is to encourage innovative thinking on issues related to trade and development that could be subsequently be translated into constructive inputs for the ongoing Doha Round negotiations. The main topics for discussions will be drawn from key development-related issues in the trade policy and trade rules arena. For further information contact Patrick Lunt, e-mail: plunt@ictsd.ch.
15 December, Hong Kong China: FISHERIES SUBSIDIES DISCIPLINES IN THE WTO: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES. The fisheries subsidies negotiations give the WTO an unusual opportunity to help improve the environmental and economic health of the world’s fisheries while reducing competitive distortions in a critical natural resource sector. This panel discussion, organised by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), will discuss the current state of play in the WTO negotiations focusing on some of the key challenges and opportunities WTO members face in developing effective and meaningful disciplines on fisheries subsidies. For further information contact Aimee Gonzales, tel: (+41) 22-364-9002; fax: (+41) 22-364-8219; e-mail: agonzales@wwfint.org.