Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest • Volume 10 • Number 1 • 18th January 2006
Events
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 : 19 December - 25 January
23 January, Geneva, Switzerland: PUBLIC-PRIVATE SECTOR DIALOGUE ON RESPONSIBLE COMPETITIVENESS: ENHANCING ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES. This UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) event will discuss the findings of "Responsible Competitiveness: Reshaping Global Markets through Responsible Business Practices" a new report released by the business and development think-tank AccountAbility. For further information contact Anthony Miller, tel: (+41) 22 917 5802; fax: (+41) 22 917 0122; email: anthony.miller@unctad.org.
23 January, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: SUSTAINABLE INVESTMENT AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE. This seminar, coordinated by the Institute for Environmental Studies (Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), will address the issue of how multilateral agreements can be designed to foster sustainable development while also promoting and providing protection for investment. For further information contact Kyla Tienhaara, tel: (+31) 20-598-8257; e-mail: kyla.tienhaara@ivm.falw.vn.nl.
25-29 January, Davos Switzerland: WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM: MASTERING OUR FUTURE. This annual meeting of the World Economic Forum will bring together leaders from business, government, international institutions, non-governmental organisations, universities and other communities to discuss key global challenges related to geopolitical, economic and environmental dilemmas. For further information contact the World Economic Forum, tel: (+41) 22-869-1212; fax: (+41) 22-786-2744; e-mail: contact@weforum.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.
20 January: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
23-27 January: AGRICULTURE WEEK
23-24 January: COMMITTEE ON REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS
Other Upcoming
6-10 February 2006, Geneva, Switzerland: COMMISSION ON TRADE IN GOODS AND SERVICES AND COMMODITIES, 10th session. During this UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) meeting, the Commission on Trade in Goods and Services and Commodities will discuss topics such as UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Index, the developmental implications of commodities production and trade, trade in services, and market access and competitiveness. For further information contact UNCTAD, tel: (+41) 22-917-5809; fax: (+41) 22-917-0056; email: meetings@unctad.org.
20-24 February, Montreal, Canada: SECOND MEETING OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY’S (CBD) OPEN-ENDED AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON LIABILITY AND REDRESS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL. This meeting will further discuss the development of an effective liability and redress mechanism to address the possibility of environmental damage as a result of the international trade of living modified organisms. For further information contact the CBD Secretariat, tel: (+1) 514-288-2220; fax: (+1) 514-288-6588; e-mail: secretariat@biodiv.org.