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 : 1 December - 7 December
1-2 December, Beirut, Lebanon: REGIONAL SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND COMPETITIVENESS OF THE AGRO-FOOD SECTOR. Some topics addressed at this UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia seminar include strategies for overcoming obstacles that are hindering the growth of the agro-food sector, ways of enhancing competitiveness, safety and technical regulations, and labelling and marketing. For further information contact Issa Toubbeh, tel: (+ 961) 1-978117; fax: (+ 961) 1-981501; e-mail: toubbehi@un.org.
5 December, Copenhagen, Denmark: CHINA TAKING OVER THE WORLD? THE FUTURE OF TEXTILE AND CLOTHING TRADE. This seminar on China and textiles trade is organised by the ‘WTO, Trade & Development Network,’ an initiative based at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). The meeting is part of the DIIS’ monthly ‘Trade Mondays’ seminar series and will include presentations from Jörg Mayer of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and Eckart Naumann of the Trade Law Centre of Southern Africa (TRALAC). For further information contact Jon Mortensen, tel: (+45) 3269-8821; fax: (+45) 3269-8800; email: njm@diis.dk.
5-7 December, Tunis, Tunisia. FIFTH MEETING OF THE UNCTAD/FAO/IFOAM INTERNATIONAL TASK FORCE ON HARMONISATION AND EQUIVALENCE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE. This meeting, convened by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will serve as an open-ended platform for dialogue between intergovernmental, governmental and civil society organizations to discuss trade and regulatory activities in the organic agriculture sector. For further information contact Sophia Twarog, tel: (+41) 22-917-5082; fax: (+41) 22-917-0247; e-mail: sophia.twarog@unctad.org.
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.
6 December 2005, Washington, DC: RESOURCES FOR GLOBAL GROWTH: LINKING AGRICULTURE, ENERGY AND TRADE FOR THE FUTURE. This conference, organised by the Center for American Progress, will discuss investing in the potential of American agriculture to produce energy, to ensure that trade benefits producers in the US and abroad, creates jobs and increases farm incomes and grows more self-reliant by developing safe, clean and affordable energy. For further information contact the Center for American Progress, tel: (+1) 202-741-6246; e-mail: events@americanprogress.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.
1-2 December: GENERAL COUNCIL
5 December: COMMITTEE OF PARTICIPANTS ON THE EXPANSION OF TRADE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS
6 December: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
Other Upcoming
12-14 December, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPERT MEETING ON CAPACITY BUILDING IN THE AREA OF FDI: DATA COMPILATION AND POLICY FORMULATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. This UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Expert Meeting will focus on the issues of foreign direct investment (FDI) data compilation and analysis and its role in the formulation of FDI policies from a development perspective. For further information contact UNCTAD, tel: (+41) 22-917-5809; fax: (+41) 22-917-0051; e-mail: info@unctad.org.
13-18 December, Hong Kong, China: THE SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE. This WTO Ministerial Conference will serve as a venue for Members to settle a range of issues related to the final agreement of the Doha Agenda, which Members hope to finalise by the end of 2006. For further information contact the WTO, tel: (+41) 22-739-5111; fax: (+41) 22-731-4206; e-mail: enquiries@wto.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: BEIJING+10 MEETS WTO+10: POVERTY ALLEVIATION AND WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE RUBRIC OF TRADE LIBERALISATION. This International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) workshop will bring together women’s groups, trade activists and social movements for a discussion on the broad understanding of the link between women’s rights, gender equality and trade regulations and the use of the Beijing Platform for Action as a tool for assessment and advocacy. For further information contact Kristen Sampson, tel: (+1) 202-635-2757 ext 128; fax: (+1) 202-832-9494; e-mail: ksampson@coc.org or Maria Pia Hernandez, e-mail: maria.pia@igtn.org.