For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. 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.
Coming up in the next two weeks
1-4 October, Boulder, Colorado, US: SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES 2003 - SOLUTIONS TO WORLD POVERTY. The event is organised to promote sustainable development by connecting grassroots leaders with engineers, entrepreneurs, inventors, vendors and philanthropists. It will provide opportunities for non-profits/NGOs, foundations, government agencies, and for-profit businesses to share technical expertise, connect, collaborate and establish cross-border partnerships. Conference themes include: economic development, education, water and food. For further information contact Lili Francklyn, tel: (1 303) 998-1323; email: lili@sustainablevillage.com; Internet: http://www.sustainableresources.org.
3-5 October 2003, Loccum, Germany: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEACE: THE ROLE OF THE BUSINESS SECTOR. This international conference is organised by Inwent (International Capacity Building) and supported by the UNEP Finance Initiative. The goal of this high-level international consultation is to identify and put into motion practical and effective strategies for helping the private sector, government and civil society work together to address the links between environmental precaution and conflict prevention. For more information, contact: Demetrio Polo-Cheva, tel: (49-30) 25482-109; fax: 25482-103; email: demetrio.polo-cheva@inwent.org.
5-8 October, Marburg, Germany: WORKSHOP ON BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND MIGRATION. This international conference will cover the migration of biological resources such as plants, animals, microorganisms and water and combine these fields with the migration of people in various countries and continents. It will serve as a discussion forum for scientists from various disciplines and responsible politicians in OECD and EU member countries. For further information contact Dietrich Werner, Philipps-Universität Marburg, tel (49-6421) 28 21546; fax: 28 28997; email: werner@mailer.uni-marburg.de; Internet: http://www.biol-resource-migration.de.
6-10 October, Vienna, Austria: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON APPLICATION OF GENE-BASED TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING ANIMAL PRODUCTION AND HEALTH IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. This symposium is organized by the joint FAO/IAEA Division, Animal Production and Health Section. For more information contact: email: h.makkar@iaea.org; Internet: http://www.fao.org/ag/age/d3/mtc/symposium2003.html
13-17 October, Lisbon, Portugal: CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL WORLD CONGRESS 2003. This event, organised every three years by Consumers International, will focus on the theme of ‘The future of consumer protection: representation, regulation and empowerment in a world economy’. It will consist of a series of plenary sessions, workshops, training sessions, and fringe meetings on the changes in the global economy and their implications for consumer rights. For more information, see: http://www.consumersinternational.org/homepage.asp.
14 October, University of Maryland, US: FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON WORLD HUNGER. Sponsored by the University of Maryland’s Center for Sustainable Development, Office of International Programs, and Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN). The conference will explore potential solutions to world hunger, including biotechnology and international food policy. For more information, see http://www.intprog.umd.edu/hunger.html.
15 October, Montreal, Canada: SYMPOSIUM ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ CONTRIBUTIONS TO UNDERSTANDING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE. This international symposium is organised by the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment. For more information, see: http://dietetic.mcgill.ca/cine/CINE%20Symposium.htm.
15-17 October, Geneva, Switzerland: CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING IN PREPARATION FOR UNCTAD XI. The civil society meeting, organised by UNCTAD, will follow up on the discussions and outcome of the Strategic Group Meeting, which was held in September 2002 and will provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange views among civil society representatives and UNCTAD secretariat with regard to pertinent organisational and substantive preparations of the civil society dimension for UNCTAD XI. For further information contact Amel Haffouz of the UNCTAD secretariat, tel: (41 22) 907 5048; fax: 907 0122; e-mail: amel.haffouz@unctad.org.
16 October, Basel, Switzerland: FOOD SECURITY AND BIODIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM. Hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute. The event will examine practical approaches and varied perspectives on what constitutes reasonable sharing under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources. For further information visit: http://www.benefitsharing.org/index_en.asp?br=ns.
Other Forthcoming
24 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO-UPOV SYMPOSIUM ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS IN PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY. Organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The Symposium will examine the role of intellectual property in plant biotechnology at the international, regional and national levels. It will focus on how patents and breeders’ rights are effectively used and managed in this field. For more information, see: http://www.upov.int/en/news/index.html.
30-31 October, Berlin, Germany: MOVING FORWARD FROM CANCÚN - A CONFERENCE ON THE GLOBAL GOVERNANCE OF TRADE, ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: Hosted by Ecologic - Institute for International and European Environmental Policy. The conference assesses the current trade and environment nexus at the interface of policy and research. It is the first major conference to follow the WTO Ministerial Conference at Cancun and will be an important opportunity to take stock in light of the crucial negotiations to be concluded in 2005 and beyond. For more information contact: Markus Knigge; tel: (+49-30) 8688-0100; email: knigge@ecologic.de; Internet: http://www.ecologic-events.de/Cat-E/en/background.htm.
5-6 November, Brussels, Belgium: EUROPEAN FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS ‘03. Organised by Ethical Cooperation. High-level meeting between policy makers and the food industry that will look at ways of making Europe’s food supply chain environmentally sustainable. For more information, contact: Keith Thomas, tel: (+44 207) 375 757; email: kthomas@foodsupplychain.com; Internet: http://www.ethicalcorp.com/foodsupplyconference/.
10-14 November, Cavite City, Philippines: SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND TRADE. Organised by Oxfam International in cooperation with Tambuyog Development Center, Philippines. The participants are expected to engage in critical analysis of current state of negotiations on fisheries subsidies and market access following the Cancun Ministerial in September and shall develop a common standpoint. For more information, see http://www.ictsd.org/ministerial/cancun/docs/10-14Nov.pdf.
13 November, Edinburgh, UK: PRECAUTION AND PROGRESS: LESSONS FROM THE UK GM CROPS DIALOGUE. Co-sponsored by the Scottish Executive and the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission. The conference will consider the components of the recent UK dialogue on GM crops and how these might be integrated in the policy decision-making process. For more information, contact: INNOGEN, email:innogen@ed.ac.uk; tel: (+44 131) 650 9113; Internet: http://www.innogen.ac.uk.
17-19 November, Miami, Florida: AMERICAS TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FORUM (ATSDF). The ATSDF is a two-day forum being planned for the November 2003 meeting of the hemisphere’s Trade Ministers in Miami. The ATSDF will be held within the "security perimeter" to facilitate informal dialogue and substantive exchanges between civil society organizations and government officials working on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The ATSDF will convene workshops, panels, and roundtables to discuss social, economic, political and practical concerns relating to trade liberalisation in the Americas. For more information, contact: North-South Center, University of Miami, email: nscenter@miami.edu; Internet: http://www.miami.edu/nsc/pages/FTAA.html.
Position Vacancies
For vacancies in the fields of corporate social responsibility and socially responsible investment, see http://www.ethicalperformance.com/recruitment/index.shtml.