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
16-18 March, Johannesburg, South Africa: GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND TRADITIONAL MEDICINE. This conference is organised by the Africa First LLC of Minnesota, USA, in collaboration with South Africa’s Ministry of Health, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the Association of Australian Indigenous Doctors’ Association, the National Maori Health Providers Association of New Zealand and others. The conference will focus on the question of whether assuring protection for indigenous knowledge lead to quality improvements in the global health care system and will look at educating Indigenous Healers in ways to develop and protect the intellectual property rights of their medicinal products, processes and procedures for the benefit of themselves and their communities and educating conventional medical practitioners and corporate institutions on the topic. For further information contact William Danquah, tel: (+1 651) 646 4721; fax: 644 3235; email: info@africa-first.com; Internet: http://www.africa-first.com/iktm2005/index.htm.
17-18 March, Vilnius, Lithuania: ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE (ECE) HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF ENVIRONMENT AND EDUCATION MINISTRIES ON EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (ESD). This Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) regional initiative seeks to contribute to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2015). The meeting, which will launch the Decade in the UNECE region, is expected to adopt the Strategy for ESD and decide on the framework for its implementation. For further information contact Ella Behlyarova, tel: (+41 22) 917 23 76; fax: 917 0107; email: Ella.Behlyarova@unece.org; Internet: http://www.unece.org/env/esd/HLmeetMarchl2005.htm.
17-20 March, Geneva, Switzerland: 2ND ALTERNATIVE WORLD WATER FORUM. The forum is organised by an International Committee made up of members of the World Water Contract, of the World Coalition against the Privatisation of Water, and a Swiss committee composed of representatives of Swiss NGOs. The objective of this forum is to further develop and promote public policy and institutions that will provide all human beings access to potable water and have water management done in a sustainable manner. For further information contact the Secretariat of Fame 2005, tel: (+41 22) 320 18 03; fax: 320 18 23; email: secretariat@fame2005.org; Internet: http://www.fame2005.org/article.php3?id_article=126.
17-20 March, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt: NINTH INTERNATIONAL WATER TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE. The objective of the conference is to bring together experts, researchers, and decision makers to discuss a range of water-related issues, from water resources management to water treatment, sewage treatment and water desalination. The themes of the conference are low cost technology for water treatment; preserving the environment through water management policies; and using adequate water treatment technologies to reduce water pollution. For further information contact Magdy Abou Rayan, tel: (+20) 3 592 06 41; fax: 5 224 79 00; email: mrayan@globalnet.com.eg; Internet: http://www.iwtc.tk/.
21-23 March, Marrakech, Morocco: 2ND INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ADVANCING IMPLEMENTATION ON WATER AND ENERGY. This Forum is organised by the Moroccan Ministry of Territory Planning, Water and Environment in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA) and will build on the outcomes of other international partnership discussions, including the First International Forum on Partnerships for Sustainable Development held in March 2004 in Rome, Italy. The Second Forum will focus on the issue of “Advancing Implementation on Water and Energy.” The meeting’s outcomes will be presented during CSD-13, which will convene from 11-22 April 2005, in New York. For further information contact the Moroccan Ministry of Territory Planning, Water and Environment, tel: (212 37) 77 26 62; fax: 77 26 40; e-mail: forum@minenv.gov.ma; Internet: http://www.minenv.gov.ma/forum-part.2005/.
22-23 March, Geneva, Switzerland: COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO TRADE. For further information contact the WTO Information and Media Relations Division, Geneva; tel: (41-22) 739- 5007; fax: (41-22) 739-5458; email: enquiries@wto.org.
24-29 March, Seoul, Republic of Korea: FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN ASIA AND THE PACIFIC. This Ministerial Conference is organised by UNESCAP, UNEP, the World Bank, and Asia Development Bank. The theme of the conference is “achieving environmentally sustainable economic growth”. This conference represents an important opportunity for national leaders to create an enabling environment for sustainable development across the region. For further information contact: the Ministry of Environment; tel: (+82 2) 2110 6565; fax: 503 8773; e-mail: hyejungy@me.go.kr; Internet: http://www.unescap.org/mced/.
Other Upcoming
14 April, Paris, France STUDIES ON THE IMPACT OF TRADE AGREEMENTS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: ASSESSMENT AND PROSPECTS. Organised by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development, and GRET. The seminar, which will be given in French and English, aims specifically to bring together experts involved in impact assessments and sustainable development (the Ministries of European Union member states, international organisations, research institutes, the private sector, and NGOs) so as to take stock of impact assessments and reflect on operational ways to improve this tool. For further information, contact Isabel Berest, tel: (+33 1) 40 05 61 51; email: berest@gret.org.
20-22 April, Windhoek, Namibia: A WORKSHOP FOR THE SADC REGION ON THE IMPACT OF THE WTO AGREEMENTS AND THE CURRENT WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON THE FISHERIES SECTOR. This conference is carried out in co-operation with the Ministry of Fisheries of Namibia, INFOSA and SADC. Sessions held during this conference include international fish trade, ACP-EU capacity building needs in non-fishery sectors, quality and safety aspects for fish trade, and the WTO and fisheries. For further information contact Erik Hempel, tel: (+264 61) 279 432; fax: 279 434; email: erik.hempel@hempelco.com; Internet: http://www.globefish.org/files/WindhoekWorkshopAgendaNov24-26-2004_168_204.pdf.
28-30 April, Brussels, Belgium: INTERNATIONAL BANANA CONFERENCE II. This 2nd International Banana Conference, organised by Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Sindicatos Bananeros (COLSIBA), the Association of Caribbean Farmers (WINFA), the European Banana Action Network (EUROBAN), International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Tobacco & Allied Workers’ (IUF), and United States Labor Education in the Americas Project (US/LEAP); aims to place the specific needs of women workers and small farmers firmly on the international agenda; explore mechanisms to control over-production and to stabilise prices; elaborate a definition of a ‘fair price’; and create a permanent mechanism/forum in which to continue dialogue between the different actors. For further information contact Stephen Coats, tel: (+1 773) 262 6502; fax: 262 6602; email: usglep@igc.org; Internet: http://www.ibc2.org/.
30 May - 26 June, Internet: FAO E-MAIL CONFERENCE - BIOTECHNOLOGY AND CHARACTERISATION/CONSERVATION OF GENETIC RESOURCES. The FAO Biotechnology Forum is devoting its next e-mail conference to the role that biotechnology can play in the characterisation and conservation of crop, animal, forestry and fishery genetic resources in developing countries. The conference is free and open to everyone, and will be used to discuss and exchange experiences on this theme. For further information contact John Ruane; email: john.ruane@fao.org, Internet: http://www.fao.org/biotech/index.asp.