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
1-5 May, Ottawa, Canada: CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD LABELLING, 34TH SESSION. For further information, contact: the Codex Secretariat, tel: (+39 06) 5705 2287; fax: 5705 3369; email: codex@fao.org; Internet: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp?lang=en.
1-12 May, New York, USA: FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The fourteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14) will meet at UN Headquarters in New York from 1-12 May. As the first year of the second implementation cycle, CSD-14 will review progress in the following areas: Energy for Sustainable Development; Industrial Development; Air pollution/ Atmosphere; and Climate Change. For further information contact the Division for Sustainable Development, tel: (+ 1 212) 963-8102; fax: 963-4260; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/review.htm.
1-5 May, Geneva, Switzerland: SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION (POPS COP-2). This meeting will consider the phasing-out of use of persistant organic pollutants (POPs), including DDT, and exemptions to the restrictions on use and trade. Other topics to be discussed include best available techniques and best environmental practices, dioxin and furan releases, and measures to reduce or eliminate release of wastes. For further information, contact the Convention Secretariat, tel: (+41 22) 917 8191; fax: 797 3460; email: ssc@pops.int; Internet: http://www.pops.int/documents/meetings/oewg_nc/notice.htm
3-4 May, Bosnia and Herzegovina: THE FIRST IFOAM CONFERENCE ON ORGANIC WILD PRODUCTION. The conference, put on by the Agriculture Institute of Republic of Srpska, will focus on the harvesting of wild vegtable products from forest, "natural" lands, pastures and unvultivated land in the agriculture landscape. It will concentrade on current production that enters the organic market stream, but will also extend to other concepts, such as Fair Trade, sustainable forest management certification and Good Manufacturing Practices. For further information contact the Conference secretariat, e-mail: polj.institut.bl@blic.net; Internet: http://www.sdgateway.net/events/default.asp?EventID=3386.
8-12 May, Rome, Italy: STANDARDS COMMITTEE. The Standards Committee (SC) was established by the Third Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM), in 2001. The SC manages the standard-setting process and assists in the development of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPM) which have been identified by the ICPM as priority standards. For further information, contact the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat; tel: (+39-06) 5705-4812; fax: 5705-4819; e-mail: IPPC@fao.org; Internet: https://www.ippc.int/servlet/CDSServlet?status=ND0xMzM1NS40MzA5NSY2PWVuJjMzPWV2ZW50cyYzNz1pbmZv.
9 May, London, UK: IUU FISHING MEETING. Organised by Chatham House, this is the first in a regular series of Update and Stakeholder Consultation meetings held on the issue of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. The meeting aims to allow speakers to provide updates on and discuss key initiatives on IUU fishing. International and national processes will be covered, as well as new research findings and industry and NGO initiatives. For further information contact Gemma Green, tel: (+44 20) 7957 5711; fax: 7957 5710; email: ggreen@chathamhouse.org.uk; Internet: http://www.illegal-fishing.info/.
10-12 May, Bad Blamau, Austria: WORKSHOP ON REDUCING EMISSIONS FROM DEFORESTATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. This workshop, put on by Joanneum Research, will consider methodological and policy approaches to reducing emissions from deforestation in developing countries–an issue taken up during the eleventh Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Montreal in December 2005. The matter will be taken up officially at the UNFCCC Subsidary Bodies meetings taking place in Bonn later in May 2006. For further information contact Neil Bird, tel: (+43 316) 876 1423; e-mail: neil.bird@joanneum.at; Internet: http://www.joanneum.at/REDD/.
11 May, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO LAW, SCIENCE AND RISK COMMUNICATION: THE MEANING OF RISK COMMUNICATION IN PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW. Risk communication represents one of the three elements of risk analysis, the other two being risk assessment and risk management. This element has received far less attention than the other two. The Roundtable will make a contribution toward a better understanding of its importance and its complexity. e.g. regarding GMO products and the relationship between the WTO, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. For further information contact Urs Thomas, tel: (+44 22) 379-8491; email: Urs.Thomas@droit.unige.ch; Internet: http://www.EcoLomics-International.org.
Other upcoming events
15-17 May, Buenos Aires, Argentina: RESOURCES OF THE SEABED AND SUBSOIL - LEGAL, SCIENTIFIC AND ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF ITS EXPLOITATION AND CONSERVATION. This international workshop, organised by the National Commission on the Outer Limit of the Continental Shelf (COPLA) and the Argentine Council for International Relations (CARI), will bring together experts of different organizations involved in geological, geophysical, hydrographic, legal and economic aspects related to the outer limit of the continental shelf, and to the exploitation and conservation of the resources of the seabed and subsoil. For further information contact COPLA, e-mail: copla@mrecic.gov.ar.
25-27 May, New Delhi, India: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FOR FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY. This conference, organised by the TERI School of Advanced Studies, will focus on issues relating to food and nutritional security for our population and the impact of modern agricultural practices on the environment are two major challenges that need to be addressed in the coming years. It will be designed as a forum for formulating a road map for food and nutritional security and sustainable agricultural practices in the twenty-first century. For further information contact Vibha Dhawan, Ph.D., tel: (+91) 11-24682100/24682111; e-mail: vibhad@teri.res.in; Internet: http://www.scidev.net/misc/Tentative_Agenda_Feb_28.doc.
20 May - 2 June, Santiago de Compostela, Spain: COFI SUB-COMMITTEE ON FISH TRADE. This meeting, organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), is expected to discussions proposed FAO guidelines for responsible fish trade; new safety and quality requirements for imports of fish and fishery products; labelling of fish to promote responsible trade and "traceability" systems for tracking fish "from net to table"; the role of fish trade in strengthening food security in the developing world; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and its implications for international fish trade; and rehabilitation and reconstruction of fisheries in tsunami-affected countries. For further information contact William Emerson, e-mail: William.emerson@fao.org; Internet: http://www.fao.org/events/index.asp.
31 May, Berne, Switzerland: SYMPOSIUM ON DESERTIFICATION AND GLOBAL CHANGE. Within the framework of the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD), the Symposium will present an opportunity for an open debate involving researchers and development practitioners. It aims to capitalise on the recent experience from development and research in order to identify novel, promising approaches to better management of scarce resources and improving livelihoods in arid and semi-arid areas. Furthermore the Symposium will contribute towards creating a better understanding of mechanisms, hindrances and potentials for appropriate societal responses to on-going processes of global change affecting development. For further information contact Franziska Joehr, e-mail: franziska.joehr@cde.unibe.ch; Internet: http://www.nccr-north-south.unibe.ch/event/event.asp?contextID=130.
29 June - 2 July, Ravello, Italy: AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: FACTS, ANALYSIS AND POLICIES. This conference, organised by the International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR), will focus on the following topics: the impact of agricultural biotechnology on international trade; industrial organisation; public acceptance; impact of science; intellectual property rights; biotechnology & developing countries; regulation of biotechnology; biomasses and new products; governance issues for the biotechnology sector; biotechnology, trade and development; and ecogenomics and ecoproteomics. For further information contact Vittorio Santaniello, tel: (+39) 06-7259-5843; e-mail: icabr@economia.uniroma2.it; Internet: http://www.economia.uniroma2.it/conferenze/icabr2006/.
26-28 September, Bergen, Norway: IMPLEMENTING THE ECOSYSTEM APPROACH TO FISHERIES. This international conference, organised by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the governments of Iceland and Norway, will review experiences made and constraints encountered so far in order to identify strategies and best practices that will facilitate further implementation in practical fisheries management. For further information contact Per Sandberg, e-mail: per.sandberg@fiskeridir.no; Internet: http://cieaf.imr.no/.
25-26 October, Amsterdam, Netherlands: NANO AND MICROTECHNOLOGIES IN THE FOOD AND HEALTHFOOD INDUSTRIES. This conference, organised by the Institute of Nano Technology, will showcase the applications of micro and nanotechnologies to the food and healthfood industries in Europe. The themes of the conference include: the role of nanotechnology in food processing, monitoring, labelling, storage, distribution and related issues; meeting the challenges of technology in food for nutrition and food for health; nanotechnology in rapid safety testing, and prevention of food borne disease Safety and regulatory issues related to nanotechnology; and public awareness and understanding of the role of nanotechnology in food, related health issues and disease avoidance. For further information contact Carrie Smith, tel: (+44) 1786-447520; e-mail: carrie.smith@nano.org.uk; Internet: http://www.nano.org.uk/conferences/food_health/flyer.pdf