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.
ICTSD
26 September, Geneva, Switzerland: MEASURING DIFFERENT FUTURES FOR THE GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM: IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. This session, at the WTO Public Forum, will focus on the potential futures for global trade. The Doha Round negotiations have been deemed dead, forsaken, sick and more recently, curable, by the media and pundits alike. What’s been missing, however, is a hard-headed assessment of each of these scenarios and discussion about their potential repercussions for sustainable development. ICTSD will bring together top modellers to critique current projections of welfare gains arising from the Doha Round trade negotiations and look at how realistically to measure the likely effects of different future scenarios. For more information, contact Cécile de Gardelle, tel: (41-22) 917 87 55; email: cdegardelle@ictsd.ch.
27 September, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPLORING SYNERGIES BETWEEN ENERGY STANDARDS, CLIMATE CHANGE AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Organised by ICTSD, this meeting will bring together government officials, private sector representatives, non-governmental, and inter-governmental experts and other stakeholders to discuss the geopolitics of energy in relation to the international trade regime. It will provide an analysis of the WTO rules and agreements and their relevance to the energy sector; and examine how climate-friendly measures could be infused into international trade and investment regimes. For further information, contact Kamal Gueye, tel: (41 22) 917 87 54, email: gkamal@ictsd.ch.
Coming up in the next two weeks
25-26 Geneva, Switzerland: WTO PUBLIC FORUM. The theme of this year’s WTO annual forum for civil society representatives is "What WTO for the 21st century?"
25 September to 3 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WIPO GENERAL ASSEMBLY: THIRTY-THIRD (16TH EXTRAORDINARY) SESSION. Member States will review WIPO’s activities and agree on the agenda for the coming year.
25-26 September, Almaty, Kazakhstan: FIRST MEETING OF THE SIGNATORIES TO THE MOU CONCERNING CONSERVATION, RESTORATION AND SUSTAINABLE USE OF THE SAIGA ANTELOPE (SAIGA TATARICA TATARICA). This meeting is a cooperative initiative between the Convention on Migratory Species and CITES. For further information, tel: +49 228 815 2401; fax: +49 228 815 2449; e-mail: secretariat@cms.int.
26 September, Rotterdam, The Netherlands: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) IN PRODUCTION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE. The Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, Directorate-General for Foreign Economic Relations is organising this seminar, which follows-up on the work that the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) started this year to study the relationship between trade, corporate social responsibility and consumers concerns. For further information contact Lex Kouwenberg, tel: +31 (0)70.3766.733; fax: +31 (0)70.4272.770; email: WorkshopCSR@atp.nl; Martin Riemslag Baas, M.F.T.RiemslagBaas@minez.nl; or Irina van der Sluijs, I.T.T.J.vanderSluijs@minez.nl.
26 September, Washington DC: NATURAL GAS AS A CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION: BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS TO METHANE’S EXPANDING ROLE. Sponsored by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA). This one-day workshop will focus on the barriers to bringing methane to market, with attention to both increasing supply and decreasing fugitive methane emissions, on the current strategies for breaching these barriers and on case studies that highlight successful implementation of these strategies. Co-sponsored by the Methane-to-Markets Partnership, US EPA and IPIECA this day will serve as an in-depth look at the factors influencing the pace of methane development and delivery and will touch on a number of the themes addressed in the Pace of Technology workshop. For further information, contact Luke Warren, tel: +44 020 7633 2388; email: luke.warren@ipieca.org.
26 September, Geneva, Switzerland: THE CONSERVATION COMMONS. The Conservation Common, a growing international cooperative effort of over 65 conservation organisations, research agencies, scientific institutions, and corporations, is hosting this discussion led by Tom Hammond to improve access to information about biodiversity. Its aims are to connect practitioners to data and information assets by removing legal and institutional barriers to open access; improving data compatibility and data integration standards; building on recent innovations in Global Information Systems (GIS) for biodiversity data "discoverability" and "fusion"; and building the architecture for open access publishing and electronic archiving. For further information, tel: +41 22 917-8326; fax: +41 22 797-3464.
26-27 September, Kew, UK: SMALL ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT AND FORESTS. This meeting, hosted by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), will set the scene for what can be done to improve the impacts of small enterprises- looking broadly at a range of options within internal systems, external policies and market frameworks. The meeting will be followed by a one-day workshop on fairer trade in the timber industry. The aim is to strengthen an emerging alliance that wants to enhance local returns from socially and environmentally responsible forestry. The meeting will look at options for practical schemes that will enable socially responsible SMFEs to be more sustainable and competitive, to trade more, distinguish their products in the market place, and reap greater rewards for their socially and environmentally responsible practice. It will focus specifically on the potential within existing fair trade and forest certification schemes.
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 more information, contact Per Sandberg; e-mail: per.sandberg@fiskeridir.no
27-28 September, Washington DC: INCREASING THE PACE OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AND APPLICATION: ENABLING CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS. Organised by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), this workshop will bring together experts from academia, business, governments, policy makers and international and non governmental organisations to improve understanding of how to increase the pace of technology innovation and application. It will focus on: energy outlooks and the pace of technological progress; technology portfolio strategies to increase the pace of innovation and application; opportunities and barriers to technology innovation and diffusion; Innovation and technology options for efficiency, transport, methane, CO2 capture and geologic storage and energy supply. For more information, contact Luke Warren, tel: +44 0 20 7633 2388; email: luke.warren@ipieca.org.
28-29 September, Bonn, Germany: 31ST MEETING OF THE CMS STANDING COMMITTEE. This meeting is organised by the Sectariat of the Convention on Migratory Species. For further information, CMS Secretariat; tel: +49 228 815 2401/02; fax: +49 228 815 2449; e-mail: secretariat@cms.int.
1-4 October, Busua, Ghana: INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE CHANGE: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR FOREST MITIGATION PROJECTS IN SUB-SAHARAN TROPICAL AFRICA. ITTO, in collaboration with the Ghana Forestry Commission (GFC), will host an international workshop on climate change and forest mitigation projects in Sub-Saharan tropical Africa. The workshop will cover a wide range of issues related to investment opportunities in natural forest ecosystems and renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. For more information, contact Emmanuel Ze Meka, ITTO; tel: +81 45 223 1110; fax: +81 45 223 1111; e-mail: zemeka@itto.or.jp.
1-12 October, Varna, Bulgaria: NATO ADVANCED STUDY INSTITUTE COURSE ON OVEREXPLOITATION AND CONTAMINATION OF SHARED GROUNDWATER RESOURCES: MANAGEMENT, (BIO) TECHNOLOGICAL AND POLITICAL APPROACHES TO AVOID CONFLICTS. This course is organised by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Advanced Study Institute and aims at acquainting participants with an integrated approach for the monitoring and management of shared groundwater resources. Via a combination of lectures and problem-based learning exercises it will also provide the various stakeholders with the means to harmoniously reach decisions about groundwater use which are economically and socially sustainable. For more information, contact Christophe Darnault; e-mail: darnault@uic.edu.
2-3 October, Cape Town, South Africa: BIOFEULS MARKETS AFRICA. This meeting will provide a comprehensive update on the biofuels industry in the region. Attendees will learn from experts on the process, methodologies, regulation and financing requirements for successful implementation of biofuels projects.
2-6 October, Geneva, Switzerland: 54TH MEETING OF THE CITES STANDING COMMITTEE. The meeting is being organised by the CITES Secretariat. For further information, CITES Secretariat; tel: +41 22 917 8139; fax: +41 22 797 3417; e-mail: cites@unep.ch.
2-6 October, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGING FORESTS FOR POVERTY REDUCTION: CAPTURING OPPORTUNITIES IN FOREST HARVESTING AND WOOD PROCESS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE POOR. Organised by a consortium of partners including ITTO, ACPFC and WWF, this event will bring together diverse stakeholders and international experts to share experiences related to small-scale forest operations, labor-intensive forest management practices and wood processing. For more information, contact Thomas Enters, FAO; e-mail: Thomas.Enters@fao.org.
3 October, London, UK: THE 2006 HINTON LECTURE: THE ROLE OF THE ENGINEERING SCIENCES IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT - REDESIGNING AFRICAN ECONOMIES. The 2006 Hinton Lecture is being delivered by Calestous Juma, and will focus on engineering sciences in the context of Africa. For more information, Royal Academy of Engineering; e-mail: amy.abbott@raeng.org.uk.
3-5 October, Bratislava, Slovakia: WORKSHOP ON ILLEGAL TRAFFIC OF HAZARDOUS AND OTHER WASTES. For more information, Basel Convention Regional Centre in Bratislava and TAIEX, the Technical Assistance Informa; tel: +41 22 917 8218; fax: +41 22 797-3454; e-mail: sbc@unep.ch.
3-6 October, Geneva, Switzerland: UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE TIMBER COMMITTEE, 63RD SESSION, 64TH SESSION . For further information, contact UNECE, tel: +41 0 22 917 12 34; fax: +41 0 22 917 05 05; e-mail:info.ece@unece.org
3-7 October, Bilbao, Spain: ECOSYSTEM GOODS AND SERVICES FROM PLANTED FORESTS CONFERENCE. CIFOR is co-hosting a conference on the implications of increased plantations on the future of ecosystem goods and services.
3-12 October, Rome, Italy: JOINT FAO/WHO MEETING ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES (JMPR). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are organising the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) to be held in Rome, Italy on 3-12 October, 2006. For more information, contact WHO (IPCS) - (WHO - International programme on Chemical Safety); tel: +41 22 791 4348; fax: +41 22 791 4848; e-mail: mereditht@who.int.
4 October, Karuizawa, Japan: FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON TRADE IN BEAR PARTS. This meeting is organised by TRAFFIC, with the support of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group and WWF Japan. For more information contact Akiko Ishihara, TRAFFIC East Asia-Japan; tel: +81 3 3769 1716; fax: +81 3 3769 1304; e-mail: traffic@trafficj.org.
5 October, Geneva, Switzerland: PUBLIC PROCUREMENT POLICIES FOR WOOD AND PAPER PRODUCTS AND THEIR IMPACTS ON SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT AND TIMBER MARKETS. The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the FAO will organise this policy forum as a one-day in-session event during the 64th Timber Committee. The objective is to offer a fruitful and interesting discussion that provides participants the opportunity to exchange ideas and explore possible future developments with other specialists in the field of public procurement policies. For more information, contact Florian Steierer, UNECE/FAO; e-mail: florian.steierer@unece.org; tel. +41 22 917 1834; fax: +41 22 917 0041.
5-6 October, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia: FIRST INTER-AMERICAN MEETING OF MINISTERS AND HIGH-LEVEL AUTHORITIES OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. This meeting is organised by the Organisation of American States (OAS). Participants will identify and advance concrete partnerships at the regional and hemispheric level to integrate environmental considerations into development, poverty alleviation, social and economic policies. The meeting will take into account progress in implementing sustainable development and identify specific opportunities for cooperation among OAS member states. For more information, contact Joaquin Tamayo, OAS; tel: +202 458 3506; fax: +202 458 3560; e-mail: JTamayo@oas.org.
Other Upcoming
16-17 November, Terrassa, Spain: FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABILITY MEASUREMENT AND MODELING. The conference, hosted by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Chair in Sustainability, will launch a forum for organisations, institutions, and experts interested in sustainability measurement, modelling and evaluating issues to further integrate their knowledge and ideas. Dialogue will focus on the creation of measurements, models and evaluations for sustainable development. The conference topics are organised in order to gather together works, studies, projects, and experiences related to sustainability measurement and modeling. For more information, tel: +34 934 017 441; e-mail: icsmm@cimne.upc.edu.
19-24 November, Cape Town, South Africa: FIRST ABS CAPACITY-BUILDING WORKSHOP FOR AFRICA. The workshop launches the three year programme of the Dutch-German ABS Capacity-Building Initiative for Africa and is designed provide guidance for this initiative. The aims of the workshop are: (1) To explore the experiences with bioprospecting cases in the region for the implementation of ABS regulations at the national and local level, (2) to develop a strong vision for ABS in Africa based on trust and mutual understanding that enhances close cooperation and provides a profound basis for networking, and (3) to come up with recommendations for international law and policy making on one specific issue area based on participants preference: either gap analysis, practical solutions for regional cooperation or national requirements for certificates of origin. For further information, contact Andreas Drews; tel.: +49 (6196) 79-1363; fax.: 79-801363; email: andreas.drews@gtz.de.