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
22-25 April, Geneva, Switzerland: 49TH MEETING OF THE CITES STANDING COMMITTEE. For more information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: (41-22) 917-8139/40; fax: 797-3417; email: cites@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/calendar.shtml.
TEMPORARILY CANCELLED: 24-26 April, Beijing, China: WIPO SUMMIT ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY. This event will feature three days of discussion, reflection and comment on the key role of the intellectual property system in stimulating creativity and innovation to foster economic growth and social well-being through wealth creation and business development. For more information, contact: WIPO; email: summit.china@wipo.int; Internet: http://www.wipo.org/summit-china/en/index.html.
25-27 April, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova: FIRST EASTERN EUROPEAN REGIONAL SESSION OF THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM. Organised by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). For more information contact: Ms. Caroline Martinet; tel: (41-22) 999-0001; fax: 999-0025; email: caroline.martinet@iucn.org; Internet: http://www.gbf.ch/present_session.asp?no=33&lg=EN.
28 avril 2003: ATELIER UNITAR/RIBIOS SUR LA BIOSÉCURITÉ. Lieu: Hôtel de Ville, Divonne-les-Bains. Pour plus d’informations, veuillez contacter Mme Berta Pesti, Environmental Law United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), tél: (41-22) 917-8519, fax: (41-22) 917-8047.
28-30 April, Vienna, Austria: FOURTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE PROTECTION OF FORESTS IN EUROPE. The European ministers responsible for forests will take further decisions to promote the progress towards the protection and sustainable management of forests in Europe. The Conference will be held under the joint chairmanship of Austria and Poland and is open to participants and observers of the MCPFE. For further information contact: Peter Mayer, Liaison Unit Vienna; tel: (43-1) 710-7702; fax: 710-7702-13; email: liaison.unit@lu-vienna.at; Internet: http://www.mcpfe.org.
28 April - 2 May 2003, Ottawa, Canada: CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD LABELLING, 31ST SESSION. For more information visit: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
28 April - 2 May, Copenhagen, Denmark: 6TH GOVERNING BOARD MEETING OF THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY INFORMATION FACILITY. Organised by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). In addition to the Governing Board meeting, there will be an inauguration for the new GBIF Secretariat building, a presentation of the Ebbe Nielsen Prize, and the first GBIF Science Symposium on Biodiversity Informatics. For more information contact: Mr. James Edwards; tel: (45) 3532-1470; fax: 3532-1480; email: gbif@gbif.org; Internet: http://www.gbif.org.
28 April - 9 May, New York, US: UNITED NATIONS’ COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, 11TH SESSION. This will be the first meeting on sustainable development since the Johannesburg Summit. It will seek to give political direction to the implementation of the Johannesburg outcomes, Agenda 21, and the next phase of the Commission’s work. For more information visit: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd11/csd11_2003.htm.
29 April, Imperial College, London: THE FUTURE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: A BAPTISM BY FIRE FOR THE WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION. As part of the lecture series on international and European environmental law, the British Institute of International and Comparative Law & IC Legal Environmental Affairs Centre, Imperial College London, is hosting a conference on biotechnology. For more information contact: Meetings Secretary, tel: (44-20) 7862 5163; fax: 7862 5152; email: info@biicl.org.
29-30 April, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT. For further information, contact: the WTO Information and Media Relations Division, Geneva; tel: (41-22) 739- 5007; fax: 739-5458; email: enquiries@wto.org.
29-30 April, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. For further information, contact: the WTO Information and Media Relations Division, Geneva; tel: (41-22) 739- 5007; fax: 739-5458; email: enquiries@wto.org.
Other Forthcoming
12-17 May, Panama City, Panama: INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL (ITTC), 34TH SESSION. The First Preparatory Committee for the negotiations of the Successor Agreement to ITTA, 1994, will also convene on these dates. For more information contact: Alastair Sarre, ITTO Secretariat; tel: (81-45) 223-1110; fax: 223-1111; email: editor@itto.or.jp; Internet: http://www.itto.or.jp.
19-23 May, Bonn, Germany: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RURAL LIVELIHOODS, FORESTS AND BIODIVERSITY. Organised by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the German Foundation for International Development (DSE), Germany’s Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and ‘Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ). This conference will consider the role of forests in supporting rural livelihoods in developing countries and in maintaining biodiversity. Key objectives are to survey current knowledge and identify policy lessons and a future research strategy. For more information contact: William Sunderlin; tel: (251) 622-622; fax: 622-100; email: w.sunderlin@cgiar.org; Internet: http://www.cifor.cgiar.org/shared/template/livelihoodconference.asp.
19-20 May, London, United Kingdom: CONFERENCE ON FOOD PRODUCTION AND THE NEW TRADE AGENDA. This two-day conference, hosted by the Royal Institute for International Affairs (RIIA), will address questions related to food production, transportation, and sales. For more information contact: RIIA; tel: (44-20) 7957-5700; fax: 7957-5710; email: contact@riia.org; Internet: http://www.riia.org.
21-23 May, London, United Kingdom: 2010: THE BIODIVERSITY CHALLENGE. This second "Biodiversity after Johannesburg" meeting will follow up on the first that was held from 2-4 March 2003. Organized by the CBD, UNEP-WCMC and UNDP, it is intended to lead to an improved understanding of what the CBD target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010 actually means in real terms, and how to know whether the targets have been achieved. For more information contact: Jerry Harrison, UNEP, World Conservation Monitoring Centre; email: Jerry.Harrison@unep-wcmc.org; Internet: http://www.unep-wcmc.org.
26 May - 6 June, Geneva Switzerland: THIRD SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS FORUM ON FORESTS (UNFF-3). Delegates will discuss a variety of issues, including: means of implementation; progress in implementation, specifically related to economic aspects of forests, forest health and productivity, and maintaining forest cover to meet present and future needs; and common items. For more information contact: Mia Soderlund, UNFF Secretariat; tel: (1-212) 963-3262; fax: 963-4260; email: unff@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/forests.htm.
5-9 September, Sydney, Australia: 19TH WORLD ENERGY CONGRESS. This congress will focus on key energy issues covering a wide range of topics within the energy industry. The Congress will include oral and poster sessions, workshops, tutorials, symposia and panel sessions. For more information contact: 19th World Energy Congress Managers; tel: (612) 9248-0800; fax: 9248-0894; email: energy2004@tourhosts.com.au; Internet: http://www.tourhosts.com.au/energy2004/.