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
1-2 April, Cairo, Egypt: SAICM REGIONAL MEETING - ARAB SUBREGION. This meeting on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) for Arab countries will be held at the Cairo headquarters of the League of Arab States. For further information, visit http://www.chem.unep.ch/saicm/meeting/arabsubreg/april07/default.htm.
2 April, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - SESSION ON AID FOR 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.
2-6 April, Paris, France: CODEX COMMITTEE ON GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF FOOD STANDARDS. Jointly organized by WHO and FAO. The main points that the meeting will address are the Code of Ethics for International Trade in Foods and Risk Analysis for Food Safety. For more information contact the joint office of WHO and FAO +39 06 57051, or by e-mail at codex@fao.org. To access the full agenda visit http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/report/681/gp24_01e.pdf.
12-13 April 2007, New York, NY, USA: SYMPOSIUM ON THE STATE OF THE CONSERVATION OF WHALES IN THE 21ST CENTURY. This meeting will analyse options for the conservation of whales, specifically exploring policies for resolving the current impasse over commercial whaling at the International Whaling Commission. Participation is by invitation only. For further information contact the New York Symposium Secretariat, c/o Varda Group, e-mail: whales@vardagroup.org; internet: http://vardagroup.org/whalesymposium/index.
Other upcoming events
6-29 July, Ravello, Italy: 11TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES: NEW FRONTIERS AND PRODUCTS - ECONOMICS, POLICIES AND SCIENCE. The International Consortium on Agricultural Biotechnology Research (ICABR) will convene the conference, focusing on thirteen topics. These include : 1) the impact of agricultural biotechnology on international trade; 2) biofuels; 3) public acceptance; 4) biotechnology and developing countries; and 5) regulation of biotechnology. For further information visit http://www.economia.uniroma2.it/conferenze/icabr2007/call_for_paper.asp.
19-21 September, Bern, Switzerland: NEW APPROACHES TO PLANT BREEDING OF ORPHAN CROPS IN AFRICA. This conference is being organised by the University of Bern. It will bring together scientists from both developed and developing countries to discuss techniques that could be implemented in a scheme of orphan crop improvement. Orphan (neglected or lost) crops are crops of high economic value in developing countries, particularly in Africa. These include cereal crops (such as millet and tef), legumes (cow pea, grass pea, and bambara groundnut), and root crops (cassava and sweet potato). In addition, the future prospects and feasibility of modern biotechnology in African agriculture will be discussed. For further information visit http://www.botany.unibe.ch/deve/orphancrops/index.htm.