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 October, Dublin, Ireland: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PLANT CONSERVATION. The Global Partnership for Plant Conservation, with support from Botanic Gardens Conservation International - HSBC Investing in Nature Programme and the Office of Public Works, Ireland, is organising an International Conference on Plant Conservation. The aim of the Conference is to promote and support the national implementation of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation. For further information contact Louise Scally, email: lscally@biodiversityresearch.ie
25-28 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS). 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
26-27 October, Geneva: WTO COMMITTEE ON SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY MEASURES. For further information on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) events, contact the WTO Information and Media Relations Division, Geneva; tel: (+41-22) 739- 5007; fax: (+41-22) 739-5458; email: enquiries@wto.org
27 October, New York City, US: SEFI’S SUSTAINABLE ENERGY FINANCE ROUNDTABLE. This Roundtable will help financiers understand how and where new investment patterns are evolving in an energy sector that will require $500 billion of new capital a year for the coming decades. How these funds are invested will determine the sustainability of the global energy mix for the next century. The financial sector is a key player in developing market solutions to the challenge of building a sustainable energy future. For further information contact Nadim Chaudhry, email: nadim.chaudhry@greenpowerconferences.com
27 October, Copenhagen, Denmark: THE CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM (CDM) - LINKAGES TO POVERTY REDUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY. This conference is organised by the Research Network for Environment and Development (ReNED) and will aim to identify, analyse and discuss opportunities and limitations of CDM with regard to sustainability and poverty reduction, focusing on renewable energy, ’sink’ projects and capacity development. For further information contact the ReNED secretariat, tel: (+45) 35 32 25 29; email: mim@geogr.ku.dk
28-29 October, Brussels, Belgium: SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION 05 CONFERENCE: GLOBAL ‘STATE OF THE ART’ IN SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT/SERVICE DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN. Organised by an advisory board, the O2 - global network of sustainable designers, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), this conference will focus on the global ’state of the art’ in sustainable product/service development and design and will provide an update on worldwide developments. This event will analyse the obstacles and opportunities for sustainable product/service development and design. For further information contact Professor Martin Charter, tel: +44 (0) 1252 892772; fax: +44 (0) 1252 892747; email: mcharter@surrart.ac.uk
Other upcoming events
2-3 November, 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.
7-8 November, Beijing, China: BEIJING 2005 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. Following up on the Renewables 2004 event held in Germany, China is planning an international conference on renewable energy in late 2005. The conference will address issues such as the development and transfer of renewable energy technologies. This meeting is being organized by the Governments of China and Germany in cooperation with the UN DESA. For more information contact Mo Xiong Bing, tel: (+86-10) 51665898 or 68501341; fax: (+86-10) 84064862 or 68501971; email: wangwh@mx.cei.gov.cn
15-18 November, Rome, Italy: CBD AD HOC TECHNICAL EXPERT GROUP ON RISK ASSESSMENT UNDER THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON BIOSAFETY. For further information contact the CBD Secretariat, tel: +1 (514) 288-2220; fax: +1 (514) 288-6588; email: secretariat@biodiv.org, Internet:
19-23 November, Manila, Philippines: 5TH INTERNATIONAL RICE GENETICS SYMPOSIUM. This Symposium, held every 5 years, will explore developments in rice genetics and their applications. It will be held jointly with the Third International Rice Functional Genomics Symposium, an annual event. World famous geneticists will deliver plenary lectures covering a wide range of topics from classical genetics to the most advanced research on gene isolation and functional genomics. The symposium will provide an important forum for reviewing the latest advances in rice research and for in-depth discussion and exchange of information on classical genetics and genomics. For further information contact, email: rg5@cgiar.org
28 November - 2 December, Melbourne, Australia: CODEX COMMITTEE ON FOOD IMPORT AND EXPORT INSPECTION AND CERTIFICATION SYSTEMS (14TH SESSION). The session is organised by the Codex Alimentarius Secretariat. For further information, contact the Codex Secretariat, tel: (+39 06) 5705 2287; fax: 5705 3369; email: codex@fao.org
28 November - 9 December, Montreal, Canada: FIRST MEETING OF PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL AND ELEVENTH CONFERENCE OF PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC. Canada is hosting the historic first Meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (MOP-1), which is taking place in conjunction with the eleventh session of the Conference of Parties (COP-11) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For further information contact the UNFCCC Secretariat, tel: (+49 228) 815-1000; fax: 815-1999; email: secretariat@unfccc.int
29 November - 1 December, Washington, D.C., US. GMA CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF FOOD. This event will consist of a discourse on the future of the food industry such as health and wellness, market access, regulation, emerging science and innovation. For further information contact Lynda Prioleau of GMA, tel: +1 202 337 9400
1-2 December, London, England: PATENTING LIVES CONFERENCE. This event is hosted by the Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute, University of London. Included in this event will be presentations on Human Rights and Ethical Frameworks, Development and Innovation, Public Goods and Public Interest, Traditional Knowledge, Medicine, Ethical Legal and Social Issues of Human Gene Patents, and Agriculture. For further information contact Dr Johanna Gibson, email: j.gibson@qmul.ac.uk