8 October, London, UK. IMPROVING MARKETS AND INSTITUTIONS. An African green revolution - and even significant local advances in farm productivity - requires well-functioning agricultural markets. This includes market rules and market access, institutions for finance and contracts, and action on shared land-water issues, input and output delivery. This meeting will look at how African agricultural markets and institutions respond to emerging challenges, whether these issues are local, and how international involvement (donors, business) may help or hinder. For online registration and more information, please visit http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1299/
13-14 October, Washington, DC, USA. GLOBAL SERVICES SUMMIT. The Global Services Summit 2009 will raise the political and public profile of services by bringing together the key policy makers, thinkers, and stakeholders who can represent and advance services trade around the world. The meeting will also seek to generate support for a trade policy that recognises the central role that services play in economic growth and development. United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk will make the keynote address at this event, which will consider the role of international trade and investment in services in generating innovation and renewed economic growth, and strategies to obtain those benefits through a variety of initiatives. Register online and find more information at http://uscsi.org/ServicesSummit2009.html
12-16 October, Geneva, Switzerland. UNECE TIMBER COMMITTEE WEEK. The Timber Committee Week will focus in particular on the impacts of the economic crisis on the forest sector and the opportunities for the sector’s recovery and long-term development through its enhanced contribution to a green economy. Like many other sectors, the forest sector in UNECE countries has been badly hit by the economic crisis, which caused falling prices, reduced income, mill closures, job cuts and budget reductions. Yet the forest sector can make a significant contribution to the global effort to address both the socio-economic crisis and growing environmental challenges. The sector has strong potential to contribute to a greener economy and a more sustainable society by promoting the sustainable use of wood for wood energy, green building and other green products and services. For more information and to register, please visit http://timber.unece.org/index.php?id=125
WTO Events
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at http://www.wto.org/meets_public/meets_e.pdf. 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. Unless otherwise indicated, all WTO meetings are held at the WTO, Centre William Rappard, rue de Lausanne 154, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland, and are open to WTO Members and accredited observers only.
7 October: COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN GOODS
7 and 9 October: TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY - CHILE
8 October: COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
8 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES
8 October: COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS
9 October: WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION
9 October: COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES - SPECIAL SESSION
12 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
12 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - SESSION ON AID FOR TRADE
13 October: WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY
Other Upcoming Events
14-16 October, London, United Kingdom. FIFTH INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED AND UNREGULATED FISHING. This conference, hosted by Chatham House, will bring together experts and policy-makers working on issues related to illegal fishing from around the world to explore the latest initiatives, regulations and research in fisheries governance and trade in illegal fish products. Building on the success of previous meetings, the agenda will contain sessions on the new EU IUU fishing regulation, the economic implications of IUU fishing, addressing IUU fishing in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region, controlling & monitoring IUU fishing and fisheries governance. To kick off the conference, Chatham House and WWF will be hosting a screening of the film “The End of the Line: How Overfishing is Changing the World and What We Eat’” on 14 October from 6.00 to 8.30 pm at Chatham House. The film will be followed by a discussion with panellists from industry, government and civil society. The Forum and film screening are open to all. However, pre-registration is essential and must be received by Friday 2 October to guarantee admission. To register, please contact Tim Eaton at tea…@chathamhouse.org.uk and let us know which event(s) you would like to attend. More information on the forum is available at http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/events/view/-/id/1218/.
22-23 October, Washington DC, USA. DIALOGUE ON FORESTS, GOVERNANCE, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. Jointly organised by Chatham House, the Rights and Resources Initiative and the World Resources Institute, this is the second in a series of meetings aiming to promote learning and frank discussion on the key issues facing forests and forest communities as the world scales up efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The meeting will focus on the international implications of the Waxman-Markey bill now working its way through the US Congress, as well as the preliminary steps by the UNREDD and FCPF to establish REDD Readiness in developing countries to date. The meeting is open to all, and there is no charge for admission. However, preregistration is essential, and you must register by the end of Friday 15 October to be guaranteed admission. To register, please send your name and affiliation to Lucy Ellinas at climateforest.registration@chathamhouse.org.uk
22-24 October, Geneva, Switzerland. GLOBAL CHALLENGES AT THE INTERSECTION OF TRADE, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT. The conference will consider how trade rules may increasingly impact firms in the energy industries as well as manufacturers of energy-intensive traded products and providers of cross-border energy services. Topics to be covered at the conference include import, export and production restrictions on energy goods and services; energy transport and transit rules; environmental policies and their impacts on energy trade and investment; and energy subsidies and pricing. There is no charge for attending the conference, but advance registration is required by 19 October. The Centre for Trade and Economic Integration (CTEI) at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID), Geneva, has organised the event. Additional information about the conference, including the full program and instructions for registering, is available at: http://www.graduateinstitute.ch/ctei/home/ctei_events/energy_conference.html
26-27 October, Geneva, Switzerland. THE 2009 BRIDGES CHINA DIALOGUE. CHINA AND GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE RECOVERY: TRADE, ENERGY CONSERVATION AND LOW-CARBON INITIATIVES. Against the backdrop of the current recession, China’s economic and political landscape is of paramount importance in facilitating a sustainable global recovery. The 2009 Bridges China Dialogue will bring together experts from government, business, academia and civil society organisations for an in-depth discussion and examination of China’s market dynamics and policy implications. For information on panels, speakers and attendance, please visit the meeting’s website: www.bridges-china.com
2-3 November 2009, Bangkok, Thailand. ASIA-PACIFIC TRADE ECONOMISTS’ CONFERENCE. Under the heading “Trade-led growth in times of Crisis,” the conference will be an opportunity for trade researchers and policy makers to discuss implications of the global economic crisis for trade in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference will feature panel discussions led by eminent trade specialists and presentations by researchers on a wide range of trade-related issues, including trade governance, trade facilitation, trade liberalisation in services, and trade and development. The conference will celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Research and Training network on Trade (ARTNeT) and is organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), in collaboration with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Centre in Colombo, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The conference brochure can be viewed at http://www.unescap.org/tid/artnet/mtg/ARTNeT%20conference-1.pdf with organizational details listed on the Conference website http://www.unescap.org/tid/artnet/artnet_conference.asp. Please register by writing to artnetontrade@un.org (no registration fee).
24-25 November, Geneva, Switzerland. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RISK ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT. Risk permeates all aspects of life. A professional management of uncertainty is essential for the resilience and effectiveness of all organisations, be they governmental or business. The conference is organised to promote an exchange of experience on the use of risk assessment and management techniques in: technical regulations; standards; conformity assessment; accreditation; metrology; and market surveillance. The conference will benefit from input from academia, governmental authorities, international standards organisations, conformity assessment bodies and business associations. For more details, please visit http://www.unece.org/trade/wp6/documents/2009/2009_ConferenceRisk.htm