For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch.
Coming Up: 2 - 8 October
30 September to 2 October, Cairo, Egypt: ENVIRONMENT 2003 "THE GATEWAY FOR PROFITABLE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE". Organised by the Egyptian Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs and its Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency, the 4th international conference and exhibition on environmental technologies will act as a gateway for profitable environmental compliance, showcasing business opportunities posed by environmental legislation. Topics to be discussed include various ecoefficiency concepts, the relation between trade and environment, funding of environmental compliance and novel technologies in various environmental fields. For more information contact Magicx, tel: +20 2 3368183; fax: +20 2 736 3663; email: magicx@ahk-mena.com; Internet: http://www.eeaa.gov.eg/English/main/Env2003.asp or http://www.ahkmena.com/.
1-4 October, Boulder, Colorado, US: SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES 2003 - SOLUTIONS TO WORLD POVERTY. The event is organised to promote sustainable development by connecting grassroots leaders with engineers, entrepreneurs, inventors, vendors and philanthropists. It will provide opportunities for non-profits/NGOs, foundations, government agencies, and for-profit businesses to share technical expertise, connect, collaborate and establish cross-border partnerships. Conference themes include: economic development, education, water and food. For further information contact Lili Francklyn, tel: +1 303-998-1323; email: lili@sustainablevillage.com; Internet: http://www.sustainableresources.org.
2 October, London, UK: WHAT HAPPENED AT CANCUN? AND WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? DISCUSSION MEETING. Jointly organised by the Sustainable Development Programme and the International Economics Programme at the Royal Institute of International Affairs. This debrief meeting is designed to explore what actually happened at Cancun and includes speakers from various relevant organisations. For further information e-mail: sustainable-development@riia.org.
3-5 October 2003, Loccum, Germany: ENVIRONMENT FOR PEACE: THE ROLE OF THE BUSINESS SECTOR. This international conference is organised by Inwent (International Capacity Building) and supported by the UNEP Finance Initiative. The goal of this high-level international consultation is to identify and put into motion practical and effective strategies for helping the private sector, government and civil society work together to address the links between environmental precaution and conflict prevention. It will explore, inter alia, the following questions: Is there measurable value to be gained by the private sector in investing in environmental security? What kind of activities should governments and civil society actors undertake, to contribute to targeted corporate investment in environmental security? For further information contact Demetrio Polo-Cheva, tel: +49 30 25482 109; fax: +49 30 25482 103; email: demetrio.polo-cheva@inwent.org.
5-8 October, Marburg, Germany: WORKSHOP ON BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES AND MIGRATION. This international conference will cover the migration of biological resources such as plants, animals, microorganisms and water and combine these fields with the migration of people in various countries and continents. It will serve as a discussion forum for scientists from various disciplines and responsible politicians in OECD and EU member countries. For further information contact Dietrich Werner, Philipps-Universität Marburg, tel +49-6421-28 21546; fax: 49- 6421-28 28997; email: werner@mailer.uni-marburg.de; Internet: http://www.biol-resource-migration.de.
7-8 October, Bali, Indonesia: 9TH ASEAN SUMMIT. At this summit, the heads of government of the ten countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be joined by China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and India. The Bali Concord II will be signed to establish a common economic, security, social, and cultural community among the ASEAN members, while China and India are expected to sign the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the initial treaty that formed ASEAN. For further information visit: http://www.9aseansummit.com/.
8-9 October, Johannesburg, South Africa: FIFTH AFRICA DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CONFERENCE AND AFRICA SMME AWARDS. The aim of this conference is to discuss key issues in development finance relevant to promoting sustainable investment in Africa, and to showcase Africa’s success stories in the SMME (small, medium and micro enterprise) sector through recognition and awards of excellence. Speakers include Trevor Manuel, Finance Minister of South Africa, Baledzi Gaolathe, Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Botswana, and Kwesi Botchwey, former Finance Minister of Ghana and now Executive Chair of the African Development Policy Ownership Initiative. For further information send an email to: claireds@acia.sun.ac.za.
8-10 October, Bangkok, Thailand: WORKSHOP ON NON-TARIFF MEASURES AND TRADE FACILITATION. Australia and the US, with support from the APEC Trade and Investment Liberalisation Fund, are sponsoring a workshop on quantitative methods for assessing non-tariff measures (NTMs) and trade facilitation. The topics include quantitative restrictions, trade facilitation, government procurement, trade and investment, and various standards with trade implications. Participants will include international experts and professionals from developing APEC countries. Abstract submissions are welcomed. For more information, contact Philippa Dee, Productivity Commission, tel: +61 2-6240-3253; fax: +61 2- 6240-3322; e-mail: pdee@pc.gov.au; Internet: http://www.usitc.gov/apec.pdf or http://www.pc.gov.au/news/apecworkshop.html.
WTO Events
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/meets.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.
2 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES.
2 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY.
2 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON IMPORT LICENSING.
2 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SUB-COMMITTEE ON LEAST-DEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
3 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON RULES OF ORIGIN.
3 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE-RELATED INVESTMENT MEASURES.
6, 9 & 10 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES - SPECIAL SESSION.
6 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS VALUATION.
6 October, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE IN FINANCIAL SERVICES.
Other Forthcoming Events
15 October, Geneva, Switzerland: CANCUN - WHAT IS NEXT. The Centre for Applied Studies in International Negotiations (CASIN) is holding a debriefing to cover: what happened in Cancun; where we stand; and the road ahead. For further information contact CASIN, e-mail: chz@casin.ch; fax: +41 22 730 8690; Internet: http://www.casin.ch.
15-17 October, Geneva, Switzerland: CIVIL SOCIETY MEETING IN PREPERATION FOR UNCTAD XI. The civil society meeting, organised by UNCTAD, will follow up on the discussions and outcome of the Strategic Group Meeting, which was held in September 2002 and will provide an opportunity to discuss and exchange views among civil society representatives and UNCTAD secretariat with regard to pertinent organisational and substantive preparations of the civil society dimension for UNCTAD XI. For further information contact Amel Haffouz of the UNCTAD secretariat, tel: +41 22 907 5048; fax: +41 22 907 0122; e-mail: amel.haffouz@unctad.org.
16 October, Basel, Switzerland: FOOD SECURITY AND BIODIVERSITY SYMPOSIUM. Hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture and the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute. The event will examine practical approaches and varied perspectives on what constitutes reasonable sharing under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources. For further information visit: http://www.benefitsharing.org/index_en.asp?br=ns.
20-21 October, Bangkok, Thailand: 11TH APEC LEADERS’ MEETING. The failure of trade negotiations at the WTO summit in Cancun is at the top of the agenda for this summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. APEC aims to facilitate economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region. Its members include the US, Chile, Peru, and Russia as well as most Asian countries. For further information visit: http://www.apecsec.org.sg.
5-6 November, Brussels, Belgium: MEETING ON HOW TO MAKE EUROPE’S FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN ENVIRONMETALLY SUSTAINABLE. The agenda will focus on the sensitive issues of consolidation, globalisation and horizontal/vertical integration. There will be key members of the food industry as well as high-level participation from Members of the European Parliament (and the Agricultural Committee), DG Trade, DG Agriculture, DG Fisheries and DG Enterprise. For further information contact Keith Thomas, e-mail: kthomas@foodsupplychain.com; Internet: http://www.ethicalcorp.com/foodsupplyconference.
10-14 November, Cavite City, Philippines: SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND TRADE. Oxfam International in cooperation with the Tambuyog Development Center/Philippines is organising a Southeast Asian Conference on Sustainable Fisheries Management and Trade for national fishers’ federations, NGO partners and Oxfam staff with the main objective of educating partners on the inter-relationship of sustainable fisheries management, subsidies and trade. For further information contact Ephraim Patrick T. Batungbacal, e-mail: sonny@tambuyog.org.
12-13 November, New Delhi, India: EASING THE TRANSITION TO MORE OPEN GLOBAL MARKETS. This seminar is co-organised by the International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC) and the Indian National Institute of Agriculture. The IPC develops policy recommendations addressing the critical issues facing the world’s agricultural system, and conveys these recommendations directly to policy-makers and stakeholders around the world. For further information contact the IPC, tel: +1 202 328 5117; fax: +1 202 328 5133; Internet: http://www.agritrade.org.
17-19 November, Miami, US: AMERICAS TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FORUM (ATSDF). Preceding the FTAA Ministerial, the ATSDF will convene workshops, panels and roundtables to discuss social, economic, political and practical concerns relating to trade liberalisation in the Americas. For further information visit: http://www.miami.edu/nsc/pages/FTAA.html.
18-19 November, Washington DC, US: CONFERENCE ON EMISSIONS STRATEGIES IN THE NORTH AMERICAN CARBON MARKET. The latest in the Oil & Gas IQ conference series, this event will offer strategies to help companies based in the US and Canada maximise the benefit from their emissions reductions. For further information visit: http://www.oilandgasiq.com.
26-27 November, New Delhi, India: SYMPOSIUM ON GM TECHNOLOGY. Gene Campaign is organising a national symposium on "The Relevance of GM Technology to Indian Agriculture and Food Security". A range of national and international experts will deliver talks on various aspects of GM technology and its application. Panel discussions will be held involving a variety of stakeholders. For further information visit: http://www.genecampaign.org.