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19 November, Washington, DC, USA. THE DOHA ROUND: CAN WE GET TO YES? Throughout eight years of on-again, off-again, sometimes painful negotiations, a familiar refrain has been heard from trade ministers worldwide-that they “remain committed to the Doha Round.” How much has been accomplished thus far, and how did we get where we are today? Beyond the political rhetoric, what concrete steps could negotiators take to reach an agreement by the end of 2010? How has the political landscape influenced negotiations? If an agreement cannot be reached, what would that mean for the WTO and its member nations, particularly the least developed countries that this round was supposed to help? A panel of critics and former negotiators will ponder the future of the Doha Round of Negotiations. Registration is open until 18 November 2009. The event is organised by the Washington International Trade Association. For more information, visit http://www.wita.org/ht/display/EventDetails/i/38066/pid/317.
19-20 November, Paris, France. 7TH WORLD FORUM OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: THE CRISIS, THE ECOLOGICAL ORDER, AND THE CLIMATE. The global crisis is multidimensional. Beyond the debates on its effects, its contagion, its duration or intensity, it raises the question of the restructuring of production and energy systems, of a new international architecture and a new ecological world order. The United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December 2009 will be at the heart of after-Kyoto climate negotiations and in the background of debates on new modes of production and consumption, new technologies, public policies and incentives on the part of policymakers or strategies for the reconversion of private companies. Strategies of resilience, adjustment and mitigation relate to a plurality of public and private actors. The forum will discuss: Negotiations on the Climate: From Kyoto to Copenhagen, The Context of the Global Crisis and the Ecological World Order, Resilience and Mitigation: The Role of the Actors’ Strategies, and The Mediterranean Area, the Middle East and the Climate. For more information, visit http://www.fmdd.fr/paris_2009.html
24-25 November, Berlin, Germany. 4TH INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY STORAGE CONFERENCE. The IRES 2009 presents new perspectives, the state of technology and especially the resulting energy storage applications that open up ground-breaking opportunities for the dynamic exploitation of electricity and heat from renewable sources. Besides the technological and scientific questions regarding an integrated regenerative energy system, IRES will also highlight the necessary political framework for the market penetration of renewable energy and the support schemes for energy storage technologies. The IRES conference series brings together stakeholders from the regenerative and conventional energy industries, from research and development, and politics. It acts as a stimulus for their strategies to enhance the entry of renewable energy. The conference programme is available online at http://www.eurosolar.de/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=362&Itemid=105
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
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.
19 November: COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE
19 November: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
19 November: COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
24 November: COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
Other Upcoming Events
30 November - 2 December, Geneva, Switzerland. SEVENTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE. This three-day meeting will be a regular gathering of ministers to engage in a broad evaluation of the functioning of the multilateral trading system. It is not intended to serve as a Doha Round negotiating session. The general theme for the discussions will be ‘The WTO, the Multilateral Trading System and the Current Global Economic Environment’. For more information, please visit http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/minist_e/min09_e/min09_e.htm
30 November - 2 December, Geneva, Switzerland. GLOBAL TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM. ICTSD is organising the Geneva Trade and Development Symposium (GTDS), to take place over 3 days in parallel to the Seventh Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation. The three broad topics for the GTDS will respond to the three principal types of challenges currently facing the multilateral trading system: institutional challenges, perspectives on the Doha Round, and new issues and challenges such as climate change. The symposium will be held at the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and will be open to all who wish to participate (however, registration is required). For more information, please see http://www.ictsdsymposium.org/.
7 - 18 December, Copenhagen, Denmark. 15TH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE. Under the agenda agreed at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali in December 2007, this conference is expected to finalise an agreement on a framework for combating climate change after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires at the end of 2012.The sessions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change are open to Parties of the Convention and observer states (governments), the United Nations System and observer organisations duly admitted by the Conference of the Parties. In addition, accredited press is allowed to cover the proceedings of the Convention. For more information, please see http://unfccc.int/meetings/items/4749.php.
8-10 December, Geneva, Switzerland. MULTI-YEAR EXPERT MEETING ON TRANSPORT AND TRADE FACILITATION. Transport and trade facilitation infrastructure and services have become essential components for developing countries´ competitiveness in the global market. Partnerships between the public sector and the relevant business sectors are critical in enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of transport and trade infrastructures and services. Governments are increasingly seeking private partners for the financing, building, operation and maintenance of such infrastructure and services. Public-private partnerships have proven to be successful cooperative means for the provision of public infrastructure and services. In the context of the current economic crisis, investment in transport infrastructure and services is confronted with additional challenges. The meeting will explore best practices for public-private partnerships and the role of technology in developing efficient transport infrastructure and services to facilitate international trade in developing countries. The meeting will take into account the implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action in Land-Locked and Transit Developing Countries as well as specific issues faced by least developed countries and small island developing States. It will also consider the potential impact of future commitments ensuing from the World Trade Organization negotiations on trade facilitation. The findings and recommendations of this expert meeting will be reported to the second session of the Trade and Development Commission, to be held 3-7 May 2010. For more information, please visit http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1&m=17874
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