EVENTS
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar at: http://www.ictsd.org/cal/index.htm.
Coming Up This Week: 26 February - 5 March
26-27 February, Brussels, Belgium: UNEP/UNCTAD INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON PROMOTING PRODUCTION AND TRADING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ORGANIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS. The workshop will explore opportunities for promoting production and trade in organic agricultural products by developing countries. Focus will be given to examining the role organic agriculture can play to simultaneously meet developmental and environmental objectives, and to identifying ways to enhance market access for developing country exports of organic agriculture products. For further information contact UN Environment Programme Economics and Trade Unit; email: etb@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.unep.ch/etu.
27-28 February, Paris, France: OECD ODA AND PRIVATE FINANCE: ATTRACTING FINANCE AND INVESTMENT TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. Organised by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The theme of the forum is how to better link up development cooperation policies and private finance, both domestic and external. The forum will provide a platform for discussion between donors, developing countries and the private sector on how to shape the implementation of the codes and standards for financial and corporate governance in ways that address the circumstances, needs and capacities of developing countries at different stages of development. For further information contact the OECD, Paris, France; email: daf.contact@oecd.org; Internet: http://www1.oecd.org/daf/ffd/dc.htm.
28 February - 2 March, Uttar Pradesh, India: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION. The conference will examine shaping eco-tourism for the Third Millennium. For further information contact: email: tvsingh@sancharnet.in. From IISD Linkages, http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/journal/.
3-8 March, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: THIRD AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FORUM. The forum will focus on five thematic clusters: Economic Policies for Accelerating Regional Integration; Physical Integration through Infrastructure Development; Regional Approaches to Regional Issues; Institutional Arrangements and Capacity; and the Peace and Security Architecture. A wide spectrum of stakeholders will come together to discuss these issues, refine options and seek consensus on the way ahead. ADF III will help define a broad-based inclusive process to harmonise and accelerate integration efforts in the continent and build consensus around the key strategic actions that need to be taken. It will also provide an opportunity to launch a process for the systematic monitoring of regional integration efforts in Africa. For further information contact: ADF III Secretariat; tel: (251-1) 445-227 or 443- 700 or 445-347; fax: 516-513 or 516-563; email: adf@uneca.org; Internet: http://www.uneca.org/adfiii/adfiii.htm.
4 March, London, UK: BILATERAL INVESTMENT TREATIES AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION: THE LATIN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. For further information contact: The British Institute of International and Comparative Law; Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5JP, United Kingdom; tel: (44-0-207) 862- 5151; fax. 862-5152; email: info@biicl.org; Internet: http://www.biicl.org.
4-5 March, Ottawa, Canada: FIRST JOINT MEETING OF THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS OF THE AMERICAS. The meeting will serve as a follow-up to the 2001 First Meeting of the Ministers of the Environment of the Americas. For further information contact: Environment Canada Ottawa, Canada; tel: (1-819) 956-5212; fax: 956-5964; email: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca; Internet: http://www.ec.gc.ca/. From IISD Linkages: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/journal/.
5 March London, UK: ASSIGNMENT OF RECEIVABLES IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE: THE NEW UN CONVENTION. £30 members and £50 non-members. For further information contact: The British Institute of International and Comparative Law; Charles Clore House, 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5JP, United Kingdom; tel: (44- 0-207) 862-5151; fax. 862-5152; email: info@biicl.org; Internet: http://www.biicl.org.
WTO
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/meets.doc. 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. For further information on WTO events contact: WTO Information and Media Relations Division, Geneva; tel: (41-22) 739- 5007; fax: 739-5458; email: enquiries@wto.org.
26 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS VALUATION.
28 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO INFORMAL OPEN-ENDED NEGOTIATING GROUP ON RULES.
5-7 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (TRIPS).
6 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PLAN.
8 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY.
11 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO PLEDGING CONFERENCE FOR THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT AGENDA GLOBAL TRUST FUND.
11 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS.
12 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING PARTY ON DOMESTIC REGULATION.
13 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON MARKET ACCESS.
13 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES.
Other Forthcoming
11-13 March, Geneva, Switzerland: 28TH EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE UN CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD) TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD. For further information visit the UNCTAD website at http://www.unctad.org.
17-19 April, Washington, DC, USA: THE FUTURE OF WEALTH ON EARTH- OPPORTUNITIES AND RISKS FOR INVESTORS, CORPORATIONS, AND ACTIVISTS IN A CHANGING GLOBAL CLIMATE. Organised by the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES). The conference is a forum for leaders with widely different backgrounds, assumptions and visions to find concrete solutions to today’s environmental, energy security, and related economic concerns. For further information contact: Sarah Raposa, CERES; email: raposa@ceres.org; Internet: http://www.ceres.org/.
19-21 September, Ljubljana, Slovenia: EASTERN ENLARGEMENT OF THE EU: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES AND DEVELOPMENT CO- OPERATION IN THE 21ST CENTURY. This is the 10th General Conference, hosted every three years by the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI). For further information contact: Susanne von Itter, EADI; tel: (49 22) 8261-8101; fax: 8261-8103; email: itter@eadi.org; Internet: http://www.eadi.org/generalconference.htm.