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. If you would like to submit an event, please email events@ictsd.ch.
Coming Up This Week: 27 February - 5 March
24-28 February, Rome, Italy: 25TH SESSION OF THE FAO COMMITTEE ON FISHERIES. For further information on this session, visit: http://www.fao.org/fi/meetings/cofi/cofi25/default.asp .
27 February, Brussels, Belgium: FOURTH SYMPOSIUM ON MARKET ACCESS: “A NEW CENTURY OF ADVANCES IN MARKET INTEGRATION: THE EUROPEAN UNION’S MARKET ACCESS STRATEGY”. Chaired by European Commissioner for Trade, Pascal Lamy, this symposium will be a follow-up to the 1996 EU market access strategy. European institutions, member states, and business representatives will discuss their previous market access strategies and ways to improve market access for the EU in the future. For further information, please visit: http://mkaccdb.eu.int .
28 February to 1 March, Quezon City, Philippines: PHILIPPINE CONFERENCE ON GLOBALISATION, WAR AND THE WTO. The IBON Foundation is arranging this conference at the University of the Philippines in order to initiate a broad-based educational campaign against the World Trade Organization (WTO), globalisation, and war. There will be a main conference, workshops, a media conference, and a plenary. For more information, please visit: http://www.ibon.org/activities/2003/01/01.htm .
2-4 March, Brussels, Belgium: GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS TRADING CONFERENCE. The Emissions Marketing Association (EMA) is hosting this conference to promote a better understanding of the greenhouse gas and emission markets. Industry experts will speak on risk management, case studies from the industry, and greenhouse gas business opportunities. For more information on the conference, visit: http://www.emissions.org/conferences/default.html .
3 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WORKSHOP ON FRESH WATER AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW. Co-hosted by the Graduate Institute of International Studies, the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva, and the Georgetown University Law Center, this forum will bring together scholars and policy-makers concerned with issues of water supply, trade and investment. Its purpose is to make clear problems of trade law for water management and international water law for trade agreements. For further information on the conference, please contact Makane Mbengue, email: Makane.Mbengue@droit.unige.ch .
5 March, Chicago, US: NAFTA IN A WTO WORLD - THE FUTURE OF REGIONAL TRADE AGREEMENTS IN A MULTILATERAL TRADING ENVIRONMENT. This event will include sessions on: NAFTA at 10 years - a remarkable record; trade dispute case study - softwoods; and investment - Chapter 11 and other issues. For further information please contact N. Heard, tel: +1 312 906-5134; email: nheard@kentlaw.edu .
WTO
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.
27 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON BUDGET, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION.
27 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS.
28 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS VALUATION.
28 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES.
28 February, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE.
3 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO SPECIAL SESSION OF THE COUNCIL FOR TRADE IN SERVICES.
3 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY.
4-5 March, Geneva, Switzerland: WTO TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE.
Other Forthcoming
12-14 March, New Delhi, India: GOVERNANCE AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH POVERTY REDUCTION. Consumer Unity & Trust Society (CUTS) is organising a Partnership Conclave to celebrate its 20th Anniversary. For more information, contact: Apurva Dayal or Mukta Srimali at tel: +91-141-2207482; fax: +91-141-220 7486/220 3998; email: 20thAnniversary@cuts.org ; and internet: www.cuts.org/CUTS-Anniversary.htm .
31 March to 3 April, Marrakech, Morocco: EXPERT MEETING ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION. This international expert meeting will report to the 11th session of the UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD-11). For further information, contact Ralph Chipman, UN Division for Sustainable Development; tel: +1-212-963-5504; fax: +1-212-963-4260; e-mail: chipman@un.org ; internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev .
12-13 May, London: 3RD ANNUAL EMISSIONS TRADING CONFERENCE. This conference is on the global emissions trading market and will cover the latest developments in this field through various case studies focused on the EU. For more information, please visit: http://www.euromoneyenergy.com/event_programme.asp?eventid=ECK75&site=energy .
4-6 June, Montreal, Canada: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONGRESS (IEDC). The conference, entitled “Global Alliances,” will bring competitors together and document the successes of those businesses that have achieved economic development. It will also provide current perspectives on the EU, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Europe, and the Pacific Rim. For more information, please visit: http://www.iedconline.org/InternationalCongress/index.html .
9-11 July, San Francisco, California: WORLDWIDE SYMPOSIUM ON GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), in cooperation with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), is organising this symposium in order to facilitate the exchange of information on geographical indications at the national, regional and international levels. For more information, please visit: http://www.wipo.org/meetings/2003/geo-ind/en/index.html .
5-7 September, Cancun, Mexico: GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM (GBF). The 18th session of this forum will precede the WTO Ministerial Conference on 10-14 September. Entitled “Environment, Trade, and Development: Towards a Sustainable Future,” the event will provide a platform for the trade and biodiversity communities to consider how their respective goals and objectives might complement or hinder each other, and will serve to build and strengthen networks among the two communities. For more information, please visit: http://www.gbf.ch/ .
20-21 November, Miami, Florida: FREE TRADE AREA OF THE AMERICAS (FTAA) MINISTERIAL MEETING. This meeting is an important marker in the negotiations among the 34 FTAA members to remove tariffs, trade barriers, and promote regional economic development and integration in the Western Hemisphere. For more information, please visit: www.ustr.gov/releases/2003/01/03-06.htm .
Call for abstracts/papers
24-28 July, San Francisco, California: BUSINESS & ECONOMICS SOCIETY (B&ESI) INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. The coordinators are seeking panel organisers, paper presenters, moderators, discussants, observers, and a chair for the conference. The deadline for abstract submission is March 30th. For more information, contact B&ESI at: tel +011-508-595-0089; email: hkan@besiweb.com ; internet: http://www.besiweb.com .