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.
Upcoming : 7 - 13 December
7-8 December, Khartoum, Sudan: FIFTH ACP SUMMIT OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT. The Fifth Summit of the Heads of State of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP Group) will center on the theme "United for peace, solidarity and sustainable development." The Summit will provide an opportunity to take stock of the implementation of the Maputo Declaration which was adopted in 2004, and to redefine political guidelines for the group in the face of a rapidly changing world order. Heads of state and government will discuss the situation in the six ACP regions with regard to peace, security and stability. The Summit will examine the mechanisms for strengthening intra-ACP cooperation and will define the relevant guidelines. The leaders will also discuss the progress of the negotiations for the Economic Partnership Agreements due to come into force in 2008. For more information see internet: http://www.5thacpsummit.gov.sd/the_summit.htm; e-mail: contact@5thacpsummit.gov.sd; tel: 00 249 183 765 558; fax: 00 249 183 771 787
7-8 December, Amsterdam: FIRST ORGANIZATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) FORUM ON AFRICAN DEBT MANAGEMENT AND BOND MARKETS. Organized under the aegis of the OECD Working Party on Debt Management (WPDM) and sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the forum will focus on specific local African problems, challenges, and debt management issues. It also aims to acquaint African debt managers with OECD best practices in public debt management and government securities, as well as to include them in the OECD WPDM-led global network of debt managers. The Africa Forum initiative will enhance collaboration and address critical issues about ensuring sustainable debt management. Participation is by invitation only. For more information see internet http://www.oecd.org/document/44/0,2340,en_2649_27994977_37361964_1_1_1_1,00.html or e-mail hans.blommenstein@oecd.org or jocelene.fouassier@oecd.org.
8 December, São Paulo, Brazil: INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR ON WTO DISPUTE SETTLEMENT. This seminar is a joint initiative by the Brazilian government and private sector to debate trends and prospects for the WTO dispute settlement system, as well as the role of Brazil and developing countries on it. Speakers include Brazilian government officials, private sector representatives from major trade associations and Embraer, and trade experts such as James Bacchus, Gabrielle Marceau and Luiz Olavo Baptista. The seminar is co-sponsored by the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations (MRE), the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo, (FIESP), the Brazilian Institute of Studies on Competition, Consumer Affairs and International Trade (IBRAC) and the Center for Legal Studies of Law Firms (CESA). For more information, visit http://www.fiesp.com.br/newsletter/omc/omc.html.
11-13 December, Geneva, Switzerland: UNITED NATIONS EXPERT MEETING ON ENABLING SMALL COMMODITY PRODUCERS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES TO REACH GLOBAL MARKETS. Organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Small commodity producers in developing countries often find it difficult to go beyond sporadic sales to purely local markets. However, if these producers are to escape poverty, they must be empowered to enter organised supply chains, linking them with consumers locally, regionally and internationally. This meeting will identify the services and support that small commodity producers need to effectively market their produce (market information, finance, logistics, meeting standards); evaluate the development impact on small commodity producers of the new, private-sector driven models that have emerged; and examine the role of governments in support of producers in this new environment, including through public-private partnerships. For more information see internet http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1&m=11909; e-mail: olle.ostensson@unctad.org or leonela.santana-boado@unctad.org; tel: +41 (0)22 917 57 61 or +41 (0)22 917 57 02; fax: +41 (0)22 917 05 09.
12-15 December, Nairobi, Kenya: AFRICAN REGIONAL WORKSHOP ON SUSTAINABLE USE. Organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Government of the Netherlands, and hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). This will be the third in a series of technical expert workshops on ecosystem services assessment, the sustainable use of biological resources, and the financial costs and benefits associated with conservation of biodiversity. For more information see http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=RWSUAFR-01&tab=3.
12-16 December, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China: THE EAST ASIAN SEAS (EAS) CONGRESS 2006. This event will bring together international organisations, experts and multi-sector stakeholders to exchange knowledge and build capacity in developing strategies to implement the Millennium Development Goals and WSSD goals for the region’s coasts and oceans. With the central theme, "One Ocean, One People, One Vision," the five-day event will feature several key activities designed to enhance regional cooperation for the benefit of the Seas of East Asia. For more information contact The EAS Congree Secretariat, tel: + 632 9 202211; e-mail: congress@pemsea.org; internet: http://www.pemsea.org/eascongress/.
WTO
An updated list of forthcoming WTO meetings is posted at: http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/events_e/events_e.htm. 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.
8 December: GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT MEETING
11 December: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
13 December: INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK STEERING COMMITTEE
Other Upcoming
14-16 December, Bangalore, India. 3RD FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS CONFERENCE: ENERGY, ENVIRONMENT, AND DEVELOPMENT - ANALYSING OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDUCING POVERTY: This meeting is organized by the Institut Veolia Environnement (IVE), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), and the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relationships (IDDRI). The conference will focus on challenges for sustainable development that arise from the nexus between energy, environment, and poverty. It will provide an opportunity for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and the donor community to engage in constructive dialogue on possible solutions. It will attempt to identify an agenda for action and policy relevant research, particularly focusing on developing countries in Asia. For more information, contact e-mail: eed@teri.res.in; internet: http://www.teriin.org/events_inside.php_id_17298
18-19 December, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh: NATIONAL SEMINAR ON GLOBALISATION AND INDIA: VOICES FROM THE GROUND. Organised jointly by the Consumer Unity and Trust Society’s Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE) and the Network of Entrepreneurship & Economic Development (NEED). The objective of this seminar is to provide a forum for civil society representatives to share their experiences in generating awareness on the linkages between trade and development throughout India; and to deliberate over the best policy methods to ensure that the poor benefit from globalisation. For more information, see http://www.cuts-citee.org/events.htm.