EVENTS
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 us.
Upcoming : 13 October - 19 October
16 October, Hong Kong, China: NGOs ROUNDTABLE FORUM ON THE SIXTH WTO MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE (MC6). This roundtable is intended to provide non-governmental organisations (NGOs) with a platform to express, discuss, and exchange views on various issues related to the MC6, which will be held from 13-18 December in Hong Kong. WTO Director General Pascal Lamy will be a keynote speaker at the event. The roundtable will be broadcast live online at www.wtomc6.gov.hk. For further information contact the WTO Sixth Ministerial Conference Co-ordination Office, tel: (+852) 2911-0374; fax: (+852) 3426-3571; e-mail: ngo@wtomc6.gov.hk.
18-19 October, Colombo, Sri Lanka: ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD) GLOBAL FORUM ON TRADE: NEGOTIATING ON TRADE FACILITATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. This conference, organised by the OECD, aims to bring together a wide variety of stakeholders to discuss the implications for developing countries of the ongoing WTO negotiations on trade facilitation, and to explore ways for matching resulting commitments to countries’ capacities. Participation is by invitation only and is welcome from all WTO member economies. For further information contact Avril Ellis, tel: +33-1-45-24-8938; fax: +33-1-44-30-6231; email: avril.ellis@oecd.org; internet: .
19 October, Washington, DC: SOUTH ASIA LOOKING UP AND AHEAD: A REGIONAL UPDATE ON TRADE ISSUES INVOLVING SOUTH ASIAN COUNTRIES. This event, organised by the Washington International Trade Association (WITA), will look at the future of trade cooperation and regionalism in South Asia. It will also consider the impacts of lifting textile quotas on Pakistan, possible outcomes of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s influence on international trade, South Asian-US trade issues and India and Pakistan’s perceptions of what is needed to ensure a successful Doha Round. For further information contact WITA events, tel: (+1) 202-312-1600; fax: (+1) 202-312-1601, e-mail: wita@wita.org.
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, and are open to WTO Members and accredited observers only.
13-14 October: TRADE NEGOTIATIONS COMMITTEE
13-14 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT - SPECIAL SESSION
14 October: TRADE POLICY REVIEW BODY - GUINEA
14 October: WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF UZBEKISTAN
14 October: FAX COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT
14 October: COMMITTEE ON BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS
17 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT - DEDICATED SESSION
18 October: COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS VALUATION
18 October: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
19 October: WORKING PARTY ON THE ACCESSION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
19-20 October: GENERAL COUNCIL
Other Upcoming
25-26 October, New York, USA: UNEP FINANCE INITIATIVE GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE. The 2005 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative Global Roundtable will provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and information in the fields of finance, insurance and sustainability. This will include a strong focus on the issues of global carbon markets and responsible investment. For further information contact the UNEP FI Roundtable Secretariat, tel: (+41) 22-917-8178; fax: (+41) 22-796-9240; e-mail: roundtable@unepfi.org.
28 October, Paris, France: TRADE FOR DEVELOPMENT: THE FUTURE OF SPECIAL AND DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. This international conference is jointly organised by the trade policy unit of the Institut Français des Relations Internationales (IFRI) and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). The conference will focus on two key topics: the future of non-reciprocal trade preferences and differentiation among developing countries under Special and Differential Treatment rules. Discussions will be in English and French and are expected to contribute to public debate on the Doha Agenda in the months before the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. For further information contact Anne-Sophie Novel, tel: (+33) (0)1-40-61-72-88; fax: (+33) (0)1-40-61-60-60; e-mail: novel@ifri.org.
24 November, Geneva, Switzerland: INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON LINKAGES BETWEEN TRADE DEVELOPMENT AND POVERTY REDUCTION. Organised by the Jaipur, India-based Consumer Unity and Trust Society Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE) in association with the UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service, the symposium will discuss stakeholder perceptions on linkages between trade, development and poverty. For further information contact Ms. Pooja Sharma and/or Mr. S. K. Soni, tel: (+91) 141-228-2821; fax: (+91) 141-228-2485; e-mail: tdp@cuts-international.org.