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 : 5-11 April
9-10 April, Doha, Qatar. ARAB WORLD COMPETTIVENESS ROUNDTABLE. In an effort to advance economic reform in the Middle East, the World Economic Forum will release its third Arab World Competitiveness Report at an exclusive roundtable meeting. Top policy-makers, business leaders, researchers, and the authors will discuss the recommended practices and barriers to growth identified by the report and translate the results of the report into a plan of action for the Middle East. This event is a precursor to the World Economic Forum on the Middle East which will be held 18-20 May in Jordan. e-mail: arabroundtable@weforum.org; internet: http://www.weforum.org/en/events/ArabWorldCompetitivenessRoundtable/index.htm.
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.
10 April: DISPUTE SETTLEMENT BODY
12 April: WORKING GROUP ON TRADE AND TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY
Other Upcoming
14-15 April, Washington, DC. JOINT WORLD BANK-IMF DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE AND IMF INTERNATIONAL MONETARY AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE. At their annual spring meetings, the International Monetary and Financial Committee and the World Bank Development Committee will meet to discuss the progress on the work of the Fund and Bank. A Program of Policy Dialogues for Civil Society Organizations will be held concurrently from 12-16 April. For more information, email bfcoffice@worldbank.org. internet: http://www.imf.org/external/spring/2007/index.htm
16 April, New York, US. SPECIAL HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE UN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL (ECOSOC) WITH THE BRETTON WOODS INSITUTIONS, WTO, AND UNCTAD. This tenth annual meeting, organized by the UN Financing for Development Office, brings together ECOSOC and international finance and trade institutions to address issues related to financing for development, realising the Doha agenda though effective trade and investment policies, and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. A civil society preparatory forum will be held the day before. For more information, contact Nikhil Seth, Director for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, tel. +1 212 963 1881, email: ecosocinfo@un.org; or Oscar de Rojas, Director of the Office of Financing for Development, tel. +1 212 963 2587, email: ffdoffice@un.org. internet: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/
19 April, Brussels, Belgium. FAIR TRADE PUBLIC PURCHASING AS A TOOL FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS. The final conference of the Fair Procura Project aims to examine the policies and practices of fair trade procurement, the impact of fair trade on the producer’s communities, and the further steps the EU can take to ensure coherence between EU policy and fair trade promotion. The conference will be of particular interest to European and National authorities, fair trade and consumer associations, and universities. The conference is organized under the auspices of the European Fair Trade Association, CTM Altromercato, Fair Trade Original, IDEAS, and OXFAM Wereldwinkels with the financial support of the European Commission and EuropeAid. For more information, email fair-procura@eftafairtrade.org. internet: http://www.european-fair-trade-association.org/FairProcura/events.php
24-26 April 2007, São Paulo, Brazil. SECOND IBERO-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. Organized by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBSCD) and its Brazilian affiliate (CEBDS), with the support of UNESCO, UN University, and UNEP, the conference will bring together businesses, academics, specialists, policy makers, and NGOs from Latin America to address the challenges of sustainable development for society, business, and government, and share experiences with sustainable practices. internet: http://www.sustentavel.org.br (in Portuguese) or http://www.wbcsd.ch.
25-27 April, Geneva, Switzerland. JOINT ADVISORY GROUP ON THE INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTRE (ITC), 40th SESSION. Trade promotion authorities from the Member states of the WTO and the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will meet to examine the activities of the ITC and make recommendations to the UNCTAD Trade and Development Board and the WTO General Council. internet: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1&m=13301&info=not
26 April, International. WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DAY. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will celebrate the link between intellectual property (IP) and creativity; this year’s theme is ‘Encouraging Creativity’. The IP system is what sustains and nourishes the world’s creative community. The day will be celebrated through various seminars and ceremonies organized by national IP authorities to promote understanding and respect for intellectual property. internet:http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/world_ip/2007/
30 April-11 May, New York, US. UN COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The fifteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) will focus on the areas of energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere, and climate change. For further information contact the Division for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; tel: +1 212 963 8102; fax: +1 212 963 4260; e-mail: dsd@un.org; internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/policy.htm.
2-3 May, Minneapolis, US. TOWARD A GLOBAL FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL POLICY FOR AN OPEN INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY. The worldwide tendency to consider food and agricultural policies from a national or domestic perspective has created barriers to the efficient use of the world’s agricultural resources and reduced the contributions that agriculture can make to global economic welfare. This symposium to honour University of Minnesota Regents Professor Emeritus G. Edward Schuh will bring together scholars and policy experts to discuss how to move toward a global food and agricultural policy for an open international economy. For more information, including presenters and paper topics, please see internet: http://www.hhh.umn.edu/schuh_symposium/index.html.