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 : 12-18 October
12 October, Brussels, Belgium: ACP-EU RELATIONS: THE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGE OF EPAS. The South Centre, in partnership with a consortium of non-governmental organisations from African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) group and European countries, is organising a high-level conference on negotiations related to Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). NGO co-hosts include: Africa Trade Network, CPDC, Christian Aid, ICCO, 11.11.11, Oxfam International and Traidcraft. The purpose of this conference is to provide a platform for ACP governments to voice their views on these negotiations, in particular in light of the EPAs review expected before the end of this year. Ministers from various ACP regions will participate in this event, whose audience will also comprise: EU member state policy-makers and parliamentarians, as well as representatives from the European Parliament and European Commission, intergovernmental agencies, journalists and civil society. For more information, please see internet: http://www.southcentre.org//2006Oct_EPA_conference.htm.
16-18 October, Geneva, Switzerland: EXPERT MEETING ON INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) SOLUTIONS TO FACILITATE TRADE AT BORDER CROSSINGS AND PORTS. Organised by the UN Centre for Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Experts attending the meeting will discuss recent developments in trade and transport, particularly new requirements for customs modernization and other trade and transport facilitation measures at the regional and national levels, as well as the need for an enabling and accommodating legal framework. They will also look at recent efforts to formulate rules, regulations and standards which contribute to customs modernization and efficient transport and trade. Experts will examine available ICT tools for facilitating trade at border crossings and ports, and consider to what extent they can be introduced in developing countries and least developed countries. To assess the roles of UNCTAD and other international agencies in cooperation with their national and regional counterparts, experts will look into the capacity-building and technical assistance requirements of countries planning to implement specific technology-based trade facilitation measures, including those related to the institutional, commercial, legal and operational environment for Customs and other operations at border crossings and ports. For more information, please see internet: http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Meeting.asp?intItemID=1942&lang=1&m=11898&year=2006&month=10.
17 - 20 October, Rome, Italy: TECHNICAL CONSULTATION - DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNATIONAL GUIDELINES ON ECOLABELLING OF FISH AND FISHERY PRODUCTS FROM INLAND AND MARINE FISHERIES. The Committee on Fisheries (COFI) is a subsidiary body of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Council that was established in 1965. Meeting every two years, COFI is the only global intergovernmental forum where major international fisheries and aquaculture problems are examined, producing recommendations addressed to governments, regional fishery bodies, fish workers, NGOs and the international community. It has also been used as a forum for the negotiation of global agreements and instruments, such as the Code of Conduct. For more information, please contact: Rolf Willmann; e-mail: rolf.willmann@fao.org; internet: http://www.fao.org/fi/NEMS/events/detail_event.asp?event_id=33207.
18 October, Washington D.C., US: ETHICS AND ANIMAL BIOTECHNOLOGY: HOW DO WE PLAN FOR THE FUTURE? A day-long symposium sponsored by Michigan State University and the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology. The symposium is to provide an overview of the ethical implications of creating and using cloned or genetically modified (GM) animals in agriculture, and of utilising GM agricultural animals for biomedical or industrial purposes. Presentations at the event will cover relevant ethical frameworks and terminology, as well as providing an overview of animal biotechnology as a subject. For further information, contact the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, tel: +1 202 347 9044; fax: +1 202 347 9047; internet: http://pewagbiotech.org/events/1018/.
18-19 October, Bangkok, Thailand: MAXIMISING THE CONTRIBUTION OF ORGANIC AGRICULTE TO ACHIEVING THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN THE ASIA AND PACIFIC REGION, AND THE UNEP-UNCTAD CAPACITY BUILDING TASK FORCE BRIEFING SESSION. This is the first of two events sponsored by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. The sessions will focus on fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals in the Asia and Pacific Region. For further information, contact Ulrich Hoffmann, tel: +41 (0)22 917 5780; email: ulrich.hoffmann@unctad.org; internet: http://r0.unctad.org/trade_env/test1/meetings/bangkok7.htm.
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.
16-18 October: EXPERT MEETING ON ICT SOLUTIONS TO FACILITATE TRADE AT BORDER CROSSINGS AND PORTS
18 October: COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
18 October: ONLINE CHAT WITH WTO DIRECTOR-GENERAL PASCAL LAMY
Other Upcoming
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 World Summit on Sustainable Development objectives 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 Congress Secretariat, tel: + 632 9 202211; e-mail: congress@pemsea.org; internet: http://www.pemsea.org/eascongress/