3rd September 2003
Cancun Events
Disclaimer: This section is provided for the purposes of highlighting activities undertaken during the Cancun Ministerial Conference by groups other than ICTSD. Unless otherwise indicated, the following groups or activities are not connected to or endorsed by ICTSD, which maintains a non-partisan role in all its undertakings.
To have your event listed in this section, please contact Heike Baumüller at hbaumuller@ictsd.ch.
3-8 September, Cancun, Mexico: REALITY TOUR IN YUCATHAN. GlobalExchange is organising a Reality Tour in Yucatan entitled “Whose Trade Organization? Linking Global to Local Issues in Cancun, Mexico”. The tour will demonstrate the impacts on the Yucatan region of the WTO and NAFTA, and the on-going efforts for economic justice and democracy. The group will be based in Cancun and will travel to surrounding communities to speak with indigenous and farmer organizational leaders, activists, educators, and artisans. This is a very good opportunity to meet people involved in grassroots movements and exchange ideas with them while learning more about the unique history and culture of the Yucatan. The price for the tour is approx. $750 for the Land Package and $1126 including Airfare from Houston TX. Closing date for applications is July 31.
4-11 September, Cancun, Mexico: ORGANIC CONSUMERS ASSOCIATION’S TEACH-IN WEEK IN CANCUN. The Organic Consumers Association offers a travel package for a week of teach-ins with itís delegation during the WTO meeting. The OCA delegation will include experts on genetic engineering and organic agriculture such as Ronnie Cummins, OCA National Director; Dr. Michael Hansen, from the Consumers Union; Laura Miller and John Stauber, publishers of PR Watch, and Ryan Zinn, OCA’s Chiapas-based biodiversity specialist. The speakers will provide in-depth presentations and workshops for delegation participants. Please note that the organizers emphasize that public events will be strictly non-violent, and that any civil disobedience protests will be organized separately from the teach-ins and educational workshops. For more information, send an e-mail to: mexicotrip@organicconsumers.org.
5-7 September, Cancun, Mexico: 18TH GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY FORUM - BIODIVERSITY, TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. This session of the GBF is jointly organised by ICTSD, IUCN, SEMARNAT, CEESP and others. The GBF is a mechanism to bring together governmental and non- governmental representatives to foster dialogue and information sharing on key biodiversity issue. Key issues to be addressed will include: The relationship between the TRIPs Agreement and CBD; risk, precaution and biosecurity; and trade and sustainable livelihoods. Place: Gran Mélia Cancun, Blvd. Kukulcán Km. 16.5, Zona Hotelera. For further information, see: http://www.gbf.ch/present_session.asp?no=31&lg=EN.
6 September, Cancun, Mexico: RIS PANEL DISCUSSION ON “INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND BIOTECHNOLOGY GOODS: ISSUES AND OPTIONS”. The idea is to capture some salient features of the on-going debate on agro-environmental implications of biotechnology goods. Time and location: 12:40 - 13:40, Gran Melia Hotel. For further information, email: dgoffice.@ris.org.in; Internet: www.ris.org.in.
7-14 September, Cancun, Mexico: GLOBAL WEEK OF ACTION, by Mexico Solidarity. An international coalition of grassroots organisations and NGO is organizing mass demonstrations and a series of alternative conferences and workshops in Cancun. The Mexico Solidarity Network “Rumbo a Cancun” delegation will facilitate activists from the United States and Canada who want to participate in these activities. For more information, send an e-mail to: msn@mexicosolidarity.org.
8 September, Washington D.C., US: TRADE FOR DEVELOPMENT: DELIVERING ON DOHA’S PROMISE. In the run-up to the Fifth WTO Ministerial in Cancun, the Centre for Global Development will host a policy seminar to address the substantive link between development and trade policies, and to energise the debate on how to best make this link in areas such as agriculture and intellectual property. The aim is to scrutinise the relationship beetween trade, development and poverty reduction, and to highlight the role of the rich countries in designing trade policies more supportive of economic and social development abroad.
8 September, Cancun, Mexico: DAY-LONG EVENT ON THE COTTON ISSUE. The meeting will be organised by the German government, with the participation of Trade Ministers of Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Tchad, and European Representations. NGOs and media are invited to take part to the discussion. The meeting will take place from 3 pm to 5:30 pm, Hotel Sierra / NGO Center, Olmeca Room.
8 September, Cancun, Mexico: ASSEMBLY OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS. The Assembly aims to provide a space for civil society to gather information on and coordinate activities taking place around the WTO Ministerial. For further information, contact: Comite de Bienvenida, comentarios@cancuncommittee.org.mx, Foro de Los Pueblos, info@omcmedios.org or Puente a Cancun, noomc@buz.org.
8-9 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL FORUM: WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN TRADE AGREEMENTS. The Internacional Forum, organised by Mujeres Hacia Cancun / Women on the Road to Cancun / Les femmes en route vers Cancun, is a platform for women to share their views and join forces in addressing trade issues. Participants in the International Forum include, amongst others, the National Network on Gender and Economy and the Latin American Network Women Transforming the Economy (REDGE-REMTE), the World March of Women, the Mexican Action Network on Free Trade (RMALC), the Women’s Commission of the Continental Social Alliance-Mexico, the National Coordination for a Feminist Millenium, the Gender and Trade Network-Mexico and the Association of Women in Network (AMMOR). The forum will host panels and debates. Hotel Best Western, Plaza Caribe, Tulum & Uxmal, Lote 19. For more information, Mujeres Hacia Cancun, mujereshaciacancun@yahoo.com.mx, Mujer Dialogo, mujerdialogo@prodigy.net.mx, Tel/Fax: + 52 (55) 5 544-2202, Tel. +52 (55) 5 544-6902, Virginia Betanzos,”Grupo Plural de Mujeres en el Estado de Quintana Roo, A.C,” member of the Comite de Bienvenida, betanzos_51@yahoo.com.mx; Internet: http://www.laneta.apc.org/omc2/.
8-9 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL PEASANT FORUM: FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND FREE TRADE. Via Campesina and UNORCA are organising an International Peasant Forum focusing on the WTO Agreement on Agriculture and its impact on food sovereignty. The aim of the forum and the farmer’s movement is to stop the advancement of negotiations at the Ministerial, defend the rights of small farmers and food sovereignty, remove the WTO from agriculture, stop the privatization of public services and stop patents on life. For further information, contact Via Campesina, viacam@gbm.hn, UNORCA, unorcared@laneta.apc.org.
8-10 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL PEASANT ENCAMPMENT CANCUN. Via Campesina and UNORCA are organising an international encampment in Cancun during the International Farmer’s Forum. The encampment will host small farmer organizations, indigenous organisations, fishermen, sharecroppers, migrant workers, landless farmers and rural women’s organizations from different countries and continents. For further information, contact Via Campesina, viacam@gbm.hn, UNORCA, unorcared@laneta.apc.org.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: “REAL CANCUN TOUR”. Journalists are invited on a tour to see what life looks like in the “real” Cancun under WTO agreements. Members of the press are invited to join a bus & walking tour through the local community of Cancun. This real life tour will provide an opportunity to talk to people who have direct experience with privatized water systems. The tour will also visit a municipal dump to see first hand the ecological issues associated with privatization of waste services, as well as a water treatment facility. Time and location: 9 a.m., tour leaves from the WTO zone, KM 0 just outside the
entrance to the ‘hotel zone’. More information about tour: ENGLISH: Karl Flecker CELL +52 99 870 54 204; SPANISH: Raul Benet CELL +52 9981 204583.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: ROUNDTABLE: THE REALITY OF TRADE, organised by the North-South Institute. The participants will discuss the following questions: What lessons can we draw from the Uruguay Round for the current negotiations at the World Trade Organisation (WTO)? What does a development agenda means for the WTO in the view of the experiences with the last trade negotiations? Place: NH Krystal Hotel. For further information please contact Maud Bergeron, tel: +1 613 241-3535 ext.268; email: kbergeron@nsi-ins.ca.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: DISCUSSION MEETING ON RIS REPORT ON ‘WORLD TRADING SYSTEM AND DEVELOPMENT - 2003′, organised by the Research and Information System for the Non Aligned and Other Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi. As part of the series of activities in preparation of the Fifth Ministerial, RIS has prepared a World Trade and Development Report 2003, highlighting the asymmetries in the evolving world trading system and presenting a development perspective on the Cancun Agenda. The main speakers include Mr. Martin Khor, Third World Network, Mr. Kamal Malhotra, UNDP, Dr Carlos Correa, University of Buenos Aires. The Indian Minister for Trade Mr. Arun Jaitley would launch the report. The meeting will take place from 16:15 to 18:15 in Room 10 ‘A’, NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra. For further information contact Dr Sachin Chaturvedi: sachin@ris.org.in.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: 2003 IMAGINE THAT! AWARDS SHOW. Event sponsored by: Polaris Institute, FoodFirst, Friends of the Earth International, IFG, Global Exchange, Corpwatch, Council of Canadians, Public Citizen and a host of others. Time and location: 6:30 to 7:30pm, Teatro Cancun - Hotel Zone. Contact in Cancun: Karl Flecker + 52.99.870.54.204 or kflecker@sympatico.ca.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: SUSTAINABLE TRADE DAY, organised by the European Commission. The objective of the meeting is to bring together and civil society for an exchange of views and discussions on trade and sustainable development. The aim is to enhance mutual understanding, and to identifu new ideas and policies to enrich the contribution trade policy makes to sustainable development and to successful outcomes for the WSSD Plan of Implementation. Further information available at: http://europa.eu.int/ comm/trade/issues/ global/csd/std.htm.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: IFAP FAMILY FARMERS’ TRADE CONFERENCE, organised by the International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP). Farmers from all over the world will gather on the eve of the 5th WTO Ministerial Conference, in Cancun, to discuss their concerns on trade and agriculture and exchange their views with Trade and Agriculture Ministers. Several Ministers from key agricultural countries have been invited to discuss their country’s aspirations from the Doha agricultural negotiations, followed by questions and discussion with Farm leaders.Place: Fiesta Americana Condesa Hotel, Blvd. Kukulcán Km. 16.5 (5,4 Km South from Convention Center); 9:00 – 12:30, 14:00 – 17:30; Meeting Room: Condesa. For further information contact Julie Emond, email: julie.emond@ifap.org; mobile: +33 6 24 50 15 44; or contact the International Federation of Agricultural Producers, tel: +33 1 45 26 05 53; fax : +33 1 48 74 72 12.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST THE WTO. The Continental Social Alliance is organising a global day of action against the governments participating in the WTO Ministerial. This is an opportunity for civil society to raise its collective and global voice at the WTO. Events planned on the day will include direct actions, sit-ins, blockades and non-violent actions. Moreover, there will be a presentation of a global manifesto against the WTO.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: PEOPLE’S FORUM FOR AN ALTERNATIVE DAY TO THE WTO: INAUGURAL SESSION. For more information, see Foro de Los Pueblos Por Una Alternative a La OMC or Alianza Social Continental. Contact: Foro de Los Pueblos, info@omcmedios.org or foro@omcmedios.org.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: TEACH-IN ON ALTERNATIVES TO GLOBALIZATION AND THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION. Presented by the International Forum on Globalization. The meeting will gather civil society leaders from around the globe. Participants will learn about WTO rules and impacts on food, farming, natural resources, public services and other important issues. In English and in Spanish. Time and Location: 10:30 AM - 8:00 PM, Teatro de Cancun, Blvd. Kukulcan KM 4, Zona Hotelera. More Information Available at www.ifg.org or Call 1-415-561-7650.
9 and 12 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL PARLIAMENTARY UNION (IPU) PARALLEL PARLIAMENTARY SESSION. The event will focus on some of the most controversial areas of current trade negotiations, such as agricultural export subsidies, intellectual property rights and access to essential pharmaceutical products, and trade in services. While leaving the job of actual negotiations to governments, members of parliaments intend to exercise their right of overseeing government action at Cancun in this field. Location: Hotel Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: “KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE CANCUN MINISTERIAL“. Organised by the Third World Network, this forum will bring up the Key Issues that will dominate the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, and the Critical Issues that the Public will be watching out for. Time and location: 8.15-9.45 am, NGO Centre in Hotel Sierra, Blvd. Kukulcan, Km 10 (Hotel Zone). For more information: twnet@po.jaring.my and chienyen2001@yahoo.com.
9 September, Cancun, Mexico: CANCÚN LAUNCH OF THE ZED BOOKS PUBLICATION ‘BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE WTO: THE REAL WORLD OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS’. This new book exposes the arm-twisting and bullying which takes place behind closed doors at the WTO, and calls for a radical shake-up of the Ministerial process. The authors will also reveal new cases of blackmail and arm-twisting in the run-up to the Cancún Ministerial. They will expose how
poorer countries risk losing aid, trade preferences or debt relief if they do not agree to rich countries’ agendas. Time and location: 12 noon, Best Western Clipper Club Hotel (opposite the Convention Center). For more details on the book, please visit www.zedbooks.co.uk.
10-14 September, Cancun, Mexico: WTO FIFTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE. See WTO website section on Cancun for details. The main task will be to take stock of progress in negotiations and other work under the Doha Development Agenda. Location: Quintana Roo.
10-14 September, Cancun, Mexico: LEGAL CLINIC AT THE FIFTH WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO) MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE. This event, jointly organized by the Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development (FIELD), the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Centre for Trade Law and Development Policy (CTLD), will be open to developing country delegates seeking legal advice and assistance on trade and sustainable development issues arising under the Doha Ministerial Declaration. Details of the Legal Clinic will be circulated in Cancún. For further information please email either Alice Palmer (alice.palmer@field.org.uk) or Lisi Tuerk (etuerk@ciel.org), Mexico mobile: +52 998 7048600.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: TRADE IN SERVICES: THE OUTLOOK FOR CANCUN AND THE DOHA ROUND. This briefing will gather senior government trade negotiators from Japan, the EU, the U.S., and other countries. Location: Grand Caribe Hotel. For further information please contact: John Goyer at goyer@uscsi.org.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: PRESS BRIEFING: SERVICES INDUSTRY LEADERS TO DISCUSS OUTLOOK FOR TRADE IN SERVICES. Leaders of the major global service industry associations, including the Coalition of Service Industries, the European Services Forum, Keidanren, and other organizations, will offer a private sector perspective on the outlook for GATS in the context of Cancun and the Doha Round. Time and location: 1:30 2:30 P.M, Hotel Sierra, Room 8, Av. Kukulcan Km. 10, Zona Hotelera. For further information contact: John Goyer at goyer@uscsi.org.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: THE WTO AND BEYOND: CANCUN, MULTILATERALISM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, organised by the WWF. The first session will give a historical perspective on the WTO and will address multilateralism, while the second session will deal with the bilateral and regional trade agreements, and sustainable development.Location: Room 10 C, Hotel Sierra, Ave. Kukulcan, Km. 10 (NGO Centre). For further information see: http://questions.panda.org/ about_wwf/what_we_do/ policy/policy_and_events/ wto_beyond.cfm.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: IMPLICATIONS OF THE WTO NEGOTIATIONS ON FISHING SUBSIDIES FOR
FISHERIES RESOURCES, MARINE BIODIVERSITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, organised by the WWF. This panel will discuss the threats posed by fisheries subsidies to the biological and economical sustainibility of world fisheries and the role that the WTO can play in addressing this threat. Panelists will provide perspectives on the science and economics of the current fisheries crisis, and the role played by overcapacity and harmful subsidies in exacerbating this crisis. Panelists will also discuss the potentially positive role the WTO can play in disciplining harmful fisheries subsidies and contributing to the reduction of overcapacity and overfishing. 4:00-6:00 pm. Location:Room 7, NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Av. Kukulcán Km. 10, Zone Hotelera.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL PEASANT MARCH: FOR PEASANT RIGHTS AND FOOD SOVEREIGNTY. Via Campesina and UNORCA are organising an International Peasant March in order to raise the issues of the rights of peasants and food sovereignty. The march will bring together small farmer’s organisations, indigenous organizations, fishermen, sharecroppers, migrant workers, landless farmers, rural women’s organizations and civil society from different countries and continents. For more information: Via Campesina. Email: Via Campesina, viacam@gbm.hn, UNORCA, unorcared@laneta.apc.org.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM OPENING SESSION: WTO AND THE ENVIRONMENT. The Heinrich Boell Foundation is organising a four-day forum on the impact of the WTO Agreements. The opening session, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. will focus on “The WTO and MEAs: The Doha Round and Beyond.” The second session, from 12:30 until 3:00 p.m., will focus on “The Nafta Environmental Protection Record: Lessons and Warnings for Bilateral Trade, the FTAA and the WTO.” All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: GATS AND GENDER. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a forum session on “Liberalization of Services: Impacts and Alternatives” from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. and a session on “GATS and the WTO Development Agenda after Doha” from 7:00 until 8:30 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION - WTO AND INVESTMENT. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “WTO and Investment,” the 10 September from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
10 September, Cancun, Mexico: NGO FOREST FORUM ON GLOBALIZATION AND THE WTO. North American and Mexican NGOs (Pacific Environment, Organizacion de Ejidos Productores Forestables de La Zona Maya, OEPFZM, UNORCA, Red México al Frente del Libre Comerico (RMALC), International Forum on Globalization (IFG), International Indian Treaty Council, and American Lands) are organizing an NGO Forest Forum to discuss trade, sustainable forest management and the rights of the forest communities. The forum will host presentations, expositions, panels and workshops on issues such the WTO and the survival of forests, trade and timber markets, international trade and the privatisation of land, biodiversity and environmental management, traditional knowledge versus bio-terrorism, forest communities versus industrial plantations, sustainable forest management and certification, eco-tourism and forest products not derived from timber. Time and location: 9 :00 am to 7 :00 pm, Hotel Calinda America, Corner of Tulum and Brisa St. For further information, contact: Cynthia Josayma, Pacific Environment, cjosayma@pacificenvironment.org. Other Forest group activities in Cancun.
10-11 September, Cancun, Mexico: SUSTAINABLE TRADE SYMPOSIUM. In parallel to the Fair Trade Fair, a sustainable trade symposium will be held, with speakers from all over the world presenting innovative approaches to international trade and exploring the reforms that are needed to make trade policy fairer worldwide. Specific attention will be given to how WTO rules and the current negotiations are affecting Fair Trade, eco-labeling and other sustainable trade initiatives. Location: Hotel Casa Maya, Blvd. Kululkan Km. 5.5, Zona Hotelera. Contact: sonja.zimmermann@gersterconsulting.ch, tel: +41 79 310 85 84.
10-12 September, Cancun, Mexico: INTERNATIONAL FAIR TRADE EXPO AND SYMPOSIUM: CELEBRATING AND EXPANDING THE ETHICAL AND SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY DURING THE WTO MINISTERIAL MEETING. Convened by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and Comercio Justo Mexico. Producers from Asia, Africa and Latin America will exhibit a wide variety of Sustainable and Fair Trade Certified Products such as coffe, chocolate and rice. Location: Feria Mexicana, Blvd Kulkulkan Km. 6.5, Playa Tortugas Zona Hotelera.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION ON IMPLEMENTING THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD: DOMESTIC OBLIGATIONS AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN AGRICULTURE. Rights & Democracy, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and Food First Information Action Network (FIAN) are hosting a roundtable discussion that will focus on the implementation of state obligations under international human rights law and compliance with international trade agreements, such as the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. It will identify the value-added of a human rights framework for economic policy-making and make suggestions for an Agreement on Agriculture that would respect human rights. Moreover, it will discuss the progress of the FAO’s Intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Food and the issue of effective remedies for violations of the right to food. 9:00am-12:00pm. Location: Sierra Hotel. For further information, contact: Carole Samdup, Rights & Democracy, csamdup@ichrdd.ca; Stuart Clark, Canada Foodgrains Bank, s_clark@foodgrainsbank.ca; Michael Windfuhr, FIAN, windfuhr@fian.org. For further information on Rights and Democracy see: http://www.ichrdd.ca/splash.html, and on the event: http://www.ichrdd.ca/ frame2.iphtml?langue=0& menu=m01& urlpage=english/commdoc/ publications/ globalization/ Food/Main.html
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: SYMPOSIUM ON “CORN AT THE NEXUS OF DEBATE ON TRADE, HUNGER, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND AGRICULTURE SUBSIDIES“, organised by Consumer’s Choice Council. This event is scheduled to take place from 10:00-13:00 at Cancun’s Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach Hotel. The symposium is open to all, however, the venue is located within the secure area of the WTO’s ministerial meeting, where accreditation is required. The Consumer’s Choice Council is a non-profit association of 66 environmental, consumer, and human rights organizations dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting human rights and core labor standards through ecolabeling. See the draft programme.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION: THE DOHA DEVELOPMENT ROUND: EVERYTHING FOR THE CORPORATIONS - NO RIGHTS FOR WORKERS? Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “The Doha Development Round: Everything for the Corporations - No rights for workers?” the 11 September from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION ON THE TRIPS REVIEW: A ROADMAP FOR PROTECTING FARMERS’ RIGHTS. Realising the need to make the TRIPS Agreement farmers’ rights friendly particularly in the context of ongoing review, a group of NGOs have teamed up to organise this Panel Discussion in the sideline of the Cancun Ministerial Conference of the WTO. The objectives of the Discussion are inter alia to: create pressure on the trade ministers and officials to make decision at Cancun to harmonise TRIPS Agreement with CBD, ITPGR and other international instruments; and to sensitise a wide range of stakeholders about the need to protect farmers’ rights by exercising the options contained the in TRIPS Agreement. Time and location: 10:30 hours to 13:00 hours, Hotel Sierra (NGO centre), Room # 3, Av. Kukulcán Km. 10, Zona Hotelera.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: FAO SYMPOSIUM ON AGRICULTURE, TRADE REFORMS AND WORLD FOOD SECURITY. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is organising a symposium on the theme of agriculture trade reforms. The symposium will centre on the experience and lessons learned by developed and developing countries in relation to agriculture trade reforms. Moreover, the discussions will also focus on food security and rural development, mechanisms of financing imports of basic foodstuffs, and the impact of the SPS/TBT Agreements on developing countries. Speakers will include, S. Tangeman (OECD), H. Thomas (FAO), A. Sarris (FAO), L. Rutten (UNCTAD) and John Wilson (World Bank). The symposium will be held from 10:00-13:00, Hotel Gran Melia Cancun, Lanzarote Room, Blvd Kukulcan Km 16.5, Zona Hotelera.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: THE SINGAPORE ISSUES - WHAT’S AT STAKE? WHAT WILL HAPPEN? Organised by the Third World Network, this forum will discuss the implications of the issues, the different positions of the countries, the latest developments, the possible outcomes, and what we can do. Time and location: 5.15-6.45 pm, NGO Centre in Hotel Sierra, Blvd. Kukulcan,Km 10 (Hotel Zone). For more information: twnet@po.jaring.my and chienyen2001@yahoo.com.
11-12 September, Cancun, Mexico, CANCUN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT SYMPOSIUM. Hotel Gran Melia. Please see also the Guidelines for Workshop Organisers.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: IPRS, TRADE AND CHALLENGES FOR DEVELOPMENT: SUBSTANCE AND PROCESS (Session 1.1 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Co-organised by Quaker International Affairs Programme, Quaker United Nations Office and the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. This session will seek to highlight some of the key challenges higher IPRs standards pose for development and to question the process by which new IPRs rules are being negotiated. Time and location: 9:30am-1:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Miro Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: TOWARDS A PRO-POOR AGENDA FOR THE DOHA ROUND: THE ROLE OF RICH COUNTRIES AND INTERNATIONAL DONORS (Session 1.2 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). This session, organised by the Center for Global Development and the World Bank, will take up the issue of “aid for trade”, capacity building, and the role of donors and international agencies in providing technical advice and resources to help development. Time and location: 9:30am-1:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Murillo Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: STANDARDS AND MARKET ACCESS: NORTHERN CONSUMERS - SOUTHERN PRODUCERS: THE NEED FOR AN ALLIANCE (Session 1.3 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by CUTS-CITEE. The objectives of the discussions are inter alia: to generate awareness amongst Northern consumers of the negative impact of such non-tariff measures on developing countries’ exports; and to discuss ways in which greater participation of developing countries in international standard setting bodies can be facilitated. Time and location: 9:30am-1:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Picasso Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: PUTTING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INTO TRADE NEGOTIATIONS (Session 1.4 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). This session is organised by the United Nations Development Programme. Time and location: 9:30am-1:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Del Prado Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: AGRICULTURE, MARKET ACCESS AND LIVELIHOODS (Session 2.1 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), this session will be divided into two parts: the first part is entitled: “Is There a Future for Family Farming in West Africa?”; and the second part is entitled: “Agri-Food Supply Chains: Impacts of Concentration on Incomes & Livelihoods”. Time and location: 2:30-6:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Miro Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: FREE TRADE, DEVELOPMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY: LESSONS FROM MEXICO (Session 2.2 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the World Wildlife, this workshop will explore a retrospective look at Mexico’s ten year record with economic integration and prospective discussion of lessons for the WTO and international trade regime. Time and location: 2:30-6:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Murillo Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: HOW CAN TRADE STIMULATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AGRICULTURE? (Session 2.3 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the Trade Knowledge Network (TKN), this session will focus its discussion on how developing countries could make use of new developments within the framework of the WTO trade negotiations to promote sustainable development. Time and location: 2:30-6:30pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Picasso Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: GATS: THE WTO’S INVESTMENT AGREEMENT FOR SERVICES. Co-organised by World Development Movement, UK, Public Services International, and EcoNews Africa (Kenya), this meeting will look at the huge uncertainties surrounding how the GATS rules apply. Time and Location: 12.30 - 14.30, Hotel Sierra, NGO Centre (Hotel Zone). Contact clarejoy_wdm@yahoo.com for more details.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: HOW CAN CIVIL SOCIETY INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT POLICIES ON THE WTO? CASE STUDIES FROM KENYA AND UGANDA. The seminar is hosted by the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) and will provide opportunities to hear from African activists who have been instrumental in influencing government policies. Time and location: 15:15 - 17:00, Room 4 “El Jaguar”, Hotel Sierra, Av. Kukulcan Km 10, Zona Hotelera. For more information contact Alison Marshall: amarshall@cafod.org.uk.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: WATER. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a forum session entitled “Multilateral Policies on Standby for the Transnational Water Companies” from 9:30 until 11:00 a.m., a session on “Case Studies on the Effects of Water Privatisation on the Local Level” from 11:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. and a session entitled “Towards a Just and Sustainable Water Policy” from 1:30 until 3:00 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: GLOBAL GREENS. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a forum session entitled “The Hidden Cost of Trade” from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. and a session called “Meeting Global Greens” from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: TEACH-IN: HUMAN RIGHTS STRATEGIES FOR TRADE JUSTICE. The International NGO Committee on Human Rights in Trade and Investment (INCHRITI) is organizing a teach-in on “Human rights strategies for trade justice”. The teach-in will be held between 2:00 and 5:00 pm. For further information, contact Peter Prove, INCHRITI, pnp@lutheranworld.org.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION: GATS MODE IV. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “GATS-Mode IV” the 11 September from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION ON “TRIPS AND DEVELOPMENT: AGENDA BEFORE TRADE REGIME”, organised by the Research and Information System for the Non Aligned and Other Developing Countries (RIS) New Delhi. This event is scheduled to take place from 16:00 to 18:00 in Room number 6, NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra. The main speakers include Dr Carlos Correa, Professor, University of Buenos Aires, Dr Nagesh Kumar, Director General, RIS, India, Dr P. Balakrishna, IUCN, Sri Lanka. For further information contact Dr Sachin Chaturvedi: sachin@ris.org.in.
11 September, Cancun, Mexico: THE NEW TECHNOLOGICAL WAVE. The Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group), the International Centre for Technology Assessment (ICTA) and the International Forum on Globalization (IFG) are organising this event. Topics of discussion include: the erosion of new and merging technologies, and new materials and nanomachines. As critics see a further erosion of human rights and the unleashing of novel, toxic and potentially self-replicating materials, the conference will attempt to answer the following question: can we stop the wave before it crashes? Time and location: 6:00-10:00 pm, Casa de la Cultura de Cancún, Ave. Yaxchilan, Super Manzana 21 between Ave. Xpuhil and Ave. Labna.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: INVESTMENT AS IF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REALLY MATTERED (Session 3.1 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA), the session will explore the ways in which current investment rules impact on the quality of investment and other public policy goals. Time and location: 9:00am-1:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Miro Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: RULES AND INSTITUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA (I) (Session 3.2 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). This session on Rules and Institutions for Sustainable Development in Latin America is co-organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Latin American Trade Network. This is the first of two sessions that will explore, inter alia: sustainable development, and the opposing rights of nations and private investors; and institutional design and WTO Management: recent strategies employed by Latin American countries. Time and location: 9:00am-1:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Murillo Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: POWER, TRADE, AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES: THE GLOBAL VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS (Session 3.3 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the Global Value Chain Network, this session will examine how the new international trade regime under the WTO and a variety of bi-lateral trade agreements determine entry barriers but also create new possibilities for developing country farms and firms to participate in international trade. Time and location: 9:00am-1:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Picasso Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION — TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT: HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE WTO AGENDA. Rights & Democracy and 3D-Trade-Human Rights-Equitable Economy are organizing a panel discussion examining international trade rules and practice through the lens of international human rights norms. The aim of the panel is to increase the level of comfort around discussion of human rights within international trade circles, in order to ensure more policy coherence between the promotion of trade and the protection of human rights. The five panelists are Mary Robinson (Director, Ethical Globalization Initiative, and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), Marieclaire Acosta (Under-Secretary of state for Human Rights and Democracy, Government of Mexico (2001-2003)), Paul Hunt (UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health), Dominique Njinkeu (Executive Director, International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty) and Susan Whelan (Minister for International Development, Canada).The panel will take place on September 12, from 9:30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., at the Hotel Krystal, Cancun. WTO accreditation will be required to gain access to the venue. For further information, contact: Caroline Dommen, 3D-Trade-Human Rights-Equitable Economy, info@3dthree.org; Carole Samdup, Rights & Democracy, csamdup@ichrdd.ca.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: CULTURAL DIVERSITY. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a panel discussion entitled “GATS and Sustainable Development - How does Liberalization of Trade in Audiovisual and Cultural Services Challenge Cultural Diversity?” from 10:15 until 11:45 a.m. and will launch the “Cancun Declaration on Cultural Diversity” from 11:45 until 12:30 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: TRIPS. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host a forum session on TRIPS from 1:00 until 2:30 p.m. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION: ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES OF SERVICES LIBERALIZATION. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “Environmental Consequences of Services Liberalization” the 13 September from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: RECOVERING ‘SPACES FOR DEVELOPMENT POLICY’: SPECIAL & DIFFERENTIAL TREATMENT, INNOVATION, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Session 4.1 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by Christian Aid and the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), this session will use the concept of “spaces for development policies” to explore some key issues relating to special and differential treatment, as well as the relationship between technology/innovation policies, development strategies, and trade rules. Time and location: 2:00-6:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Miro Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: RULES AND INSTITUTIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA (II) (Session 4.2 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). Organised by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Latin American Trade Network. This is the second of two sessions that will explore inter alia: WTO Management: WTO responses to developing countries particularly in the preparation for Cancun. Time and location: 2:00-6:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Murillo Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: POST-DOHA MARGINALISATION OF LDC CONCERNS (Session 4.3 of Cancun Trade and Development Symposium). The Centre for Policy Dialogue is organising this session with a view to (inter alia): highlight the trade interests and concerns of the LDCs in the context of the evolving WTO regime; and to mobilise broad-based support in favour of the LDCs during the Cancun negotiations and to consolidate LDC solidarity around common issues of concerns. Time and location: 2:00-6:00pm, Hotel Gran Melia, Picasso Room, Boulevard Kukulcan, km. 16.5.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: GATS INFORMATION-FOR-ACTION EXCHANGE: GLOBAL ACTIVISM - WHAT’S HAPPENING? This workshop at the Cancun Global People’s Forum is organized by the Center for international Environmental Law (CIEL) and World Development Movement (WDM) and will offer an opportunity for regional break-outs and updates.Time and location: 14:00-16:00, Margaritas Hotel, Avenida Yaxchilan 41. Contact clarejoy_wdm@yahoo.com for more information.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: FAIR TRADE STRATEGY OF THE AMERICAS FORUM. The Fair Trade Policy Forum aims to complement the Sustainable Trade Symposium, by serving as a springboard for a more coordinated Fair Trade Strategy of the Americas, with the participation of key stakeholder groups. Participants include farmers, artisan groups, NGOs, certification organizations, government and multilateral agency representatives. This process will be led by Equiterr; Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Comercio Justo. In order to carry this process forward beyond Cancun 2003, working groups will be established among different stakeholder groups. 9:15am-7:00pm. Location: Hotel Casa Maya, Blvd Kulkulkan, Km. 5.5, Zona Hotelera.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: PEOPLE’S FORUM: PRIVATIZATION OF PUBLIC SERVICES. The People’s Forum for an Alternative to the WTO will be hosting a day of discussion and events on the theme of privatisation of public services. For further information, contact: info@omcmedios.org or foro@omcmedios.org.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: A PANEL DISCUSSION: A GENDER AGENDA FOR WTO. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “A Gender Agenda for WTO” the 12 September from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOELL FORUM: AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE. The Heinrich Boell Foundation will host two panel discussions from 4:00 until 8:30 p.m. entitled “Greening Agriculture in the Face of Globalization: A Dialogue on the Way Forward” and “Who Will Feed the World? Liberalization of Agricultural Trade Through the Agreement on Agriculture and Food Sovereignty”. All sessions will take place at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, Cancun and will be open to the public.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION: PEASANT FARMERS AND MARKET ACCESS. Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) is holding a panel discussion on “Peasant Farmers and Market Access” the 12 September from 3:00 until 5:00 p.m. in the NGO Centre, Hotel Sierra, Room 8. For further information, please contact: info@fes-geneva.org.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTS IN RECENT WTO LAW AND ‘JURISPRUCENCE’ . In partnership with the Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa, and with guidance from the International Development Law Organization and the Cambridge Lauterpacht Research Centre for International Law, the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law presents an Experts Panel at the 5th Ministerial Conference of World Trade Organization (WTO). For further information see www.cisdl.org or contact mgehring@cisdl.org. Time and location: 2pm - 4pm in Room Madrid I of Hotel Krystal.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: COMPETITION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. The Centre for International Sustainable Development Law presents an Experts Panel with guidance from IDRC and the ICN at the 5th Ministerial Conference of the WTO. Time and location: 4pm – 6 pm in Room Madrid I of Hotel Krystal. For further information see www.cisdl.org or contact mgehring@cisdl.org.
12 September, Cancun, Mexico: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE DEVELOPMENT AGENDA? This discussion is organised by the Third World Network. Time and location: 2.00 to 4.00 pm, NGO Centre in Hotel Sierra. For more information: twnet@po.jaring.my and chienyen2001@yahoo.com.
13 September, Cancun, Mexico: MEAS AND THE WTO. IISD and the Royal Institute of International Affairs will be convening a workshop on the relationship between WTO rules and the MEAs, with a focus on the Doha negotiations. The event builds on an earlier experts’ workshop at Chatham House in London, and briefing sessions in Brussels and Geneva.Time and location: 9:00 - 11:00 am, NGO Centre. For further information: tel: +1 (204) 958-7700; fax: +1 (204) 958-7710; Internet: http://www.iisd.org.
13 September, Cancun, Mexico: MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND THE WTO. This conference will analyse and discuss the inter-relationship between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the multilateral trading system, overseen by the WTO. This session will reflect the outcomes of a joint Royal Institute of the International Affairs (RIIA) / International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) study that is available on the RIIA website www.riia.org. Time and location: 9am-11am at the Sierra Hotel, Room 3.
13 September, Cancun, Mexico: BOOK LAUNCH, THE STATE OF TRADE LAW AND THE ENVIRONMENT. This book, produced by IISD and the Center for International Environmental Law explores four key issues, tracking their progress from the pre-WTO rulings to the latest decisions, examining in each case the environmental implications, and the implications for the Doha negotiations. The issues, which the authors find have fundamentally changed over the last decade, are: PPMs and extraterritoriality; WTO-MEAs; science and precaution; and TRIPS-CBD. Time and location: 5:00 - 6:00 pm, NGO Centre. For further information: tel: +1 (204) 958-7700; fax: +1 (204) 958-7710; Internet: http://www.iisd.org.
13 September, Cancun, Mexico: THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY IN GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: PRIORITIES FOR THE UN-SECRETARY GENERAL’S HIGH-LEVEL PANEL ON CIVIL SOCIETY. The UN-Secretary General has established a high-level panel, chaired by Fernando Henrique Cardoso, to advise him on reforming and enhancing the UN’s relations with civil society. The panel is keen to hear a wide range of perspectives, particularly from civil society, in the course of its work and hence is reaching out to wherever there are important constituencies. One such comprises the civil society organizations working on trade, finance and global social justice and hence one panel member and the secretariat’s director have organized this meeting to explain about the panel and listen to the concerns and specific proposals from CSOs attending the WTO Ministerial relating to the role of civil society in inter-governmental organizations and processes. Time and location: 11:45 am- 1:15 pm, NGO briefing room, Fiesta Americana Coral Beach Hotel. For further information: www.un.org/reform/panel.htm.
14 September, Cancun, Mexico: THE CANCUN OUTCOME: PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS. This forum provides a space to reflect on the latest situation and on the future. Time and location: 10.15 am -1.15 pm, NGO Centre in Hotel Sierra, Blvd. Kukulcan,Km 10 (Hotel Zone). For more information: twnet@po.jaring.my and chienyen2001@yahoo.com.
14 September, Cancun, Mexico: PEOPLE’S FORUM: THE ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES. The People’s Forum for an Alternative to the WTO will be hosting a day of discussion and events on the environment and natural resources. For more information, see Foro de Los Pueblos Por Una Alternative a La OMC, contact: info@omcmedios.org or foro@omcmedios.org.
14 September, Cancun, Mexico: PANEL DISCUSSION: CHANCES AND LIMITS OF WTO REFORM AND THE FUTURE OF MULTILATERAL TRADE. The Heinrich Boell Foundation is organising a panel discussion on the theme of WTO reform. The panel will “showcase” the UNDP-study approach to WTO reform, which bases its suggestions on the imperative of human rather than economic development, suggest a more human rights based approach to reform and contrast these proposals with alternative civil society views that believe the WTO to be beyond “reformability.” The panellists will include, amongst others, Kamal Malhotra (UNDP), Mariama Williams (IGTN) and Fritz Kuhn, German Green Parliamentary Group. The panel will take place on the 14th September, from 11:00 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Best Western Hotel, Plaza Caribe, Tulum 13, downtown Cancun. For further information, please contact: Liane Schalatek, HBF Washington, liane@boell.org.
10-14 November, Island Cove Resort, Cavite City, Philippines: SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT AND TRADE, organised by Oxfam International in cooperation with Tambuyog Development Center - Philippines.
20-21 November, Vienna, Austria: THE WTO AFTER CANCUN, HALF TIME OF A NEW TRADING ROUND, organised by the European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA) and the Research Institute for European Affairs (IEF).
Civil Society mobilisation: A broad spectrum of Mexican and international civil society organisations — 142 in all — has called for the organisation and coordination of “information exchanges, massive public education, mobilisation, and actions of protest, pressure, lobbying and repudiation” in the leadup to and around the WTO’s Cancun Ministerial.As part of this initiative, the group has launched an open Spanish/English electronic listserv, entitled acancun-l@laneta.apc.org. To sign up to the list, click here. Further information can be obtained from the Centro de Estudios para el Cambio en el Campo Mexicano (Ceccam) Vito Alessio Robles No. 76 casa 7 Col. Florida. México, D.F. 01030 tel: 525 6 61 19 25 y 525 6 61 53 98.