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Hot topics
Over the years, the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Public Forum has become one of the most
important platforms for dialogue amongst the stakeholders of the
multilateral trading system. It is now a significant feature of
the international calendar. The 2007 Forum is scheduled to take
place at a time when the Doha negotiations are gathering
momentum, but the benefits of globalization are challenged by
both North and South, and concerns are growing over the impact
of globalization on the environment - all this as the
multilateral trading system celebrates its 60th Anniversary.
This year's Forum – “How Can the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Help Harness
Globalization?” – is aimed at stimulating a frank debate on the
role the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ can play in using trade as an engine of
development, and on how it can contribute to a better
distribution of the benefits of trade in today's globalized
economy. The Forum will address the tools that the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ requires
to help harness globalization, and the need for cooperation
amongst different international organizations. This dialogue can
but strengthen the foundations of the Doha Development Agenda
and the multilateral trading system.
The following four sub-themes will be addressed within the
context of the Public Forum:
1. GLOBAL GOVERNANCE: the challenges that interdependence
and globalization present and the role the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ can play to
ensure that globalization works to the benefit of all peoples;
2. COHERENCE: (a) the need for national and international
coherence; and (B) the contribution of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ to the
construction of a coherent multilateral system;
3. ECONOMIC GROWTH: trade as a vehicle for growth and
development;
4. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: the interaction of trade and
sustainable development.
A brief description of the main questions that will be dealt
with by each panel is presented below. The main questions are
organized by sub-theme and by session.
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The main aspect of this theme is the challenge that
interdependence and globalization present and the role that
the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ can play to ensure that globalization works to the
benefit of all peoples.
Session 1: A GOVERNANCE AUDIT OF THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ: ROUNDTABLE
DISCUSSION ON MAKING
GLOBAL TRADE WORK FOR DEVELOPMENT
This session will address the following questions:
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How has the rise of developing country coalitions altered the
transparency of the consensus-building process?
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To what extent have coalitions addressed challenges of
effective participation by the weakest members of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ
system?
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To what extent does the Trade Policy Review Mechanism (TPRM)
improve the information asymmetries in the trading system?
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Could a reformed monitoring process improve the responsiveness
of the trade system to sustainable development concerns?
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How have developing countries participated in this mechanism?
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What are the options for governing trade-related technical
assistance and capacity building to ensure recipient
developing countries are in the drivers seat?
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What should be the scope of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Secretariat’s role in the
generation and dissemination of knowledge about the
international trade system?
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What approaches to the governance of research and public
outreach would best serve developing countries?
Session 5: HARNESSING GLOBALIZATION: UNPACKING THE CONCEPT
This session attempts to engage and bridge the academic,
diplomatic and NGO debates and to improve our understanding
how concepts, such as harnessing globalization, are utilized
in debates and negotiations by various actors within the
system.
The session will be guided by the following questions:
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What is the role of ideas in international politics?
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Who invented the concept of harnessing globalization, is it a
European construct? How is this concept understood?
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Does globalization need to be harnessed and if so what roles
play different institutions and actors?
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Is the concept limited to the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ; how do other international
economic institutions, e.g. World Bank/IMF/UNCTAD, etc “deal”
with it? Is convergence or divergence in its use visible? Does
this create tensions among institutions?
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How do developing countries interpret the concept, how is it
different from notion, such as “policy space”? How do emerging
economies who have gained voice within the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ understand and
apply the concept?
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How do these concepts influence thinking about reforming the
system generally? Where could the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ most likely contribute
to harness Globalization….
Session 17 & Session 28: GLOBAL TRADE GOVERNANCE AND THE ROLE
OF THE SOUTH:
THEORY AND PRACTICE IN ENHANCING THE ROLE OF THE SOUTH: PART I
AND PART II
These linked panel events will provide the venue for an
integrated discussion to link academic and practitioner
perspectives on how the rapidly changing context of global
geopolitical and economic relations should be addressed
through a more active role of the South in: (a) participating
in global economic governance institutions such as the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ;
and (b) improving the ability of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ to facilitate
Southern participation in its governance processes to improve
the development-orientation of the ongoing negotiations.
Session 21: TRADE STORIES, TRADE PERCEPTIONS: MEDIA COVERAGE
AND PUBLIC VIEWS
OF TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT
This session will address the following questions:
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How does the media cover the so-called Doha Development Agenda
(DDA)? How are the challenges and problems reported? Whose
views are reflected in reporting?
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How does coverage vary between countries, between the North
and South, and between type and editorial position of media
organisations?
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How do editors and journalists view the opportunities and
challenges for the media to engage public audiences on trade
and development issues?
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Attracting and working with the media – what has been the
experience of civil society, North and South?
Session 24: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL STANDARDS IN PROMOTING FAIR
TRADE
This session seeks to contribute to make trade work better for
development by highlighting the role of social standards and
aims in particular:
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to provide new insights into the relationship between social
standards and international trade;
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to identify good practices that show how social standards can
promote fair trade and how they can be implemented effectively
on a voluntary basis; and
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to explore forms of increased coherence between international
organizations in the context of social standards.
Session 30: REBALANCING TRADE WITH GLOBAL NORMS
The session will address the following questions:
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What is the experience of using different UN instruments to
raise concerns about the impact of economic globalization on
peoples’ livelihoods? What impact, if any, has it had on the
evolution of the multilateral trading system? What steps are
needed to ensure that trade rules do not violate UN norms?
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What is the experience of promoting access to medicines and
the right to health in the trade regime? What steps should be
taken in the future to ensure that °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ rules do not violate
obligations of States to uphold the right to health?
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What kind of trade framework would be consistent with the
objectives outlined in the Kyoto Protocol? how can the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ
work cooperatively with international efforts to address
climate change?
Session 35: HOW CAN GLOBALIZATION WORK FOR WORKERS?
The session will address the following questions:
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What can be said about the current state of distribution of
benefits of trade?
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Where are the obstacles to a fairer distribution of benefits
from trade?
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What ideas, policies and good practices are needed to build a
more equal and sustainable system?
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How can policies, such as trade, labour and social policies,
reinforce and complement each other in attaining the overall
objective of sustainable development (i.e. raising standards
of living and ensuring full employment and a large and
steadily growing volume of real income and effective demand?)
Session 36: THE ROLE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNICAL CHANGE IN
HARNESSING GLOBALIZATION: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The point of debate here is more on how the positive impact of
globalization can be fostered and which barriers to this
exchange of knowledge and ideas need to be addressed. A couple
of areas of potential point of debate are the following:
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How far will this process go; will we see a continued growth
in international trade due to innovation, or will we see some
goods and services continuing to be provided at the national
level?; and
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What challenges does this pose for countries; how can they
adjust to this continued globalization process?
Session 39: CAPITALS AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC COMMONS
The basic rationale for the panel is to consider more fully
the challenge of making the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ work for all of its members as
ultimately a consensus organization must.
Questions likely to be raised and addressed include:
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What are the principal growth/development strategies of the
countries of greatest concern to you? These might include, for
example, export led growth; domestic growth; focus on key
sectors or industries; the role of inward and outward
investment;
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What are the relevant existing °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ rules and conditions of
greatest concern? These could include tariff levels abroad and
at home; subsidy disciplines; antidumping disciplines; and
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What changes, including additions to °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ rules would be most
likely to complement or impede the development/growth
strategies of particular countries?
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This theme addresses:
A. the need for national and international coherence; and
B. the contribution of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ to the construction of a
coherent multilateral system.
Session 2: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ DISPUTE SETTLEMENT – ITS IMPACT ON THE
MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM AND ITS ROLE IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD
This panel will examine the role of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ dispute settlement
system in the multilateral trading system and, more generally,
on the broader context of the deepening and specialization of
international law. It will explore the following questions,
among others:
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What is the role of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ dispute settlement system within
the multilateral trading system? What impact does it have on
the other functions of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ?
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What is the role of adjudication in international relations?
What are the consequences of judicialization for national
sovereignty?
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How does °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ law and its dispute settlement system relate to
other areas of international law and their corresponding
mechanisms for dispute settlement? What are the consequences
of the rapid development and growing specialization of
international law and of the increasing number of
international and regional adjudicative systems? Are
divergence and potential conflicts an issue? How can coherence
be achieved?
Session 12: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND
DEVELOPMENT DISCOURSES AND NATIONAL POLICY-MAKING
The panel will present and discuss some of the major
challenges faced by developing countries to achieve coherent
and equalitarian development policy at the national level,
while facing inconsistent and contradictory development
recipes by the two sets of international organizations.
Session 14: THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF FTAS: CHALLENGES AND
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUTURE MULTILATERAL TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
This session:
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will focus on the implications for the world trading system of
the deep transformations it is currently experiencing, in
particular the rapid development of free trade agreements (FTAs)
around the world, but also other structural changes such as
the growing fragmentation of the production internationally
and the future place of emerging economies in world trade;
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will consider the impact of these transformations both on the
need for a coherent multilateral trading system and on the
ability of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ membership to negotiate future multilateral
agreements. This should involve both political economy
considerations as well as practical aspects in relation to
multilateral negotiations (such as the road-testing potential
effect of bilateral agreements for complex or emerging
issues); and
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aims to address the future role of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ in relation to
other forms of trade openness; how it can be articulated to
them; and how trade opening outside the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ could be framed in
order to facilitate this articulation.
Session 18: MAINSTREAMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE INTO NATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
This session will address the following questions:
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Do pro-development outcomes of multilateral trade negotiations
lead to pro-poor growth outcomes at the national level?
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What kind of complementary policies and institutions are
required for export-led growth to impact positively on
poverty-reduction?
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What are the social and human considerations required to embed
in national trade policy?
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What are the necessary changes required in the process of
trade policy making?
Session 22: THE TRADE DIMENSION OF GLOBALIZATION: MULTILATERAL
(°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ) OR REGIONAL (RTAS)
The objectives of this session are:
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To help less-advantaged countries understand what is currently
happening in the field of trade agreements (bilateral,
regional or multilateral) and what the implications for them
are; to sound the alarm bell that this is not to the benefit
of poor and disadvantaged countries;
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To raise awareness of the importance of the multilateral
trading system (and the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ) as the most efficient and fair
system to harness globalization.
Session 26: A MISSING INSTRUMENT: A °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ/REGIONAL INTEGRATION
GLOBAL ACADEMIC NETWORK
The main objective of the session will be to initiate the
debate on the Network’s main characteristics and to answer,
among others, the following questions:
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Network of individual persons or network of institutions?
Would it be adequate to proceed in stages: beginning as a
network of persons without excluding the future evolution
towards a network of institutions?
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Main tasks of the network, in particular in its first stage.
How to guarantee an enhanced involvement of academics from
developing countries?
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Is it appropriate for the Network to address not only °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ
matters but Regional Integration and Bilateral agreements as
well?
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How to set up the first "core group" without hurting
susceptibilities? Would it be reasonable to begin by including
the academics that have participated in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Regional
Courses?
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What is the best institution to convene the first constitutive
meeting? What is the best timing to implement the initiative?
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How to enlarge the network, on the basis of the "first core
group"?
Session 27: DOES THE SINGLE UNDERTAKING STILL UNDERPIN THE
COHERENCE OF THE GLOBAL TRADING SYSTEM?
The main issue of this session is the relation between
institutional design and the effectiveness of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ. It will
address the following questions:
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How can the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ ensure coherence in existing obligations, and
coherence with governance in all its other forms, while
managing efficient negotiations on renovation and expansion of
the obligations?
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Given that so-called Variable Geometry and other flexibilities
mean that in practice the extent and rigour of actual
obligations differ widely among Members, is the Single
Undertaking framework either necessary or worth the cost?
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Must the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ agreements remain a Single Undertaking, must
every negotiation be part of a round, and must every round be
a Single Undertaking?
Session 29: COHERENT STRATEGIES FOR TRADE LIBERALIZATION –
BOTTOM-UP POLICIES REGIONAL AGREEMENTS AND °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ-SYSTEM
COMPATIBILITY
This session will address the following questions:
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In a "post-Doha" environment how can unilateral, regional and
multilateral liberalization and rule-making be made to
converge and/or complement each other?
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What is the role of autonomous, non-discriminatory
liberalization for the multilateral system?
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What role can the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ play in supporting national and regional
policies?
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Is the traditional multilateral model of mutual concessions
extended on an MFN basis still viable? How to create
incentives for further unilateral, non-discriminative reforms
that are coherent and consistent with the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ system?
Session 33: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ DISPUTE SETTLEMENT: A VEHICLE FOR COHERENCE?
This session will examine the question of whether panels and
the Appellate Body have a role in fostering coherence between
°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ and other international law and address the following
questions:
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If they do have that role, do they exercise it sufficiently
well? What is the experience so far, looking at specific cases
and decisions?
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Are transparency and public participation useful procedural
tools to enhance coherence in the context of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ dispute
settlement? If so, how should they be improved?
Session 37: THE CHALLENGES OF COHERENCE: DO WE NEED A CRITICAL
ANALYSIS?
The issues and questions selected for discussion are the
following:
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What is the contribution of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ´s dispute settlement to a
coherent interpretation of commitments? How does it interact
with regional systems? What role does the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ play in disputes
amongst regional partners? Can this role be enhanced?
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How are efforts at rationalization and convergence playing out
in regional agreements? What are the issues in which progress
is making headway? What is the potential contribution of the
December 2006 General Council Decision (WT/L/671)?
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What is the role of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ’s trade-related technical
assistance (TRTA) in bringing about coherence in
implementation of commitment? What types of problems does
coherence itself rise? To what extent is TRTA preempting a
legal interpretation of rules?
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This theme looks at trade as a vehicle for growth and
development.
Session 3: HOW CAN SERVICES TRADE CONTRIBUTE TO HARNESSING
ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT?
The objectives of the session will be:
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to show how open services markets play a major role in
fostering economic development and growth, including:
international banking activities that help in financing the
essential infrastructure for the development of the whole
economy and enhancing entrepreneurship; and international
Telecommunications and Information Society companies that
contribute to bringing essential ITC infrastructure to allow
all countries to participate to the national and global
economy and reduce the digital divide; and
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to demonstrate that Services companies from emerging and
developing countries already export to rich and neighbour
countries, and °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ can contribute to harness further that
unknown potential.
Session 7: BUILDING AND EXPANDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR
AGRICULTURE
The main items of the session will be:
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the potential benefits as well as some of the issues and
challenges linked to the expansion of trade in agriculture and
agri-food;
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the perspectives on the key beneficiaries of an expanded agri-food
marketplace, potential nature and extent of these benefits;
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the relationship between increased trade in agriculture and
the overall economic agendas of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ member nations;
Session 9: ADDRESSING VULNERABILITIES AND COMPETITIVENESS OF
SMALL AND VULNERABLE ECONOMIES (SVEs) IN TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
This session will:
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present a framework that incorporates the development concerns
sought by developing countries in S&DT while upholding the
intrinsic values of a rules-based MTS. The aim is to provide
‘policy spaces’ or flexibilities for economic diversification
and competitiveness;
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focus on the possible interaction of aspects widely discussed
as possible factors limiting the possibility of developing or
less developed countries ability to derive benefits from
international trade, specifically: Smallness, Vulnerability
and Remoteness; and
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inform on a list of situations for negotiations by analysing
specific development problems related to trade, as well as
development issues that trade policy instruments should
contribute to solve.
Session 11: SUPPLY MANAGEMENT IN SUPPORT OF RURAL LIVELIHOODS
UNDER THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ
This session will be focused on:
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the experience of supply management on both domestic and
international markets, with a view to exploring the aims and
history of this policy, its successes and challenges; and
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supply management in the light of various topics which are
addressed under the Doha Round: the African Group’s proposal
on commodities, the future role of state trading enterprises
and the Cotton Initiative.
Session 15: °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ AND SMES: WHAT IS NEEDED TO HAVE A WIN-WIN
SITUATION?
Small and medium-sized companies stand to be among the main
winners of a successful conclusion of the Doha Round. The
panel will try to answer the following questions by
confronting both perspectives: the reality of trade policy on
the one hand, the reality of companies on the other.
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Are the benefits of previous Rounds also tangible on company
level? Is there enough awareness among entrepreneurs of the
opportunities of the ongoing multilateral negotiations?
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And what about negotiators’ and decision-makers’ awareness of
the reality of SMEs, their practical problems and needs? Are
they translated sufficiently well into useful input to the
trade negotiations?
Session 19: THE CONTRIBUTION OF SERVICES TO DEVELOPMENT, THE
ROLE OF REGULATION AND TRADE LIBERALISATION
The objectives of this session are:
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to highlight the importance of services in development;
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to highlight the role of regulatory reform and trade
liberalisation in services and development, and how this might
be done;
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to raise awareness with development actors of how regulatory
reform and trade liberalisation can contribute to development;
and
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to bring services experts together to discuss the development
effects of services.
Session 25: NON-TARIFF BARRIERS TO INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND
ECONOMIC GROWTH – WHAT CAN THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ DO?
This panel will address non-tariff barriers (NTB) to market
opening and suggest ways that the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ can contribute to
improving economic growth by providing a new mechanism for
their removal.
Session 32: THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ'S RECORD IN ADDRESSING TRADE-DISTORTING
SUBSIDIES: AN ASSESSMENT OF ITS RECORD AND PROPOSALS FOR
IMPROVING ITS PERFORMANCE
The main objectives of this session are:
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to review the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ's record in addressing trade-distorting
subsidies, with an example drawn from cotton;
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to underscore the importance of transparency – particularly in
the notification of subsidies – in ensuring that the Agreement
on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (ASCM) works as
intended;
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to explain the work of the Global Subsidies Initiative, which
has developed and proposed a new notification template, and is
testing it out on several countries; and
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to prompt a lively discussion on these issues and ideas with
participants in the session.
Session 34: GLOBALIZATION AND THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ DOHA AGENDA : IMPACT ON
DEVELOPMENT
With the Doha negotiations reaching a crucial crossroads at
this time, it is important to reflect on the development
dimensions and implications of the proposals on the table.
This will be the main theme of the session, discussing
development aspects of Agriculture, NAMA, Services TRIPS, etc.
It will also examine these in the context of the place of
developing countries in Globalization.
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Sustainable Development back to top
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The interaction of trade and economic development, social
development, and environmental protection is explored within
the sub-theme of sustainable development.
Session 4: RESTORING MORALITY TO THE GLOBAL MARKET
The relevant questions to be addressed are the following ones:
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What are (should be) the innate moral attributes of the global
market economy – if any?
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What are the current morality failures of the global market
economy which underlie its loss of legitimacy?
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How can the failures be addressed, what are the priorities and
who must bear responsibility for what, in order to restore and
strengthen the moral attributes identified in the first
question?
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What are the risks and likely outcomes of not addressing these
issues?
Session 6: TRADE AND CLIMATE CHANGE: IS TRADE KILLING OUR
PLANET?
The interactive panel will examine, from a parliamentary
perspective, the varied effects of trade liberalization on the
environment, with a special focus on the nexus between
seaborne trade and climate change.
Session 8: NATURAL RESOURCES, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND
TRADE RULES – NEW INSTRUMENTS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH TRADE AGREEMENTS
This session will discuss new, innovative approaches to the
difficult question of sustainable development in the area of
natural resources trade and services. The following questions
will be addressed:
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What are the lessons for the world trading system from these
new instruments?
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Do changes at the national or regional level affect global
natural resources trade and investment?
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How can the global trading system promote sustainable
development without imposing priorities on individual °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ
members?
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How can international desertification and climate change
problems, international forestry practices, and domestic
mining health and safety laws influence the current Doha
Development Agenda?
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Are there best practices in other forae that the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ could
adopt?
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How do multilateral agreements on natural resources relate to
°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ law, such as freshwater treaties and transboundary
watercourses, and energy regimes?
Session 10: SLOW TRADE – SOUND FARMING: A MULTILATERAL
FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE MARKETS IN AGRICULTURE
The report Slow Trade - Sound Farming discusses a multilateral
reform proposal for social and ecological sustainable
agricultural trading rules. It aims to constitute an
alternative to the current free trade paradigm which largely
ignores the close linkage of trade, equity and environmental
aspects, and proposes concrete political instruments and
institutions targeting at distributional and environmental
aspects of agricultural trade. Starting from the conviction
that a multilateral framework for trade is indispensable, the
report provides policy recommendations how the institutional
framework of a future °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ should be structured in order to
support sustainable development.
Session 13: THE ROLE OF TRADE IN SUPPORTING INTERNATIONAL
EFFORTS TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE
Trade is one of the enabling factors that come into play in
the complex process of climate change mitigation. Within the
multilateral trading system, the core functions of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ –
e.g., development and administration of global trade rules and
provision of a negotiating forum for further liberalization –
have an important place in the trade and climate change
debate.
This session will provide opportunity for information-sharing
and dialogue on links between trade and climate change and the
potential role of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ in supporting climate change mitigation
efforts.
Session 16: AN AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE THAT PROMOTES GLOBAL
DEVELOPMENT
This session will highlight the need for agriculture to have
multilateral trade rules in order to encourage economic growth
and therefore sustainable development of rural communities
worldwide.
Session 20: WHAT ROLE CAN THE °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ PLAY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST
CLIMATE CHANGE?
International governments are adopting a wide range of
policies in order to tackle climate change. Many academics and
lawyers are now beginning to question whether some of these
policies are in breach of certain provisions contained within
the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Agreements. This session will explore the validity of
these concerns and discuss practical solutions for resolving
potential conflicts.
Session 23: HOW BUSINESS-NGO PARTNERSHIPS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO
CONSERVATION AND PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS – A LOOK AT
AFRICAN AND LATIN AMERICAN EXPERIENCES
This session:
-
will share an international NGO’s experience in partnering
with business to harness globalization with shared objectives
of promoting sustainable agriculture, alleviating poverty,
conserving natural resources and protecting biodiversity; and
-
will show how mainstream and global supply chains can engage
in a businesslike and practical way to work on the three
pillars of sustainability, i.e. environmental protection,
economic liability and social justice.
Session 31: TRADE AND CLIMATE CHANGE: PERIL OR PROMISE?
The session will address challenges and opportunities of the
climate and trade nexus and raise the following questions:
-
What is the contribution of energy services liberalization to
key energy reforms and/ measures to combat climate change?
-
Do trade rules support or undermine efforts to establish
necessary energy sector reforms or measures to combat climate
change?
-
Are Intellectual Property Rights a prerequisite or a threat
for measures to combat climate change?
-
Are bilateral trade agreements an option to achieve coherence
between climate and trade policies?
-
Can the liberalization of “green markets” through the
negotiations on environmental goods and services be more than
a mercantilistic market access agenda for industrialised
countries and truly lead to technology transfer and
appropriation by developing countries?
Session 38: TRADE RULES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN
AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: UNDERSTANDING THE LINKAGES
The session will address the following questions:
-
How international trade rules and provisions regarding
investments and intellectual property rights impact the Latin
American and Caribbean export pattern?
-
What are the specific conditions that these rules and
provisions must fulfil in order to become effective
instruments for achieving objectives in the economic, social
and environmental dimensions of development?
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