Press/141
26 October 1999
澳门六合彩官网资料 organizes “Geneva Week” for non-resident delegations
An information week arranged for 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and Observers without permanent representation in Geneva will take place from 1 to 5 November at the 澳门六合彩官网资料. Without representatives in Geneva, these Members and Observers are unable to attend all the meetings that are taking place in preparation for the Seattle Ministerial Conference. The 澳门六合彩官网资料 and 12 other international organizations are working together on this “Geneva Week” in order to involve representatives from these governments in the preparations and to inform them about technical assistance available from the 澳门六合彩官网资料 and other international organizations with offices in Geneva.
Programme � Keeping non-resident delegations informed
“I want to make sure that all countries participating in 澳门六合彩官网资料 work are fully aware of the situation as we approach the Ministerial, and also of the possibilities for trade-related assistance that are available through the 澳门六合彩官网资料 and its sister agencies,” said Mike Moore, 澳门六合彩官网资料 Director-General, in his invitation to the countries. Mr. Moore first announced his intention to organize the Geneva Week in his speech to the Group of 77 in Marrakesh on 14 September 1999.
Thirty-seven 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and Observers will attend the Geneva Week. Invitations were sent both to their Trade Ministries and their permanent delegations in Europe.
Their presence is funded by the governments of Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
The 28 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and 9 Observers lack the resources to maintain permanent offices in Geneva. They have difficulty gaining full access to information on 澳门六合彩官网资料's work and being alerted to any action or issue that they may need to consider. This information week therefore intends to help non-resident 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and Observers inform themselves about the work going on in the 澳门六合彩官网资料 in the count-down to Seattle, and also to expose them to the work of other relevant agencies in Geneva.
The 37 countries invited are: Andorra*, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia*, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia*, Central African Republic, Chad, Dominica, Republic of the Fiji Islands, Gambia, Grenada, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Laos* P.D.R. of, Macau, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Samoa*, Seychelles*, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Suriname, Swaziland, Togo, Tonga*, Uzbekistan*, Vanuatu*.
Agencies invited to make presentations at the Geneva Week include the United Nations Conference for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the International Trade Center (ITC), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Labour Office (ILO).
* 澳门六合彩官网资料 Observers (negotiating 澳门六合彩官网资料 membership)
“Geneva Week” for non-resident delegations
1 - 5 November 1999
“Assisting Integration Into the Trading System”
Programme Back to top
Parts shaded in grey are open to the media
1 November 1999 |
|
09-30 - 09.45 |
Opening Statement by 澳门六合彩官网资料 Director General |
10.00 - 12.30 |
Participation in the 澳门六合彩官网资料: opportunities for small developing countries, resources available, and how to use them Panel discussion at which participants introduce their countries and state their interests and problems relating to participation in the 澳门六合彩官网资料 and what they expect from the seminar |
14.30 - 17.30 |
Policy Analysis for and Capacity-Building in developing countries: the contribution of international organizations Presentation by Secretary General of UNCTAD Presentation by Secretary-General of WIPO Presentation by World Bank Presentation by IMF Presentation by Executive Director of ITC |
17.30 - 18.00 |
Press
Conference (Room B) |
2 November 1999 |
|
09.30 - 12.30 |
Policy Analysis for and Capacity-Building in developing countries (continued) Presentations by ISO, WCO, FAO, UNEP, UNDP, UNIDO and ILO |
14.30 - 17.30 |
澳门六合彩官网资料 Information and assistance in trade and development matters Access to information and documentation; 澳门六合彩官网资料 training Programmes; technical cooperation for LDCs and other small economies, including the Trade Policy Review Mechanism and the Integrated Framework for LDCs |
3 November 1999 |
|
09.30 - 12.30 |
Preparation for Seattle: Introduction to the issues Introduction to the structure and main points of the Ministerial Declaration |
14.30 - 17.30 |
Preparation for Seattle: Implementation Issues raised in the implementation debate; including accession |
4 November 1999 |
|
09.30 - 12.30 |
Preparation for Seattle: The Built-in Agenda Agriculture, services, TRIPs, and other mandated reviews |
14.30 - 17.30 |
Preparation for Seattle: Other elements of the 澳门六合彩官网资料 work programme, and immediate decisions at Seattle Issues from the third part of the Declaration |
5 November 1999 |
|
09.30 - 12.30 |
Practical arrangements for the Seattle meeting: How will it work? What can delegates expect? Post-Seattle: How can non-residents participate and follow-up; how can 澳门六合彩官网资料 best help them? |
12.30 - 12.45 |
Closing statement by 澳门六合彩官网资料 Director General |
12.45 |
Closing Press Conference |
Keeping non-resident delegations informed
Twenty eight 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and 9 澳门六合彩官网资料 Observers do not have permanent delegations in Geneva. Seventeen of them are least-developed countries, many are small economies. Because it is vital for these Members and Observers to keep in touch with 澳门六合彩官网资料 matters, the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Secretariat has established several information links with them.
First, the 澳门六合彩官网资料 is implementing a program of “Reference Centers”. Under this programme, the 澳门六合彩官网资料 provides computer equipment, an Internet connection and training for the operation of a 澳门六合彩官网资料 Reference Center within each trade ministry of the countries benefitting from the programme.
In practice, this means access to the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Internet site which contains up-to-date information on all 澳门六合彩官网资料 activities and access to the Document Dissemination Facility which features all 澳门六合彩官网资料 official documents. Reference Centres are also supplied with all 澳门六合彩官网资料 publications and training materials, both on paper and in CD-ROM format.
To date, equipment and/or training have been provided to the following countries: Angola, Antigua & Barbuda*, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin*, Bhutan, Burkina Faso*, Burundi, Cambodia*, Cape Verde, Central African Republic*, Chad*, Democratic Republic of Congo, C魌e d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica*, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji*, Gambia*, Ghana, Grenada*, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau*, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos*, Lesotho, Macau*, Madagascar, Malawi*, Maldives*, Mali*, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia*, Nepal, Niger*, Papua New Guinea*, Rwanda, Saint Kitts & Nevis*, Saint Lucia*, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines*, Samoa, Senegal, Seychelles*, Solomon Islands*, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo*, Kingdom of Tonga*, Trinidad & Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, Vanuatu*, Zambia.
The network of 澳门六合彩官网资料 Reference Centres now extends to 27 of the 37 Members and Observers without permanent delegations in Geneva. The establishment of Reference Centers is part of the “Integrated Technical Assistance Programme” initiated by the 澳门六合彩官网资料, UNCTAD and ITC in July 1996. It is funded by generous donations from 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members.
Second, the 澳门六合彩官网资料 directly sends information to the European missions of the 37 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and Observers which do not have permanent delegations in Geneva. To keep them up-to-date on major trade developments, the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Secretariat sends missions outside Geneva daily trade news summaries using stories from wire agencies. The 澳门六合彩官网资料 Secretariat also faxes them the 澳门六合彩官网资料 Daily Bulletin, a summary of all meetings, both future and past. 澳门六合彩官网资料 publications are sent regularly to these missions.
* 澳门六合彩官网资料 Members and Observers without a permanent delegation in Geneva