WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/INF/38
4 July 2001
(01-3331)
SYMPOSIUM ON ISSUES CONFRONTING THE WORLD TRADING SYSTEM
World Trade Organization
Rue de Lausanne 154
Geneva, Switzerland
FINAL PROGRAMME
The World Trade Organization will be the venue of a symposium
on critical issues confronting the world trading system on 6 and 7 July 2001.
Representatives from governments, non- governmental organizations, the media
and members of the academic community are invited to participate.
Friday, 6 July Venue
8:00 – 10:00 Registration, badge distribution CR1
10:00 Plenary opening CR
Introduction by Chairperson
Mrs. Touré Alimata Traore - Minister for Industry, Trade
and Transport, Mali
Speakers :
Mike Moore - WTO Director-GeneralPascal Lamy - EU Commissioner for TradeDean Hirsch - International President of World Vision Jaime Serra - Serra & Associates InternationalGeorge Soros - Chairman, Soros Fund Management and the Open Society Institute
12.30 Chairperson announces work sessions and arrangements for moderators, discussants,
venues and reporting procedures for final plenary session
                                                     
1 New conference buildingWT/INF/38
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2:30-5:30 pm    Work sessions:
I: Agriculture CR
II: TRIPS – Access to Essential Medicines Room D
III: Trade and Environment Room WIV: Services WMO
V: WTO & Civil Society Room E
6:00 – 8:00 pm   Reception CR
I: Agriculture – Issues and Negotiations CR
Issues to be covered:   agricultural reform – negotiations
developing country concerns
non-trade concerns
Programme:   Introduction by Moderator
Presentations by DiscussantsOpen discussion
Summary by Moderator
Moderator:  H.E. Mr. Pekka Huhtaniemi - Ambassador of Finland
Discussants: Risto Volanen - Secretar y General, COPA-COGECA
Lyall Howard - National Farmers' Federation, AustraliaDr. Magdi Farahat - Permanent Mission of Egypt
II: TRIPS - Access to essential medicines Room D
Issues to be covered:   The  relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the generation of and
access to pharmaceuticals
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator:  Adrian Otten -  Director, WT O Intellectual Property Division
Discussants:  Professor Carlos Correa - University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jeffrey Kushan -  Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy, Washington, USWT/INF/38
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III: Trade and Environment Room W
Issues to be covered: (1) MEAs and WTO rules
(2) PPMs and labelling / GMOs(3) Market access - Agriculture and Fisheries
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by Moderator
Moderator: David Runnalls - President, International Institute for Sustainable
Development
Discussants: on (1) Dr. Sitanon Jesdapipat - Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University,
Thailand 
on (2) Professor Laurence Boisson de Chazournes -  Head of the Department of
International Law, University of Geneva
on (3) David Schorr - Director, Sust ainable Commerce Programme, WWF US
IV: Services WMO-Room A
2
Issues to be covered: 1) Regulation and liberalization under GATS
2) Participation of developing countries
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussionSummary by Moderator
Moderator: B.K. Zutshi - former Indian Ambassador to WTO 
Discussants: on 1) Julian Arkell - International Trade and Services Policy (ITSP)
on 2) Mohan Kumar - Permanent Mission of India
                                                     
2 World Meteorological Organization- the WMO building is the modern, green glass building, located
across the street from the WTO building.WT/INF/38
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V: WTO & Civil Society Room E
Issues to be covered: 1) What role for NGOs in capacity building
2) WTO institutional reform
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by Moderator
Moderator: Dr. Sylvia Ostry - Toronto University 
Discussants : on 1) Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz - Executive Director, International Centre for
Trade and Sustainable Development 
Pradeep Mehta - Secretary General, Consumer Unity & Trust Society
on 2) John Bunzl  - Director, International Simultaneous Policy Organisation 
Tetteh Hormeku - Third World Network, Africa Secretariat
6:00 -8:00 PM Reception for all participants CR
Saturday, 7 July Venue
10:00-1:00 pm                Work sessions:
I: Food Safety and the SPS Agreement CR
II: TRIPS – Bio-technology / Bio-diversity Room D
III: Trade and Development Room WIV: Services WMO
V: WTO & Civil Society Room E
I: Food Safety and the SPS Agreement CR
Issues to be covered : (1) precaution
(2) GMOs
(3) Developing Country concerns
Programme: Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator: Kazuaki Miyagishima – Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Kyoto
University WT/INF/38
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Discussants: on (1)  Dominique Taeymans - Confederation des Industries Agro-Alimentaires
de l'UE
on (2)  Dr. Edward Groth - Senior Scientists, Consumers Union , USA
on (3)  Dr. Hélène Coulibaly Fanny -  Côte d'Ivoire
II: TRIPS – Bio-technology / Bio-diversity Room D
Issues to be covered: Patenting of biotechnological inventions; protection of traditional knowledge
and genetic resources; relationship between the TRIPS agreement and the
CBD
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussantsOpen discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator: Professor Thomas Cottier - Institute of European and International Economic
Law, University of Berne
Discussants:  Jeffrey Kushan - Powell, Goldstein, Frazer & Murphy,
Washington D.C., USA
Dr. Suman Sahai -  Gene Campaign, India
III: Trade & Development Room W
Issues to be covered: Contribution of trade to development and poverty alleviation
Importance of market access and equitable rules for developing countriesCapacity building needs and mainstreaming of trade into development
policies
Trade liberalization, development and the environment - towards sustainable
development
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator: David Runnalls  - President, IISD
Discussants : Dr. Dilip K. Das -  Asian Development Bank
Penny Fowler - OXFAM GBJeffrey Schott - Institute for International EconomicsWT/INF/38
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IV: Services WMO-Room A
Issues to be covered: (1) Status of public services
(2) Negotiating issues for the current services round
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator: B.K. Zutshi - former Indian Ambassador to WTO
Discussants: on 1) Mike Waghorne  - Public Services International
on 2) Professor André Sapir - Université Libre de Bruxelles
V: WTO & Civil Society Room E
Issues to be covered: WTO institutional reforms (continued)
Programme:   Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator:  Dr. Sylvia Ostry - University of Toronto
Discussants: Rachel Thompson - Global Trade Practice, APCO
Dr. Sothi Rachagan - Director, Consumers International,
Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.            Afternoon – Final Plenary Session CR
Moderators report on sessions
Wrap-up by Chairperson of the Symposium
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