WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONWT/INF/37
18 June 2001
(01-3013)
SYMPOSIUM  ON ISSUES CONFRONTING THE WORLD TRADING SYSTEM
Please find attached the draft programme of the above symposium which will take place on
6 and 7 July 2001 in Geneva.WT/INF/37
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SYMPOSIUM ON ISSUES CONFRONTING THE WORLD TRADING SYSTEM
World Trade Organization – Geneva, Switzerland
Friday, 6 July
8:00 – 10:00 Registration, badge distribution10:00 Plenary opening
Welcome – Mike Moore – WTO Director-General
Introduction by Chairperson - Mrs. Touré Alimata Traore
Minister for Industry, Trade and Transport, Mali
Speakers:
- Dean Hirsch, International President of World Vision 
- Jaime Serra - Serra & Associates International
12-12.30 Chairperson announces work sessions and arrangements for moderators, discussants,
venues and reporting procedures for final plenary session
2:30-5:30 pm    Work sessions:
I: Agriculture
II: TRIPS – Access to Essential Medicines
III: Trade and Environment
IV: ServicesV: WTO & Civil Society
I: Agriculture – Issues and Negotiations
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 EgyptWT/INF/37
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II: TRIPS - Access to essential medicines
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, US
III: Trade and Environment
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) Laurence Boisson de Chazournes -  Head of the Faculty of International Law,
University of Geneva
on (3) David Schorr - Director, Sust ainable Commerce Programme, WWF US
IV: Services
Issues to be covered: 1) Regulation and liberalization under GATS
2) Participation of developing countries
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by ModeratorWT/INF/37
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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
V: WTO & Civil Society
Issues to be covered: 1) What role for NGOs in capacity building
2) WTO institutional reform
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussionSummary 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
Saturday, 7 July
10:00-1:00 pm                Work sessions:
I: Food Safety and the SPS Agreement
II: TRIPS – Bio-technology / Bio-diversity
III: Trade and Development
IV: Services
V: WTO & Civil Society
I: Food Safety and the SPS Agreement
Issues to be covered : (1) precaution
(2) GMOs
(3) Developing Country concerns
Programme: Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderatorWT/INF/37
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Moderator: Kazuaki Miyagishima – Associate Professor, School of Medicine, Kyoto
University 
Discussants: on (1)  Dominique Taeymans - Confederation des Industries Agro-Alimentaires
de l'UE
on (2)  Dr. Ned Groth - Senior Sc ientists, Consumers Union , USA
on (3)  Dr. Hélène Coulibaly Fanny -  Côte d'Ivoire
II: TRIPS – Bio-technology / Bio-diversity
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 discussants
Open 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
Issues to be covered: Contribution of trade to development and poverty alleviation
Importance of market access and equitable rules for developing countries
Capacity building needs and mainstreaming of trade into development
policies
Trade liberalization, development and the environment - towards sustainabledevelopment
Programme:   Introduction by moderator
Presentations by discussants
Open discussionSummary by moderator
Moderator: David Runnalls  - President, IISD
Discussants : Eduardo Pérez-Motta - Mexican Ambassador to WTO
Penny Fowler, Policy Advisor, OXFAM WT/INF/37
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IV: Services
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
Issues to be covered: WTO institutional reforms (continued)
Programme:   Presentations by discussants
Open discussion
Summary by moderator
Moderator:  Dr. Silvia 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
Moderators report on sessions (10 to 15 minutes each)
Wrap-up by Chairperson of the Symposium
Final comments
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