The world s largest trade organization is coming to Seattle this fall for its first U.S. ministerial conference. With it come unusual opportunities for the UW faculty, staff and students. Jere Bacharach WTO is the sole world body responsible for overseeing multilateral agreements to reduce trade barriers among nations. The ministerial meeting is expected to inaugurate a round of trade negotiations that could last at least three years. Top items on the agenda are trade issues in agriculture, goods and services, dispute resolution, labor and environmental matters and electronic commerce.
Ministerial meetings occur every two years.
The ministerial sessions will be closed to the public, but their proceedings and decisions will be announced at the conclusion of the conference. It is a subgroup of the International Faculty Council, chaired by Gretchen Kalonji, Kyocera Professor of materials science and engineering. The council advises McCormick on university-wide ideas and initiatives in the international field. A database of UW expertise related to world trade is under development, with guidance from the International Faculty Council. A series of conferences, projects and events related to WTO are already scheduled, with yet more projects being developed.