International Trade and the Doha Round

Summary

Date: 7-11 July 2008

Location: United Nations Headquarters, New York

Coordinator: David Koschel

Objective:
This seminar, organized by UNITAR in cooperation with the World Trade Organization, is designed to provide participants with an overview of the Doha Development Agenda, the status of the negotiations in the various areas and the contentious issues involved that have prevented the conclusion of the Round. It will also look beyond the WTO to discuss the interlinkages between trade and development, and the different dimensions of sustainable development more specifically.

Objectives

To equip participants to make substantive contributions to the work of their governments in the field of trade negotiations and trade policy through:

• familiarizing them with the multilateral trading system, the institutional structure and decision-making process of WTO;
• enhancing their knowledge of the Multilateral Agreements concluded during the Uruguay Round;
• briefing them on the Doha Development Agenda, the main negotiating issues and the positions of the major players, including the United States, the European Communities, the G-20, the G-33 and the African Group; and
• discussing possible scenarios for the future of the Doha Round.

Organization:
The seminar will be divided into two parts. The first of five days will be devoted to an introduction to the international trading system, WTO and the issues of the Doha Round. The subsequent full and half-day sessions will deliver more detailed information on these issues, focusing on: the negotiations on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA), trade in services (GATS), the participation of developing countries in the multilateral trading system (special and differential treatment, implementation issues, Aid for Trade), the TRIPS and TRIMs Agreement, WTO rules relating to regional trade agreements, anti-dumping, and dispute settlement within the WTO, and the interlinkages to trade and sustainable development issues, including environmental aspects, climate change, and employment.

Participants:
The seminar is intended for members of permanent missions in New York who are involved or interested in trade-related issues, in particular those following the work of the Second and Sixth Committees of the General Assembly. A few candidates from other entities within the United Nations and the private sector may be admitted.

Working Language: English

Related Links and Downloads:

Presentations of Monday, 7 July 2008

Basic Principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) - Legal Framework, Institutional Structure of the WTO, and Decision-making process of WTO (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

Issues of the Doha Round - Basics on Agriculture, and Market Access, NAMA, GATS, S&D, TRIPS, TRIMS, Anti-Dumping (Edwini Kessie)

Trade Negotiations and the Doha Development Agenda - Perspectives from Civil Society (Stephanie Burgos, Oxfam America)

Presentations of Tuesday, 8 July 2008

Special and Differential Treatment and Implementation Issues (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

WTO Dispute Settlement Body (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

Trade and Development (Santiago Fernández de Córdoba, UNCTAD)

Agriculture and the status of negotiations (Edwini Kessie and Raymond Krommenacker, WTO)

Non-Agricultural Market Access and the status of the negotiations (Edwini Kessie and Mr. Raymond Krommenacker, WTO)

Presentations of Wednesday, 9 July 08

Trade and Sustainable Development (Chantal Line Carpentier, UN DESA)

Global Emissions Analysis Project (Romain Perez, UN DESA)

International Intellectual Property for Development, Dr. Orobola Fasehun (upcoming)

Trade Related Investment Measures - TRIMs (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

General Agreement on Trade in Services - GATS - and status of the negotiations (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

Presentations of Thursday, 10 July 2008

WTO Rules Relating to Regional Trade Agreements (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

Status of the Negotiations on Trade Facilitation (Edwini Kessie, WTO)

Presentations of Friday, 11 July 2008

Aid for Trade (Ms. Mona Haddad, World Bank)

Anti-Dumping, Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and Safeguards: Status of the Negotiations on Rules (Mr. Thomas Prusa, Rutgers University)

Meeting documents:

Draft Agenda for the Seminar (pdf)
Information Note (pdf)
Nomination Form (word)