CUTS International, Geneva

On December 12, 2012 CUTS International Geneva organised a lunch meeting to give the non-resident WTO member and observer countries an overview of some of the “emerging issues” in the multilateral trading system and their implications for them, and presented some emerging findings of its ongoing PACT EAC project in this regard

Report
Programme

Press Release

Presentations: Emerging Issues and the MTS | PACT EAC Project

WTO Public Forum - "The Multilateral Trading System in the 21st Century: Interaction Between Trade and Competition Policy"
September 24, 2012

CUTS International, Geneva organised a session titled "The Multilateral Trading System in the 21st Century: Interaction Between Trade and Competition Policy" with the objective to revive the discussions about this critical interaction, towards shaping elements of multilateral rules on competition. Some of the questions addressed by the panellists included: How do trade and competition policies interact with one another? What are some of the costs of the cross-border anticompetitive practices? How effective would multilateralisation of rules be in addressing the negative externalities caused by anticompetitive practices of a country beyond its borders? Given the growing number of national competition regimes in the world, would such rules be better received by countries? What is the appropriate forum for negotiating and hosting such an agreement?

First PACT EAC Regional Annual Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda
September 17-18, 2012

On September 17-18, CUTS International, Geneva, CUTS Africa Resource Centre Nairobi, and ACORD Rwanda, in collaboration with other country partners in the region, will organise the First Regional Annual Meeting (RAM) under the PACT EAC Project in Kigali, Rwanda. The project will present its first year's outputs, including: five collaborative and evidence-based country research studies; draft training programme on trade-climate-food security linkages; several advocacy documents; outputs and outcomes of five National Reference Groups (NRGs), and notes for and reports on EAC Geneva Forum meetings.

The meeting will provide opportunities for the EAC partner states' stakeholders to gain an insight into the climate-food-trade linkages in the region, network and connect with their counterparts of the other partners states, strengthen national-regional-multilateral links, and create momentum for holistic national and regional policies in the three areas.

First PACT EAC NRG Meetings and FEAD National Dialogues 2012 in East Africa
May 22-30, 2012

From 22 till 30 May, CUTS International Geneva and its partners in East Africa will organize the first meetings of the newly constituted National Reference Groups under the PACT EAC Project. Each national network represents all relevant stakeholders from the government, the business, farming communities, CSOs, media and think tanks, and is committed to making East African policy-making processes more inclusive in leveraging the potential of trade to address poverty and hunger in the context of climate change.

This will also be the opportunity to organize the last FEAD National Dialogues in each FEAD project country (i.e. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda) in order to present the final studies and disseminate several advocacy documents.

Dates: 22 May - Kenya; 23 May - Tanzania; 25 May - Uganda; 28 May (tbc) - Burundi; 30 May - Rwanda.

Backgrounder: First PACT EAC Project NRG Meetings

Backgrounder: FEAD National Dialogues

Programme

Climate Change, Food Security and Trade: Challenges and Opportunities
Doha, April 24, 2012

CUTS International and SAWTEE jointly organized a side-event on “Climate change, trade and food security: Opportunities and challenges” during UNCTAD XIII on 24 April 2012. The major objective of the event was to discuss issues related to trade-climate change-food security linkages and to identify elements of holistic policy responses, in particular to inform the work of UNCTAD in these areas for the next four years.

Backgrounder and Agenda

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Supporting EAC Development Through Trade: Focus on Agriculture and Climate Change | December 15, 2011

This side event by CUTS during the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference presented the key findings of five studies on issues related to equitable agricultural development in the EAC and aimed to outline a roadmap to deal with the impact of climate change on food security in the EAC through trade. CUTS International Geneva’s new project entitled “ Promoting Agriculture-Climate-Trade linkages in the EAC “ (PACT EAC) was also presented.

Book Launch: “Reflections from the Frontline: Developing Country Negotiators in the WTO” | December 14, 2011

On the eve of the beginning of the eighth Ministerial Conference of the WTO, CUTS International Geneva organized a cocktail reception at the World Meteorological Organization to Launch its new publication entitled “Reflections from the Frontline: Developing Country Negotiators in the WTO”. Mr Rob Davies, Trade & Industry Minister of South Africa and Dr H. V. Singh, Deputy Director General of the WTO alongwith Mr Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS, Dr Matthes Buhbe, Resident Director, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Geneva and Mr R. Badrinath, Director, CUTS, Geneva spoke during this event were the trade and development community was gathered.

Programme
Press Release

Symposium on Trade in Primary Product Markets and Competition policy

On Thursday, the 22nd of September 2011, CUTS International will be organizing a Symposium on Trade in Primary Product Markets and Competition Policy in Room W of Centre William Rappard, Geneva. The Symposium will witness a high-level participation of over 20 experts in trade and competition issues from different parts of the world representing multilateral institutions, governments, academic community and civil society. It is organized to enhance understanding about the existing challenges in the functioning of primary product markets so as to evolve a comprehensive economic governance regime to address anti-competitive behaviour and other related concerns.

Agenda

Backgrounder
Press Release

Glimpses

Harsha V. Singh to launch CUTS International publication

CUTS International and the World Bank will organize a Cocktail reception at the Centre William Rappard (WTO) on Tuesday 19 July 2011 to present their new publications. The book released by CUTS International titles “The Doha Round & South Asia: Need for Better Coordination”, and explores the commonalities and differences of South Asian countries' interests in some major areas of Doha Round negotiations. Dr. Harsha V. Singh. Deputy-Director General WTO, will formally launch the publications.

Programme

Glimpses

Press Release

CUTS at the LDC IV Conference in Istanbul

CUTS Session during the Civil Society Forum

CUTS is organising a panel discussion at the Civil Society Forum at the UN LDC IV in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat. The panel will discuss the theme “From Istanbul to 2020: Vision for LDCs” and will include eminent speakers from the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, and CUTS.

CUTS participation in GMF-IPC Roundtable

CUTS will participate in a roundtable discussion organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) and Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) on May 13 in Istanbul on "Promoting Trade and Development in sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities for Transatlantic Partnership with Emerging Economies at the G-20". This half-day workshop aims to bring together key stakeholders from the United States, Europe, emerging economies such as China, Brazil, India, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and LDCs to discuss concrete recommendations for the G20 leadership to better integrate LDCs into markets in their own regions and around the world.

CUTS-FES Joint Event at UNCTAD Public Symposium

Green Transition and Poverty Alleviation in LDCs: Taking Stock of LDC-IV

“Making the transition to a green economy fair and equitable” is one of the two major subjects of this year’s UNCTAD Public Symposium. 2011 is also the year of the fourth UN Conference on LDCs. The Symposium provides a good opportunity to combine these two elements by analyzing the then adopted Plan of Action of LDC-IV in the context of transition to green economy and the specific LDC needs and interests. Accordingly, CUTS Geneva Resource Centre, FES Geneva Office (and UNCTAD-tbc) will organize a breakout session entitled “Green Transition and Poverty Alleviation in LDCs: Taking Stock of LDC-IV” during the Public Symposium on 23 June 2011.

Cooperation for development: south-south development assistance for non-resident countries

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre will organize this session during the WTO Geneva Week to strengthen South-South cooperation to help non-resident countries harness the development potential of international trade.

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Backgrounder

Glimpses

Agriculture in Development of Select African Countries: Presentation at the WTO

CUTS GRC staff will make a presentation based on its recently launched publication entitled “Agriculture in Development of Select African Countries: Linkages with Trade, Productivity, Livelihood and Food Security”. The focus of the publication is broadly on the positive interlinkages between trade and agricultural development in the five project countries; landlocked status and trade facilitation in the three landlocked countries (Malawi, Uganda and Zambia), and regional trade and food security in Kenya and Tanzania.

Backgrounder

FEATS Overview Presentation

LDC IV African Civil Society Forum 2010 “CSO-LDCs Partnership for Development

CUTS organised a Pre-LDC IV African Civil Society Forum 2010 “CSO-LDCs Partnership for Development” on 3 November 2010, at Arusha, Tanzania In Collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Commonwealth Foundation

Backgrounder

Agenda

CSEND and CUTS GRC organized a book vernissage and thematic workshop

CSEND (Centre for Socio-Eco-Nomic Development) and CUTS Geneva Resource Centre (CUTS GRC) organized a book vernissage and thematic workshop focusing on inter-ministerial coordination and stakeholder consultation for trade policy making based on their recent research publications. The vernissage took place in Room C of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland on 19 July 2010.

Summary Report

Presentation by Raymond Saner

Presentation by Rashid S. Kaukab

Background Note

Glimpses

Partnership for Development through Trade: Malawi Experience and Expectations

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre (CUTS GRC), in collaboration with Malawi Mission to the WTO (based in Brussels, Belgium) organized this side event on 10 June 2010 in Roome C of the WTO in Geneva, Switzerland. The event took place during the Malawi WTO Trade Policy Review and heard the Keynote Address by Mr. Newby Henry KUMWEMBE, Permanent Secretary for Industry and Trade, Malawi.

Summary Report

Background Note

Glimpses

Preparing for UN LDC IV: Trade and Development Challenges for LDCs

Agency for International Trade Information and Cooperation (AITIC) and CUTS Geneva Resource Centre (CUTS GRC) organized this dialogue on 18 May, 2010 in Geneva, Switzerland which was addressed by several LDC Geneva ambassadors.

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Presentation by H.E. Anthony Mothae Maruping

Presentation by Debapriya Bhattacharya

Background Note

Glimpses

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre Session in the WTO Geneva Week on 6 May 2010 “Improving Inclusiveness of Trade Policy Making in Developing Countries”

CUTS Geneva Resource Centre organized the session for delegates from twenty WTO members who do not have missions in Geneva and came to participate in the Geneva Week.

Summary Report

Presentation by Rashid S. Kaukab

Presentation by Jan Bailey

Glimpses

CUTS organised three events during the Seventh WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva from 30 November to 2 December 2009.

CUTS-FES Panel Discussion on Reforming and Strengthening the WTO
02 December 2009, Geneva, Switzerland

Doha Round Implications for India: Presentation of a Study by CUTS International
01 December 2009, Geneva, Switzerland

CSEND-CUTS Panel Discussion on "Trade Governance and Developing Countries:
the Need for Effective Inter-Ministerial Coordination and Stakeholder Consultations for Trade Policy",
30 November 2009, Geneva, Switzerland

Breakout Sessions at UNCTAD Public Symposium 2010

CUTS organized two breakout sessions at the UNCTAD Public Symposium titled "Responding to Global Crises: New Development Paths", held in Geneva, Switzerland on 10-11 May 2010. These breakout sessions brought together representatives of governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, and academics to discuss the issues based on presentations by experts. Key points emerging from the breakout sessions were presented to the plenaries of UNCTAD Public Symposium.

10 May 2010, 1400-1530 hours: Joint Breakout Session by CUTS and UNCTAD on "Is There a Role for the LDCs in Re-Shaping Global Economic Governance?", Room XVIII, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

Backgrounder and agenda

Presentation by Ambassador Anthony Mothae Maruping

Presentation by Dr. Dirk Willem te Velde

Presentation by Ahmed Abdel Latif

Report

11 May 2010, 1400-1530 hours: CUTS Breakout Session on "Improving Food Security in the face of Climate Change", Room XXII, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

Backgrounder and agenda

Presentation by Isabel Mazzei

Presentation by Massimiliano Riva

Report

Breakout Session at UNCTAD Public Symposium 2009

CUTS GRC in collaboration with Oxfam International organized a breakout session on 18 May 2009 on the occasion of the First UNCTAD Public Symposium held in Geneva, Switzerland and titled “The Global Economic Crisis and Development: the way Forward”. CUTS breakout session was titled “Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the economic crisis: specific challenges and solutions.
Read report and recommendations of the breakout session

The Multilateral Trading System: Opportunities and Challenges for East Africa

Under this title was organized a joint outreach event of CUTS and the WTO on 29-30 April 2009 in Nairobi, Kenya (see Agenda). Main presentations were on:

>	The Multilateral Trading System: Opportunities and Challenges for East African Community (EAC) Countries,
>	Introduction to the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) and State of Play of the Doha Agriculture Negotiations,
>	Multilateral Trading System: Opportunities and Challenges for East Africa,
>	Overview of Standards in the WTO, and the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF),
>	Meeting Standards: Challenges and Opportunities for Countries,
>	Regional Trade Agreements: Challenges, Opportunities and the Development Dimension,
>	Landscape of Regional Trade Agreements in East Africa: Challenges and Opportunities for the EAC Countries,
>	CUTS/WTO Regional Outreach Conference AfT in DDA: Challenges and Strategies for EAC
>	Aid for Trade in DDA: Challenges and Strategies for EAC,
>	Aid for Trade in DDA: Challenges and Strategies for EAC, and Aid for Trade: Why, What, and How?

The event was attended by governmental, private sector and CSO representatives from East African countries. Read the report on the event