Version française
Versión española
|
Search Engine: |
WelcomeAbout Us AITIC in short: aims, services
Gateway to
international trade
and economic
development
AITIC's
Development
Transforming AITIC
Collaboration with other Organisations
AITIC's joint activities
Geneva welcomes the new heads of delegation to the WTO
AITIC
Non-Residents'
Unit AITIC's Early
Warning System is
now available
Media Library
Video clips
on-line now
Picture Gallery Visit our Picture
Gallery
Map of the site
Contact Us
Send us an email
 |
AITIC's Early Warning System
|
AITIC Early Warning System for WTO Non-Residents
Volume 1, Issue 5
2 December 2002
I. Highlights of this Issue (December 2002)
A. The Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) will hold its next meeting on 4-6 December 2002.
B. The Director-General is to present interim reports to the General Council on all issues affecting least-developed countries, as well as technical cooperation and capacity building (see paragraphs 41 and 43 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration).
C. The General Council is also to receive reports on implementation issues from the Committees on Trade and Development (concerning special and differential treatment, postponed from July 2002), Anti-Dumping Practices, Customs Valuation and Market Access (see paragraphs 1.2, 7.4, 8.3 and 12.1 of the Decision on Implementation-Related Issues and Concerns).
D. The TRIPS Council is to report to the General Council in relation to the difficulties in using compulsory licences faced by those WTO members with insufficient or no manufacturing capacity for pharmaceuticals (see paragraph 6 of the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health).
E. The Trade Negotiations Committe (TNC) is to receive reports from the relevant WTO bodies on outstanding implementation issues covered by paragraph 12(b) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration (see the list in JOB(01)/152/Rev.1)
F. As the WTO will be closed from 25 December 2002 to 5 January 2003 inclusive, the next issue of AITICs Early Warning System will be published in January 2003 (Volume 2, Issue 1) and will provide details of upcoming meetings for the first quarter of 2003.
II. Details of Selected WTO Meetings of Particular Importance to LACs
A. Negotiating Bodies & Special Sessions
(shading indicates an informal meeting)
|
WTO Body |
Meeting Dates |
Subjects to be Discussed |
|
Committee on Trade and Development (Special Session) |
3 December |
Consideration of the Committees report to the General Council on special and differential treatment (deadline extended from July 2002). (See WTO/AIR/1983) |
|
Council for Trade in Services (Special Session) |
9 December |
Agenda not yet available. Paragraph 15 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration required initial requests for specific commitments to be submitted by 30 June 2002, while initial offers should be submitted by 31 March 2003. Bilateral negotiations are ongoing. (See TN/S/4) |
|
Dispute Settlement Body (Special Session) |
16-18 December |
Agenda not yet available, but will include discussion of proposals already submitted (track two) and discussion of specific issues raised in proposals. |
Negotiating Group on Market Access |
2-3 December |
● Consideration of possible modalities for negotiations on market access for non-agricultural products, including both tariff and non-tariff barriers. ● Stock-taking of work in progress. ● Establishment of the calendar of meetings up to 31 May 2003. (See WTO/AIR/1976) |
Trade Negotiations Committee |
4-6 December |
● Consideration of reports from subsidiary negotiating bodies. ● Consideration of reports on outstanding implementation issues under paragraph 12(b) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. (See WTO/AIR/1977) |
B. Other WTO Bodies
|
WTO Body |
Meeting Dates |
Subjects to be Discussed |
|
Committee on Safeguards |
5 December |
Adoption of a report to the General Council on implementation (see tiret 84 of JOB(01)/152/Rev.1). (See WTO/Air/1981) |
|
Committee on Specific Commitments |
5 December |
Agenda not yet available. |
|
Council for Trade in Goods |
6 December |
Trade facilitation. |
|
7 December |
Agenda not yet available. |
|
|
Council for Trade in Services |
6 December |
Agenda not yet available. |
General Council |
10-11, 13 December |
Agenda not yet available, but will include reception of reports on outstanding implementation issues under paragraph 12 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration and interim reports from the Director-General on LDCs (paragraph 43) and technical cooperation (paragraph 41). |
Integrated Framework Steering Committee |
9 December |
Agenda not yet available. |
|
Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment |
3-4 December |
● Annual Report 2002. Consideration of submissions under paragraphs 21 and 22 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration. (See WTO/AIR/1978) |
Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance |
17 December |
Agenda not yet available. The draft work programme covers: - trade and the financial architecture; - trade policy and financial stability; - external debt and trade; - market access for highly indebted low-income countries; - coherence; and - WTO rules. (See WT/WGTDF/M/1 and WT/WGTDF/W/1) |
Working Party on Domestic Regulation |
4 December |
Development of regulatory disciplines under GATS Article VI:4, including for professional services. (See WTO/AIR/1982) |
Working Party on GATS Rules |
3 December |
● Annual Report. ● Negotiations on emergency safeguard measures. ● Negotiations on government procurement. ● Negotiations on subsidies. (See WTO/AIR/1984) |
C. WTO Workshops and Seminars
|
Title |
Date |
Subjects to be Discussed |
|
Workshop on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment |
1-2 December |
● To focus on subjects to be discussed at the 3 December meeting of the Working Group on the Relationship Between Trade and Investment. ● NB: Open only to certain Geneva-based delegations. (See WT/WGTI/INF/2) |