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“All countries participating in the WTO system,
including rich and poor, large and small, must be fully
aware of the on-going work and discussions in the
organization, and also the possibilities for
trade-related assistance that are available through the
WTO and its sister agencies. Through annual sessions of
the Geneva Week and also through constant communication
we are helping our smaller Members and Observers to
participate better in the WTO process. It is a way of
increasing participation and transparency,” said
Mike Moore, WTO Director-General.The
Geneva week will start with a Seminar on Small Economies
open to all WTO Members and Observers. It will end with
the 31st session of the Committee on Trade and
Development. During the week, there will also be a
discussion on electronic commerce open to all Members and
Observers.
Thirty-seven
WTO Members and Observers will attend the Geneva Week.
Invitations were sent both to their Trade Ministries and
their permanent delegations in Europe. Their presence is
funded by the Swedish government, the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Trade
Center (ITC).
A
first “Geneva Week” was successfully held in
November 1999. This year, the Geneva Week will focus on
the on-going work programme, including implementation of
WTO agreements; mandated negotiations in agriculture,
services and intellectual property; electronic commerce;
and technical cooperation.
The
28 WTO Members and 9 Observers participating in Geneva
Week lack the resources to maintain permanent offices in
Geneva. They have difficulty accessing all the available
information on WTO's work and monitoring actions or
issues they may need to consider. This information week
therefore intends to help non-resident WTO Members and
Observers inform themselves about the work going on in
the WTO, and also expose them to the work of other
relevant agencies in Geneva.
The
37 countries invited are: Andorra; Antigua & Barbuda;
Armenia; Benin; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Cambodia; Central
African Republic; Chad; Democratic Republic of Congo;
Dominica; Republic of the Fiji Islands; Gambia; Grenada;
Guinea Bissau; Guyana; Lao People's Democratic Republic;
Macau, China; Malawi; Maldives; Mali; Namibia; Niger;
Papua New Guinea; Samoa; St. Kitts & Nevis; St.
Lucia; St. Vincent & the Grenadines; Seychelles;
Sierra Leone; Solomon Islands; Suriname; Swaziland; Togo;
Tonga; Uzbekistan and Vanuatu.
Agencies
invited to make presentations at the Geneva Week are: the
African Caribbean Pacific General Secretariat (ACP), the
Agency for International Trade Information and
Cooperation (AITIC), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the Forum
Secretariat, the International Labour Organization (ILO),
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the
International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations
Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United
Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the World
Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), the World Bank
and the World Tourism Organization (WTO).
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