一般財団法人環境イノベーション情報機構
設立10年を迎えたWTOへの途上国からの期待ー持続可能な発展のために過去の問題に立ち向かい、新たな挑戦に取り組む
【募集期間】| 2005.06.21〜2005.07.01
in Collaboration with
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
■タイトル：
The WTO and Developing Country Expectations after a Decade - Confronting Old Problems and Addressing New Challenges for Sustainable Development
（和タイトル：設立10年を迎えたWTOへの途上国からの期待ー持続可能な発展のために過去の問題に立ち向かい、新たな挑戦に取り組む）
■Date: 7th July 2005
■Time: 10:30 - 16:20
■Venue: UNU-IAS, 1-1-1 Minato-Mirai, Nishi-ku, Yokohama 220-8502
All the presentations will be held in English. The public is invited to attend, but advance registration is required. For registration or inquiries, please contact Mr. George Akpan or Mr. Paul Kamau, 045-221-2300, reception@ias.unu.edu
■Roundtable Overview
The argument that trade liberalization would automatically result in high economic performance and growth and thus lead to poverty alleviation and sustainable development was compelling enough for developing countries to endorse the Uruguay Round Negotiations (URN) that culminated in the creation of the WTO in 1995. However, the often-touted ‘sustainable development’ goal of the WTO embodied in its Preamble remains largely hollow as many developing countries’ concerns are not squarely reflected in negotiation agendas. Statistics today on the gains of trade liberalization under the WTO for developing countries in the last 10 years are also not very encouraging. It is true that globalization and liberalization have spurred global trade, but the benefits to the developing countries in terms of economic growth, environmental protection and poverty alleviation on a long term basis have remained meager. The wealth generated by global trade remains largely in the developed countries. In fact, this asymmetry of enormous wealth and prosperity in the richer economies contrasts with the abject misery and acute poverty in others. Issues critical to the promotion of sustainable development in developing countries, such as providing market access, removing environmentally harmful subsidies, and tackling environmental measures that impede market access have remained contentious and largely unaddressed. Moreover, the picture has become more complicated with the recent proliferations of free trade agreements, both bilateral and regional. How this will impact the multilateral trading system and developing countries’ goal of poverty alleviation through trade remains largely a matter of conjecture. This is the striking face of the current trend of globalization and trade liberalization.
The year 2005 is significant as the WTO celebrates ten years of its existence. The year also coincides with the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference to be held in Hong Kong in December 2005. It is only fitting to begin to take stock of the WTO’s achievements and challenges as far as the expectations of the developing countries are concerned on issues critical to the attainment of sustainable development. As the WTO celebrates its achievements, most developing countries may be reassessing the continued relevance of their membership of this institution with unmet expectations. There are burning questions that need to be addressed as the WTO enters the next decade: How can developing countries’ concerns be squarely addressed in the multilateral trading system? How can the gains of trade be made available to all participants in the multilateral trading system on a long term basis? More importantly, what needs to be done for the multilateral trading system to move in the direction of sustainable development? Recognizing the importance of these issues to developing countries, this roundtable is being held to bring together experts in the field to brainstorm with a view to highlighting the constraints to realizing the expectations of developing countries. It also hopes to bring forth proposals on new paths to be followed in the next decade to make the WTO more responsive to the concerns of developing countries which constitute majority of its members, and reorient it to the direction of sustainable development.
■Agenda for the Roundtable
10:30-10:40 Opening Remarks
(Prof. A.H. Zakri, Director, UNU-IAS)
10:40-11:00 Keynote Speech
Towards an integrated approach to trade, environment and global sustainability
(Mr. Hussein Abaza, Chief, Economics & Trade Branch, UNEP)
・Session One: Market Access
10:00-11:20
Developed countries perspective on agriculture and sustainable
development
(Prof. Honma Masayoshi -The University of Tokyo)
11:20-11:40
Implications of agricultural subsidies for sustainable development in developing countries
(Dr. Moustapha Kamal Gueye - IGES)
11:40-12:00
Market Access Opportunities of Environmental Goods
(Dr. Joy Kim- UNU-IAS)
12:00-12:45
Panel Discussion
12:45-14:00 Lunch
・Session Two:
Investment, Free Trade Agreements and Developing Countries
14:00-14:20
Investment and Sustainable Development
(Prof. Kenji Akiyama – Kanagawa University)
14:20-14:40
International Investment Agreements: Developing countries perspective
(Dr. George Akpan-UNU-IAS)
14:40-15:00
Driving factors for bilateral and regional FTAs: The Asian experience
(Mr. Eiichi Hasegawa - Ministry Economy, Trade and Industry Japan)
15:00-15:20
Multilateral trading system and FTAs: Implications for sustainable development
(Mr. Stanley Otto- US Embassy)
15:20-15:30 Coffee Break
15:30-16:15
Panel Discussion
16:15-16:20
Concluding Remarks
(Joy Kim- UNU-IAS)
【登録日】2005.06.21