The Future of the Doha Round and the World Trade Organisation

INVITATION TO AN AFTERNOON SEMINAR

Almost eight years after the launch of the Doha Round, the WTO negotiations remain mired in a swamp of detail, with many participants unwilling or unable to make the hard decisions which would bring the Round to a conclusion. Meanwhile, the world has changed dramatically with the onset of a global economic crisis of proportions seldom seen before.  This has radically changed the context within which the Round is placed and may lead to fundamental rethinking of its future.

Yet the crisis has not lent momentum to the Round. Series of statements from G20 summit have called for a conclusion of the Doha negotiations and portrayed it as vital for economic recovery. So far leaders have not honoured these promises. Will they ever, many observers now ask? Is it possible to conclude the Round – and can it be done without profound changes in the ambitions for the Round?

You are cordially invited to an afternoon seminar on the future of the Doha Round.
 
RSVP by October 12 to [email protected]

Programme

14:30    Registration and coffee/tea
15:00    Welcome
15:10    The Doha Round: A “Death-Defying Agenda” or “Don’t do it Again”?
              Stuart Harbinson
15:30    How to Revive the Doha Round with some Chance of Success?
              Roderick Abbott
15:50    Transparency: A New Framework for the WTO
              Valentin Zahrnt
16:10    Discussion
17:00    End