Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 24 February 2001
N° 111

The Preparatory Committee of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) concluded its work today by establishing the practical details of the first Parliamentary Meeting on International Trade that the organisation of world parliaments will convene in Geneva on 8 and 9 June 2001. The following countries were represented on the Committee : Argentina, Belgium, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Gabon, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kenya, Mexico, Russian Federation, Thailand and Zambia.

The Parliamentary Meeting on International Trade will be chaired by the President of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla and will hear a statement by the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Mr. Mike Moore, who will also take questions from the participants.

The overall theme for the June meeting is "For a free, just and equitable multilateral trading system: Providing a parliamentary dimension".

The subjects to be debated at the meeting in June will be:

• Globalisation from a trade perspective : the role and action of parliament as a relay between government and the people
• WTO and the current international trading system : the role of parliaments in the field of legislation
• Parliamentary oversight with respect to future trade negotiations, particularly from the development perspective.

"One of the important issues that will be addressed in the June meeting will be the concerns and problems faced by developing countries in implementing the WTO agreements and in getting a fair share of international trade", said the President of the IPU Council, Dr. Najma Heptulla.

"The meeting seeks to provide a parliamentary dimension to international trade", explains the IPU Secretary General, Anders B. Johnsson. "It will be a complement to the work of governments and will discuss the international trade issues from the particular perspective of parliaments in their constitutional role of relaying the views of people to governments, of legislating and overseeing government".

Founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, the IPU is the organisation of the world’s parliaments. It currently has 140 member national parliaments and five regional parliamentary organisations with associate member status. It also has a Liaison Bureau with the UN in New York.