Concerned at the lack of progress in the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the European Parliament will hold a special parliamentary session in Cancun (Mexico) on 9 and 12 September, with the support of the Mexican Parliament, as a parallel event to the fifth WTO Ministerial Conference.

The inaugural ceremony will take place on Tuesday 9 September, at 9h30, at the Hotel Fiesta Americana Grand Coral Beach, in the presence of Chilean Senator Sergio Páez, President of the IPU, Mr. Luis Derbez, Minister for Foreign Affaires of Mexico and Chairman of the WTO Ministerial Conference, Mr. Enrique Jackson Ramirez, President of the Mexican Senate, and Mr. Renzo Imbeni, Vice-President of the European Parliament.

At 11.15, WTO Director General Supachai Panichtpakti and European Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, accompanied by Mr. Derbez, will hold a one-hour hearing with the members of parliament present in Cancún.

By holding a parliamentary session as a parallel event to the Ministerial Conference, the IPU and the European Parliament hope to advance the parliamentary process for the WTO as a means of enhancing the transparency and democratic accountability of this organization. They also seek to make the voices of parliamentarians, the legitimate representatives of the people, heard by the government negotiators who will gather in Cancún.

On 9 September, the session will focus on some of the most controversial areas of current trade negotiations, such as agricultural export subsidies, intellectual property rights and access to essential pharmaceutical products, and trade in services. While leaving the job of actual negotiations to governments, members of parliament intend to exercise their right to oversee government action in this field.

On 12 September, the MPs will receive an update on the negotiations. At the end of the session, they are expected to adopt a Declaration. On the same day the MPs will also hear representatives of civil society.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 145 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has an office as Permanent Observer with the United Nations in New York.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +4122 919 41 16/27 Fax: +4122 919 41 60, 919 41 97 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org