ANNUAL 2011 SESSION OF THE PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON THE WTO WTO Headquarters, Geneva (Switzerland), 21 and 22 March 2011
	Organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament

	The Parliamentary Conference on the WTO is a joint undertaking of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. Its principal objective is to enhance external transparency of the WTO and hold this inter-governmental organization accountable to legislators as elected representatives of the people. The annual 2011 session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO took place on 21 and 22 March 2011. For the first time ever, the session was held on the premises of the WTO, Centre William Rappard in Geneva. Participation in the parliamentary session is guided by the general principles set out in Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO. As on past occasions, the 2011 annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO was intended primarily for parliamentarians who specialize in matters of international trade in their respective parliaments. The Conference provided them with an opportunity to obtain first-hand information on recent developments in the Doha Round negotiations and consider ways of contributing to the revitalization of this process. It was also be an occasion to exchange views and experiences with colleagues in other parliaments, interact with government negotiators and WTO officials and engage in a dialogue with civil society representatives. At the end of its work, the session adopted by consensus an outcome document.

	Outcome document	[English] [French] [English] [French]
	List of participants	[Bilingual]
	Opening speech of Senator Donald H. Oliver (Canada), member of the IPU Executive Committee	[English] [French]
	Opening speech of Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah (Nigeria), Chairman of the WTO General Council	[English only]
	Speech of the WTO Director-General, Mr. Pascal Lamy	[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on substantive theme (a) prepared by Senator L.A. Heber (Uruguay) PC-WTO/2011/2(a)-R.1 (23 February 2011)	[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on substantive theme (a) prepared by Mr. P. Rübig (European Parliament) PC-WTO/2011/2(a)-R.2 (23 February 2011)	[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on substantive theme (b) prepared by Mr. L. Bundhoo (Mauritius) PC-WTO/2011/2(b)-R.1 (4 March 2011)	[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on substantive theme (b) prepared by Mr. H. Scholz (European Parliament) PC-WTO/2011/2(b)-R.2 (7 March 2011)	[English] [French]
	Provisional programme (version 21/03/11)	[English] [French]
	Additional information on the organization of work	[English] [French]
	Annotated provisional agenda	[English] [French] [English] [French]
	Invitation	[English] [French]
	Practical information note	[English] [French]
	Advance information letter	[English] [French]
	Registration form	[Bilingual]
	On-line booking of hotel rooms through the Geneva Tourism Office	[English] [French]
	Steering Committee of the Conference	[English] [French]
	Rules of Procedure of the Conference	[English] [French] [English] [French]
RELATED SITES AND DOCUMENTS
	WTO video: Parliaments and the multilateral trading system
	World Trade Organization
	Committee on International Trade, European Parliament
	Parliamentary Panel within the framework of the Annual WTO Public Forum (Geneva, 16 September 2010)
	Enlarged session of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO (Geneva, 1 December 2009)
	Annual 2008 session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
	Annual 2006 session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
	Hong Kong session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
	Brussels session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
	Cancún session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
	Geneva 2003 session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
Note: Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader

ANNOTATED AGENDA
1.	Adoption of the agenda
2.	Debate on substantive themes:
	(a)	Multilateralism in the midst of the rising tide of bilateral and regional trade pacts
		The international trading system looks increasingly fragmented and multi-layered. Do regional trade agreements and bilateral arrangements present a challenge to the credibility and viability of the WTO? Is multilateralism still the best option to harness globalization and manage interdependence?
	(b)	Rebalancing the rules of the multilateral trading system in favour of the poor
		The objective of development, with particular focus on trade-related needs of the least developed countries, is central to the Doha Development Agenda, which seeks to redress asymmetries and imbalances affecting these countries. Despite the promise made at the start of the Doha Round, tangible results in the area of development are yet to be seen. How can parliaments help break the deadlock? What reforms are necessary to ensure that developing countries can benefit from the increase of their share of world trade and can reduce poverty?
3.	Hearing with the WTO Director-General
		It has become customary for the WTO Director-General to meet with parliamentarians specializing in international trade. During this interactive session, which is not unlike traditional parliamentary hearings, the Director-General will answer questions and listen to brief comments from the delegates.
4.	Dialogue with senior WTO negotiators
	Trade and sustainable development: from collision to cohesion
		Sustainable development is at the core of the WTO's mission. However, the pace of negotiations under the Doha mandate related to environment leaves much to be desired and appears to be subdued to progress on other negotiation tracks. As Ambassadors directly involved in WTO negotiations, the distinguished panellists are best placed to ponder on the subject of an optimum form of interlinkage between the need to promote international trade and sustainable development.
5.	Interactive panel discussion
	Connecting to society: Trade policy-making in the era of mass communication
		The efforts of the WTO to make the multilateral trading system better understood have borne some fruit recently, but accusations that the system lacks transparency and accountability still persist. In the era of new communication technologies, what possibilities are there to connect more effectively the WTO to society? What role should the legislator play in this regard?
6.	Adoption of the outcome document
		At the end of the session, the participants will be invited to adopt an outcome document, the draft of which will be prepared by the Conference Steering Committee.

Updated on 21 March 2011
PROGRAMME
MONDAY, 21 MARCH
09:00 - 12:30	Pre-Conference session of the Steering Committee (in camera meeting, IPU Headquarters)
10:00 - 18:00	Registration of participants
15:00 - 15:30	Inaugural session
	Senator Donald H. Oliver (Canada), Member of the IPU Executive Committee Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, Vice-President of the European Parliament Ambassador Yonov Frederick Agah (Nigeria), Chairman of the WTO General Council
15:30 - 15:40	Adoption of the agenda and other organizational issues
15:40 - 18:00	Debate on substantive theme (a):
	Multilateralism in the midst of the rising tide of bilateral and regional trade pacts
	Rapporteurs Senator Luis Alberto Heber (Uruguay) Mr. Paul Rübig, Member of the European Parliament
	Discussant Mrs. Ditte Juul-Joergensen, acting Director, WTO Affairs, Directorate-General for Trade, European Commission
18:00	Reception
20:00 - 22:00	Steering Committee (in camera meeting, IPU Headquarters)
TUESDAY, 22 MARCH
09:30 - 11:30	Debate on substantive theme (b):
	Rebalancing the rules of the multilateral trading system in favour of the poor
	Rapporteurs Mr. Lormus Bundhoo, MP (Mauritius) Mr. Helmut Scholz, Member of the European Parliament
	Discussant Ambassador Anthony Mothae Maruping (Lesotho), Chairman of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development
11:30 - 13:00	Dialogue with senior WTO negotiators
	Trade and sustainable development: from collision to cohesion
	Panelists Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee (Philippines), Chairman of the Special Session of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Ambassador David Walker (New Zealand), Chairman of the Special Session on Agriculture Ambassador Hiswani Harun (Malaysia), Chairperson of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment Mr. Bruce Christie, Deputy Permanent Representative of Canada to the WTO
13:00 - 15:00	Lunch break
15:00 - 16:00	Hearing with the WTO Director-General
16:00 - 17:40	Interactive panel discussion
	Connecting to society: Trade policy-making in the era of mass communication
	Moderator Mr. Niccolò Rinaldi, Member of the European Parliament
	Panelists Mr. Jamil Chade, journalist, "O Estado de S. Paulo" (Brazil) Mrs. Hedayat Abdel Nabi, journalist (Egypt), President of the Press Emblem Campaign Mr. John Zarocostas, journalist, "The Washington Times" (USA), President of the Association of Correspondents to the United Nations
17:40 - 18:00	Closing session

STEERING COMMITTEE

The Steering Committee of the Conference is currently composed of representatives of the following parliaments and international organizations: Belgium, Burkina Faso, Canada, China, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Japan, Kenya, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay, United Kingdom, United States of America, Commonwealth Parliamentary Assocition, European Parliament, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, World Trade Organization.