BUENOS AIRES SESSION OF THE PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE ON THE WTO Buenos Aires (Argentina), 9 and 10 December 2017 Organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament with the support of the National Congress of Argentina

	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 the external transparency of the WTO and make this intergovernmental organization accountable to legislators as elected representatives of the people. Sessions of the Parliamentary Conference are held annually and in connection with WTO Ministerial Conferences. The smooth running of this process is ensured by the Conference Steering Committee. The Eleventh WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11) will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 10 to 13 December 2017, at the the Hilton Hotel and the New Buenos Aires Convention Centre. As on past occasions, the IPU and the European Parliament will organize, with the support of the Argentinian National Congress, a parallel parliamentary session in Buenos Aires. The Buenos Aires session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO will take place on 9 and 10 December 2017 on the premises of the National Congress (Calle Rivadavia 1864 - 1033 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires). The Parliamentary Session will include two sittings on 9 and 10 December 2017.  On 9 December, the session will run from 2.30 to 6.30 p.m. On 10 December, the Conference will meet in the morning, from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., subject to the requirements of the MC11 Inauguration. The Conference Steering Committee will meet in camera in the morning of 9 December, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. The parliamentary session is intended for legislators who are involved in parliamentary activities dealing with international trade, finance and development. The session will provide them with an opportunity to obtain first-hand information on progress made at MC11, interact with government negotiators and WTO officials, exchange views and experiences with colleagues in other parliaments and engage in a dialogue with civil society representatives. At the end of its work, the session is expected to adopt an outcome document. Participation in the session is guided by the general principles set out in Article 2 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO. The session is intended primarily for legislators who are directly involved in parliamentary activities dealing with international trade and development. Parliaments are strongly urged to ensure that their members are included in their country's official national delegation to MC11. This is by far the easiest way to ensure that their transportation, visa, and accommodation needs are taken care of in a centralized way. More importantly, taking part in their official national delegations will assure automatic accreditation to the Ministerial Conference and the possibility to receive ID badges offering them access to both the MC11 at the Hilton Buenos Aires Hotel and the Inauguration Session at the New Buenos Aires Convention Centre. If for some reason a parliamentary delegate will not have an MC11 badge, a special "Parliamentary Session" badge will be issued by the IPU registration desk at the premises of the National Congress. Parliamentary delegates are required to return their registration forms to the IPU Secretariat by 1 November 2017. Members of parliament and accompanying staff travelling to Buenos Aires outside the framework of their countries' official national delegations to MC11 are responsible for making their own travel and accommodation arrangements and obtaining entry visas for Argentina, if necessary.

Updated on 29 November 2018
SESSION DOCUMENTS
	Highlights of the Buenos Aires Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO		[English] [French]
	Outcome Document		[English] [French]
	List of participants		[English/French]
	Provisonal programme		[English] [French]
	Invitation		[English] [French]
	Rules of Procedure of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO		[English] [French]
	Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO		[English] [French]
	List of international organisations invited to follow the work of the Conference as observers		[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on the substantive debate theme presented by rapporteur, Ms. E. McClarkin (European Parliament)		[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on the substantive debate theme presented by rapporteur, Mr. J.H. Owona Kono (Cameroon)		[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on the substantive debate theme presented by rapporteur, Mr. P. Rübig (European Parliament)		[English] [French]
	Discussion paper on the substantive debate theme presented by rapporteur, Ms. B. Kenewendo (Botswana)		[English] [French]
	Joint Declaration on Trade and women’s economic empowerment		[English] [French]
	Conference pictures on Flickr
RELATED LINKS
	World Trade Organization		[English] [French]
	Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament		[English] [French]
	Argentinian National Congress		[Spanish only]
	11th WTO Ministerial Conference (official website)		[English] [French]
PREVIOUS SESSIONS OF THE CONFERENCE
	Annual 2016 session (Geneva, 13-14 June 2016)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2015 session (Geneva, 16-17 February 2015)		[English] [French]
	Bali session, in connection with MC9 (Bali, 2 and 5 December 2013)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2012 session (Geneva, 15-16 November 2012)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2011 session (Geneva, 21-22 March 2011)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2008 session (Geneva, 11-12 September 2008)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2006 session (Geneva, 1-2 December 2006)		[English] [French]
	Hong Kong session, in connection with MC6 (Hong Kong, 12 and 15 December 2005)		[English] [French]
	Brussels session (Brussels, 24-26 November 2004)		[English] [French]
	Cancún session, in connection with MC5 (Cancún, 9 and 12 September 2003)		[English] [French]
	Annual 2003 session (Geneva, 17 and 18 February 2003)		[English] [French]
Note: Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader

Updated on 30 November 2017
PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME
SATURDAY, 9 DECEMBER
09:00 - 12:30	Pre-Conference session of the Steering Committee (in camera meeting)
10:00 - 18:00	Registration of participants
13:30 - 14:00	Photograph at National Congress esplanade
14:30 - 15:30	Inaugural session
	Ms. Marta Gabriela Michetti, President of the Senate of Argentina Ms. Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Ms. Mairead Mc Guiness, Vice-President of the European Parliament Ms. Susanna Malcorra, Chairperson of the 11th WTO Ministerial   Conference Mr. Jorge Faurie, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Argentina Ambassador Xavier Carim, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the WTO, Chairperson of the WTO General Council Mr. Emilio Monzó, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina
15:30 - 16:30	Hearing with the WTO Director-General, Mr. Roberto Azevêdo
	Buenos Aires and beyond: Hearing with the WTO Director-General, Mr. Roberto Azevêdo Moderator: Mr. Krister Örnfjäder, Member of Parliament (Sweden), Co‑Chairman of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
16:30 - 17:00	Presentation of the joint Declaration on Trade and women’s economic empowerment Presenter: Ms. Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director, International Trade Centre (ITC)
17:00 - 19:00	What can we expect from MC 11? Dialogue with senior WTO negotiators and officials
	Guest Speakers Mr. Stephen Ndung’u Karau, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chairperson of the Committee on Agriculture, Special Session (tbc) Mr. Héctor Marcelo Cima, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Argentina Republic to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chairperson of the Council for Trade in Services, Special Session Mr. Wayne McCook, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Chairperson of the Negotiating Group on Rules Mr. Didier Chambovey, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the World Trade Organization, Chairperson of the Negotiating Group on Market Access Moderator: Mr. Bernd Lange, Member of the European Parliament, Co‑Chairman of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO
19:00 - 20:00	Steering Committee (in camera meeting)
20:00 - 22:00	BBQ offered by the National Congress of Argentina At “Asociación Argentina de Polo” Arevalo 3065, Palermo, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires
SUNDAY, 10 DECEMBER
09:00 - 11:00	Presentation of reports and interactive debate on the substantive theme
	E-commerce and the internationalization of SMEs
	Rapporteurs Ms. Emma McClarkin, Member of the European Parliament Mr. Robert Bapooh Lipo, Member of Parliament, Cameroon
	Discussant:  Moderator Ms. Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero Fernández, Member of the European Parliament
11:00 - 11:15	Coffee break
11:15 - 13:15	Presentation of reports and interactive debate on the substantive theme
	The role of multilateralism in times of rising protectionism
	Rapporteurs Mr. Paul Rübig, Member of the European Parliament Ms. Bogolo Kenewendo, Member of Parliament, Botswana
	Discussant: Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, Secretary-general of UNCTAD Moderator Mr. Anurag Singh Thakur, Member of Parliament, India
13:15 - 14:00	Adoption of the outcome document and closing session
	Rapporteur Senator Federico Pinedo, Senator, Argentina
14:00 - 15:00	Lunch buffet for the participants (Delia Parodi Room, National Congress of Argentina)

STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE CONFERENCE

The Steering Committee of the Conference is currently composed of representatives of the following parliaments and international organizations: Argentina, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Cameroon, China, Colombia, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, United Republic of Tanzania, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, European Parliament, Inter-Parliamentary Union, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and World Trade Organization.