On June 7, 2006, CIEL and the Berne Declaration will host a discussion on "FTAs and sustainable development: The example of EFTA and other upcoming challenges."

 

The Berne Declaration and CIEL will host a discussion on "FTAs and sustainable development: The example of EFTA and other upcoming challenges,"" which will take place on 7 June 2006, from 3:00 to 5:30, in Salle Stephen Biko of the Maison des Associations, located at 15 Rue des Savoises, Geneva.

Representatives of civil society organizations from Thailand and Indonesia will briefly share their work and concerns regarding their countries' negotiation of trade agreements with industrialized countries, particularly in relation to negotiations with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), formed by Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland. The focus of discussions will be intellectual property and financial services.

Thai and Indonesian civil society representatives are in Switzerland at the invitation of the Berne Declaration to explain to authorities, press, and civil society the possible consequences of free trade agreements with their countries, as well as for developing countries in general. They will also travel to Liechtenstein and Norway. EFTA is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with Thailand. Explanatory talks are taking place with Indonesia.

In addition, Ellen 't Hoen of Médicins Sans Frontières and Pedro Roffe of ICTSD (invited) will give a short presentation on upcoming challenges arising out of bilateral trade agreements with industrialized countries, particularly in relation to intellectual property, and present potential strategies for civil society to address these challenges, both at the national and international levels. Presentations will be followed by open discussion.

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Draft Agenda

• Welcome - Julien Reinhard (Berne Declaration) and María Julia Oliva (CIEL)

• Presentations on concern raised by FTAs: The example of EFTA free trade agreements
  
  Prof. Dr. Jiraporn Limpananont, Social Pharmacy Research Unit, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand
  Dr. Alexander C. Chandra, Resarch-Coordinator, Institute for Global Justice (IGJ), Indonesia
  Revrisond Baswir, Director of the Centre for Economic Democracy Studies, Gadjah Mada University, Jakarta, Indonesia
  Witoon Lianchamroon, Director of Biothai (NGO working on agriculture), Thailand

• Presentation/s on upcoming challenges and potential strategies
  
  Ellen 't Hoen, Médicins Sans Frontières
  Pedro Roffe, ICTSD (invited)
  
  
• Open discussion
• Closing Remarks