Skip to main content

Annual session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO

-

Geneva
Switzerland

Home

Watch the video of highlights from the conference

The Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organization(WTO) is a joint undertaking of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. The principal objective of the Conference is to enhance external transparency of the WTO and hold it accountable to legislators as elected representatives of the people. Sessions of the Parliamentary Conference are held annually and in connection with WTO Ministerial Conferences (MC). The smooth running of this process is ensured by the Conference Steering Committee.

The 2018 Annual Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO will take place on 6 and 7 December, in Room CRIon the premises of the WTO, Centre William Rappardin Geneva.

In conformity with the Conference Rules of Procedure, the annual session is intended primarily for parliamentarians who specialize in matters of international trade in their respective parliaments. The Conference will provide 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 will also be an occasion to follow up on the Buenos Aires session of the Parliamentary Conference held during the 11thWTO Ministerial Conference. Finally, the 2018 Annual Session of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO will allow the parliamentarians 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.

Thursday, 6 December 2018

- Registration of participants
- Inaugural session
Ms. Margaret Mensah-Williams, Chairperson of the National Council of Namibia, co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the Parliamentary Conference on the WTO; Mr. Fabio Massimo Castaldo, Vice-President of the European Parliament; Ambassador Junichi Ihara, Permanent Representative of Japan to the WTO, Chairperson of the WTO General Council
- Hearing with the WTO Deputy Director-General, Mr. Xiaozhun Yi
- Challenges and opportunities facing the WTO
- Reception at the WTO

Friday, 7 December 2018

- WTO 2030?
- Lunch break
- How can technological development benefit the people?
- Closing session: Adoption of the outcome document
Sponsor
National Congress of Argentina