15th UNCTAD Session To Be Virtual Event
From the Barbados Government Information Service (GIS): The 15th Session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15), to be hosted by Barbados from October 3 to 8, will now be a virtual event. Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and acting UNCTAD Secretary-General, Isabelle Durant, made the announcement today. She said they had recent discussions and the decision was taken. “The intensifying global spread of COVID-19; the appallingly inequitable distribution of vaccines globally; the uncertainties of international travel and likely participation numbers and the reality of protecting our own population here, all make it impractical for us…. “The Secretary General and I, therefore, consulted…and we agreed that it can no longer be convened physically. But, like with all things in life, let us see what we can do to break new ground in this virtual staging of the first UNCTAD conference,” she stated. The Prime Minister noted that the virtual space would give unlimited scope to make the October conference an exceptional experience. Read the full release here.
Henry Gill Memorial Lecture: Call for Reaction – Video Recording
The Shridath Ramphal Centre (Cave Hill, UWI) and the Institute of International Relations (St. Augustine, UWI) came together to host the inaugural Henry Gill Memorial Lecture on 17 March 2021 to celebrate the life and work of Henry S. Gill: Caribbean trade and international relations expert who was crucial in the successful negotiation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA in 2008. Mr Pascal Lamy, Former WTO Director General delivered the inaugural lecture entitled, “Doha Development Agenda Negotiations 20 Years On: Reflections on Trade and Development.” In his remarks, Mr Lamy highlighted that, as compared to the earlier times when the preoccupation of the trade agenda was with issues of trade “protectionism”, today’s main issues centred around “precautionism” and regulatory convergence over standards to protect against risks to their consumers – whether in food safety, the environment, data/privacy etc. He noted that special and differential treatment has limited relevance in such a precautionist agenda and that Caribbean countries must therefore recalibrate their trade policy to be better prepared for these new issues. As a member of the CARICOM Commission on the Economy, he also urged CARICOM Member States to reinvest in regional integration with a focus on free movement of products, people and data. A recording of the full lecture is available here: https://youtu.be/AsjfTJdsy8M At the SRC, we aim to encourage critical thinking on Caribbean economic development and trade. We are therefore calling on academics, students and policy makers interested in Caribbean trade issues to present their thoughts/recommendations/ideas – of 1000-1500 words – on Mr Lamy’s remarks. Successful entries will be published on our website as part of the SRC Trading Thoughts and in our SRC Newsletter publications. Deadline for your entries is 25 March 2021. For more information contact Jan Yves Remy at: janyvesremy@cavehill.uwi.edu
DAOC Webinar – BREXIT: Implications for the Caribbean and the Future of UK-Caribbean Relations – March 31
The Diplomatic Academy of the Caribbean (DAOC) will be hosting a webinar entitled Brexit: Implications for the Caribbean and the Future of UK-Caribbean Relations. The webinar will be held via Zoom teleconference on 31 March 2021, from 9:30am to 12:30pm Atlantic Standard Time (AST). This webinar features a panel, as follows: · Ambassador Gail Mathurin, Director General, Office of Trade Negotiations within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat · Dr. Tres-Ann Kremer, Head of Good Offices for Peace & Caribbean Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat · Ambassador Errol Humphrey, International Trade and Development Consultant · Dr. Damie Sinanan, Manager, Competitiveness and Export Promotion, Caribbean Export Development Agency · Dr. Kusha Haraksingh, Honorary Consultant, Office of the Vice-Chancellery, The University of the West Indies Please register via the following link: https://sta.uwi.edu/daoc/webinars
CRIES Call for Papers – Pensamiento Propio
Please see the above Call for Papers from CRIES. For further information on submission, please see the full call here.
Henry Gill Memorial Lecture – March 17
SAVE THE DATE! The SRC is pleased to invite you to our inaugural Henry Gill Memorial Lecture which will be held on March 17, 2021. Our featured speaker is Mr. Pascal Lamy, former Director-General of the World Trade Organisation. Please see the flyer for further details. CLICK THE LINK TO REGISTER https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A6MhYQRlRqCbB6PHLZPnCw
The Caribbean Community Common External Tariff: Revisiting its Governing Philosophy
Dr. Gianni Avila & Dr. Jan Yves Remy$*The Common External Tariff (CET) is a critical component of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), one of the oldest regional integration arrangements among developing countries in the world, whose aim is to remove barriers to the intra-regional trade among its Member States. In theory, the CET provides for the application of a protective…
G-2 CONFERENCE AND HACKATHON CHALLENGE 2O21
G-2 CONFERENCE AND HACKATHON CHALLENGE 2O21 –HOW TO MAKE THE WTO FIT FOR FUTURE TRADE09-11 APRIL | HACKATHON CHALLENGE14 APRIL – 15:00-20:00 CET | G-2 CONFERENCE This year, our annual G-2 Conference 14 April 2021, will take a new spin. At a moment when trade is challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and a resurgence of protectionist sentiments, and the WTO faces crisis across many of its core functions, we want to elevate new, fresh perspectives with bold ideas for the WTO’s path forward. Our focal point will be a three day hackathon for students from around the world, on: ‘How to Make the WTO Fit for Future Trade’. This event is co-organised by CTEI, the Institute of International Economic Law || Georgetown Law and the Geneva Trade Platform . The conference will take place on 14 April 15:00-20:00CET. Please click HERE for conference registration only. We are challenging teams of students (2-4 per team) from anywhere in the world to collaborate and in just 72 hours, develop a fully considered and legally sound proposal for an outcome at the WTO that meaningfully addresses an issue that will be shared at the launch of the Hackathon (9 April 2021). Team members will need to be available from 9-11 April and 14 April afternoon 15:00-20:00 CET. Teams will be asked to:Define a substantive issue (500 words).Propose a specific treaty text or informal commitment/declaration text that addresses the concern (200 words). Suggest a legal/technical or institutional way to implement the proposal within the broader WTO framework (500 words). Prepare a short video summarizing the issue and the team’s solution (3-5 minutes)The three most innovative proposals will be featured on the day of the conference and the winning team will receive a cash prize of USD 3,000 followed by USD 2,000 & USD 1,000 for the second and third runner up respectively. Please register your team to the Hackathon HERE before the 26th of March, 2021, 23:59 CET. More information on the hackathon will be shared with registered participants on a dedicated portal of the Beyond Trade Network. For more information or if you would like to sponsor this event, please contact us on: events@genevatradeplatform.org TEAM SUBMISSION FORM
The EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
The EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), entered into force in December 2008 with the overarching objective to enhance reciprocal trade in goods, services, investment, competition, sustainable development, as well as deepening regional integration between the Parties. This webinar will discuss the impact of the EPA on the private sector, hear from firms in the goods and services sector about their experiences regarding trade under the EPA and comment on the recommendations for the future on how to unlock the trade potential under this EPA. The consulting firm Ecory’s will present the results of their assessment on the state of EU-CARIFORUM trade as well as four sector case studies, namely cultural and creative services, beverages and rum, the dairy sector and investments with a focus on tourism. For their study a total of 200 stakeholders were consulted in the CARIFORUM Region and in the EU. Join us Thursday, March 11, 2021 from 9:00 to 12:00 AST / 14:00 to 17:00 CET REGISTER NOW https://www.carib-export.com/event/the-eu-cariforum-epa-enhancing-reciprocal-trade-and-deepening-regional-integration/
A Woman In Charge
SRC, in collaboration with American University of Washington College of Law will be hosting a panel discussion on “A Woman In Charge: Challengers And Opportunities For The New WTO DG”. Get the opportunity to hear these ladies, Padideh Ali’a, Anabel Gonzales, Jennifer Hillman and Lisa Schroeter. The session will be moderated by SRC Deputy Director, Dr. Jan Yves Remy and Dr. Renata Amaral.
Happy International Women’s Day!
We are Strong. We are Intelligent. We are Independent. We are Resilient. We are Ambitious. We are WOMAN. #Choosetochallenge