Parliamentary Meeting FOR A FREE, JUST AND EQUITABLE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM: PROVIDING A PARLIAMENTARY DIMENSION Organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union Geneva, 8 and 9 June 2001

	The first ever global parliamentary meeting on international trade was organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and took place in the Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) on 8 and 9 June 2001. With this meeting, IPU aimed to bring together members of parliaments who specialise in international trade issues in their respective parliaments. The Meeting provided them with an opportunity to examine globalisation from a trade perspective and to discuss the legislative and oversight role of parliaments in relation to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the current multilateral trading system and future trade negotiations. The event was part of IPU’s activities to provide a parliamentary dimension to international cooperation. It offered members of parliament who work on trade issues an unrivalled opportunity to exchange views and experiences with colleagues in other parliaments as well as with trade representatives of governments of sovereign States that are members of the WTO. At the end of the Meeting, its Chair, Dr. Najma Heptulla, summed up the debate and the Meeting adopted a Final Declaration.

Composition of the Preparatory Committee Summary of decisions taken by the Preparatory Committee Annotated agenda (PDF) Programme of the Meeting (PDF) Additional Information (PDF) Practical Information (PDF) Registration form (PDF) Hotel reservation form (PDF) World Trade Organization Geneva International Conference Centre	Final Declaration of the Meeting Summary of the Debate by the Chair IPU Press releases concerning the Meeting: Geneva, 9 June 2001 Geneva, 18 May 2001
Note: Documents in PDF format require Adobe Acrobat Reader

ANNOTATED AGENDA 1. Election of the President of the Meeting 2. Adoption of the Agenda 3. Debate on substantive themes (a) Globalisation from a trade perspective: the role and action of parliament as a relay between government and the people In every country, Parliament and its members have a constitutional responsibility to represent the people. It is their role to give voice to the concerns and aspirations of the people for a better life. During the millennium celebrations, both the heads of State and governments and Speakers and Presidents of Parliaments identified globalisation as the one main challenge facing the community of nations: how to ensure that it becomes a positive force for all the world’s people. They committed themselves to an open, equitable, rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system. The participants – both members of parliaments and representatives of governments – may wish to discuss people’s concerns relating to trade and the role that parliaments can play to address them. (b) WTO and the current international trading system: the role of parliaments in the field of legislation One of the two major roles of parliament and its members is to legislate. Parliament makes the laws that govern each country. WTO is a multilateral rules-based system providing for trade negotiations and dispute settlement. These rules need to be translated into national laws and regulations. The participants may therefore wish to exchange views on current trade issues that require legislative action at some point, such as a review of the implementation of Uruguay Round Agreements, on-going negotiations in agriculture or services, accession of new WTO members, an ever growing number of dispute settlement cases and the rise in bilateral and regional trade negotiations and agreements. (c) Parliamentary oversight with respect to future trade negotiations, particularly from the development perspective The second fundamental role of parliament and its members is to “oversee” the government. Government is accountable to parliament and the latter monitors and seeks to influence government policy and action. This role is crucial for parliament and its members to be able to truly represent the people and takes on special importance in relation to trade negotiations. The multilateral trading system offers the prospect of expanding trading opportunities but translating this prospect into reality requires a balanced approach that takes into account the interests and concerns of all people. The participants may wish to discuss how to build the consensus necessary for promoting free and fair trade in order to eliminate poverty, enhance employment opportunities and raise standards of living for people in all countries. 4. Conclusions: The way forward The participants will exchange views on possible follow-up to the Meeting, in particular with regard to furthering parliamentary involvement in decision-making concerning international trade, and will make recommendations for practical action by IPU to build up a parliamentary dimension of the rules-based multilateral trading system. Under this item, the participants will also consider a Declaration drafted by the Preparatory Committee.

DETAILED PROGRAMME OF THE MEETING

Thursday, 7 June 2001
9.30 a.m. - 1 p.m.*	Preparatory Committee (in camera meeting)
8.30 a.m. - 7 p.m.	Registration of participants
Friday, 8 June 2001
8 a.m. - 6.30 p.m.	Registration of participants
9.30 - 10.00 a.m.	Inaugural session
10.15 a.m. - 1 p.m.	Working session
	Adoption of the agenda and other organisational issues
Substantive theme (a)	Globalisation from a trade perspective: the role and action of parliament as a relay between government and the people
	Keynote speaker: Mr. Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy (Peru) Panellists: Mr. Kimmo Kiljunen, Member of Parliament (Finland) Mr. Srinivasan Narayanan, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to WTO (India)
2.30 - 6.30 p.m.	Working session
	Presentation by the WTO Director-General, Mr. Mike Moore, followed by a question-and-answer session
Substantive theme (b)	WTO and the current international trading system: the role of parliaments in the field of legislation
	Keynote speaker: Mr. Andrew Stoler, Deputy Director-General of WTO Panellists: Mrs. Maria Beatriz Nofal, MP, Member of the Chamber of Deputies (Argentina) Mr. Nacer Benjelloun-Toumi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to WTO (Morocco)
18.45	Reception at WTO
Saturday, 9 June 2001
9.30 a.m.- 1 p.m.	Working session
Substantive theme (c)	Parliamentary oversight with respect to future trade negotiations, particularly from the development perspective
	Keynote speaker: Mr. Miguel Rodríguez Mendoza, Deputy Director-General of WTO Panellists: M. Pohele Ya France, MP, Member of the National Assembly (Namibia) Mr. Sergio Marchi, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to WTO (Canada)
2.30 - 5 p.m.*	Closing session
Conclusions:	The way forward
	Keynote speakers: Dr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour, MP, Speaker of the National Assembly (Egypt), Honorary President of the IPU Council Mr. Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim, Ambassador, Permanent Representative to WTO (Brazil)
	Adoption of the Final Document

Dr. Najma Akbarali HEPTULLA (India)	President of the IPU Council, President of the Preparatory Committee
Mr. Ricardo Héctor VAZQUEZ (Argentina)	Member of the Budget and Finance Committee of the Chamber of Deputies
Mr. Geert VERSNICK (Belgium)	Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives
Mr. Bill GRAHAM (Canada)	Chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs and International Trade Standing Committee
Mr. CAI FANGBO (China)	Vice-Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
Mr. Ahmed EZZ (Egypt)	Chairman of the Planning and Budget Committee of the People's Assembly
Mrs. Tatiana YARIGUINA (Russian Federation)	Member of the State Duma
Dr. Kimmo KILJUNEN (Finland)	Chairman of the parliamentary Sub-Committee on WTO
Mrs. Béatrice MARRE (France)	Member of the Committee on Finance, the Economy and the Plan of the National Assembly
Mr. Bernard OKINDJA (Gabon)	Member of the Committee on Finance of the National Assembly
Mr. Rassoul SADIGHI (Islamic Republic of Iran)	Vice-President of the Committee for Plan, Budget and Accounts of the Islamic Consultative Assembly
Mr. Matere KERIRI (Kenya)	Member of the Speaker's Committee of the National Assembly
Mr. Maati SOUHAIL (Morocco)	Chairman of the Committee on Finance of the House of Representatives
Mr. Ricardo ALANIZ POSADA (Mexico)	Vice-Chairman of the Committee on Trade and Industry of the Senate
Mr. Ildefonso GUAJARDO VILLARREAL (Mexico)	Secretary of the Committee on Trade and Industry, Chamber of Deputies
Mr. KOBSAK CHUTIKUL (Thailand)	Member of Parliament
Senator Chuck GRASSLEY (United States of America)	Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee
Mr. Trywell J.C. PHIRI (Zambia)	Member of the Committee on Trade and Finance of the National Assembly
Mr. Renzo IMBENI, MEP (European Parliament)	Vice-President of the European Parliament
Mr. Jan WIEBENGA, MEP (European Parliament)	Vice-President of the European Parliament