Ministerial Section - Seattle Conference

31 October, 9 am, WTO,Geneva, Switzerland: NGO Briefing on: WTO logistical & procedural arrangements for NGOs during the fourth ministerial conference in Doha - Negotiating state of play.

5-8 November, Beirut: THE WORLD FORUM ON THE WTO. Three days of meetings, workshops, teach-ins, and cultural events organised by the Arab NGO Network for Development and the Lebanese Platform on the WTO. For further information contact: Arab NGO Network for Development; tel: (961) 131-9366; fax: 181-5636; email: annd@cyberia.net.lb; Internet: www.worldforumbeirut2001.org.

7-9 November, Accra, Ghana: INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES. This meeting is in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and organised in collaboration with the Government of Ghana, DFID/UK, the Danish Government and UNDP/Capacity 21. For further information contact: email: rohrmannk@un.org; Internet: click here. From IISD Linkages, http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/journal/.

8-10 November, New York, USA: US STRATEGY SUMMIT ON GLOBAL CORPORATE POWER AND DEMOCRACY. This dialogue, sponsored by A.J. Muste Fund and the Women's International League For Peace and Freedom, is for global justice activists worldwide with a broad range of knowledge, skills, ideologies, and experiences. The goal is to share visions to develop effective strategies and "replace the stranglehold of global corporate power with true democracy." For further information, contact: A.J. Muste Fund/WILPF Summit; tel: (212) 533-2125; email: summitcontact11@yahoo.com; Internet: http://www.nowto.org/summit/

9 November, worldwide: ICFTU GLOBAL UNIONS' DAY OF ACTION. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) co-organises this campaign marking the launch of the next Ministerial Conference of the WTO in Doha, Qatar by staging a Day of Action by the work-places of the world. The Day of Action will take place on the opening day of the WTO Conference. Global Unions -- a cooperation of numerous international trade union organisations -- will be calling for: (i) protections of basic workers' rights from the exploitation that results from world trade; (ii) reforming the world trading system to benefit the poor in developing countries;(iii) the right to quality universal public education and health services, free from WTO rules; (iv) cheap and affordable medicines to fight diseases such as HIV/AIDS; and, (v) opening up the WTO system to consultation with trade unions and other democratic representatives of civil society. For further information contact: ICFTU Press Department, Brussels; tel: (32-2) 224-0232 or 47662-1018; email: press@icftu.org; Internet: click here.

9 November, Worldwide: GLOBAL JUSTICE: WTO DAY OF ACTION 2001. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions is organising a worldwide trade protest consisting of rallies, union meetings, and work stoppages against the "destructive globalization" headed by the WTO, World Bank and others. For further information contact: tel: (32-02) 224-0211; fax: 201-5815; email: internetpo@icftu.org; Internet: http://www.global-unions.org/wto-action.asp.

9 November, London, England: WTO: ABOLISH OR REFORM? In the wake of the WTO Ministerial Meeting in Qatar, the Legacy of Colonialism Forum (launched by The Land is Ours Campaign) organises this debate on the current situation of and possible improvements to the WTO. For further information contact: The Land is Ours Campaign; tel: 07961-460-171; email: legacyofcolonialism@tlio.demon.co.uk; Internet: http://www.oneworld.org/tlio/issues/legacy.html.

9 November, Moscow, Russia: CONFERENCE ON GLOBALIZATION. Conference on Globalization in Moscow sponsored by the All-Russian Confederation of Labor (VKT). For further information, contact: VKT; tel: (095) 785-2131; fax: 915-8367; email: vkt@vkt.org.ru; Internet: http://www.vkt.org.ru/.

9 November, Doha, Qatar: INSTITUTIONAL REFORM MEETING. A meeting on Institutional Reform, 3-5pm at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre.

9-13 November, Doha, Qatar: THE INSTITUTE FOR AGRICULTURE AND TRADE POLICY (IATP) INTERNATIONAL MEDIA CENTER. Since many NGOs have decided not to attend the WTO Ministerial in Doha, IATP has scheduled press briefings to help NGOs voice a collective message every morning from 8:00 - 9:00 in Doha. In addition, Public Citizen has reserve time in the evening, from 18:00 - 20:00. To hold a briefing, email Bernard Kuiten at Bernard.Kuiten@wto.org. For further information contact: Dale Wiehoff, IATP; tel: (612) 870-0453; fax: 870-4846; email: dwiehoff@iatp.org; Internet: http://www.iatp.org or http://www.wtowatch.org.

9-13 November, Doha, Qatar: AGRICULTURE MEETING. Meetings on agriculture to be held at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre from 10-11:00am.

9-13 November, Doha, Qatar: BRIEFING FOR NGOS. Briefings for non-governmental organisations at 2-3:00pm sponsored by SouthCentre. For further information, contact: SouthCentre; tel: (41-22) 791-8050; fax: 798-8531; email: south@southcentre.org; Internet: http://www.southcentre.org/.

9-13 November, Doha, Qatar: TRIPS MEETING. Meeting on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) sponsored by ActionAid, 11:00am - 12:00pm at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre. For further information, contact: ActionAid; tel: 020-7561-7561; fax: 7272-0899; email: mail@actionaid.org.uk; Internet: http://www.actionaid.org/.

10 November, Linz, Austria: THE WORLD IS NOT FOR SALE. ATTAC Austria is holding this event consisting of lectures from different perspectives (agriculture, genetic engineering, women, service industry, and others) in combination with workshops. A press conference is planned together with Greenpeace and WWF as well as press releases and position papers. For further information, contact: Christian Mayr, ATTAC; tel: 0043-1-317-4010-222; email: infos@attac-austria.org; Internet: http://www.attac-austria.org/.

10 November, Nice, France: LECTURE DEBATE ON THE WTO. A public lecture sponsored by ATTAC. For further information, contact: ATTAC, email: attac06@attac.org; Internet: http://www.local.attac.org/attac06/.

10 November, Helsinki, Finland: ARE THERE ALTERNATIVES FOR FREE TRADE. Together with several NGOs, ATTAC presents a Doha-seminar with prominent speakers and workshops on topics including: Democracy in Doha, GATS and threat to public services, WTO and development countries, visions and alternatives. For further information, contact: Mika Rönkkö, Attac Finland; email: mronkko@kaapeli.fi; Internet: http://www.attac.kaapeli.fi/.

11 November, Surry Hills, Australia: SEMINAR ON THE WTO, FAIR TRADE AND CORPORATE GLOBALISATION. This meeting is sponsored by AMWU, AWU, CEPU, ACTU, AFTINET et al. For further information, contact: Natasha Holmes; tel: 02-9897-9133; email: nholmes@amwu.asn.au.

11 November, Doha, Qatar: STRENGTHENING WORKERS' RIGHTS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY. The fringe meeting is organized by SOLIDAR, an independent European alliance of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that are historically linked to the free and democratic labour and trade union movement. The WTO negotiation process and possible strategies beyond the WTO will be discussed in regards to the social dimension of globalisation (i.e. workers rights). For further information, contact: Genevra Forwood; tel: (32-2) 500-1020; fax: 500-1030; email: genevra@solidar.org; Internet: http://www.solidar.org/.

11 November, Doha, Qatar: STANDARDS AND MARKET ACCESS: THE ROAD AHEAD. CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS-CITEE) will be organising a panel discussion focusing on problems faced by developing countries in dealing with WTO agreements and rules. For further information, contact: Ms. Purnima Purohit; email: cuts@cuts.org; Internet: http://www.cuts-india.org/.

12 November, Doha, Qatar: NGOS ASK "WHAT NEXT?" Meeting on the next steps after the Ministerial, 7-9:00pm at the Qatar International Exhibition Centre. Various NGO's will participate.

12-16 November, Montreal, Canada: SEVENTH MEETING OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE. For further information contact: tel: (514) 288-2220; fax: 288-6588; email: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/sbstta-07.asp. From Linkages: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/journal/.

12-16 November, Caracas, Venezuela: WORKSHOP ON RISK MONITORING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY. Organised by: Efrain G. Salazar Yamarte (Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias/CENIAP, Maracay, Venezuela) and Rafael Rangel Aldao (Centro Tecnológico Polar, Caracas, Venezuela). This workshop is entitled: "Advanced Issues on Biosafety: Risk Monitoring and Public Perception of Biotechnology." For further information contact: Dr. Efrain G. Salazar Yamarte; tel: (58- 43) 471066; fax: 471066, 831421; email: efra63@hotmail.com; Internet: http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/TRAINING/CRS01/crsps01.htm. From IISD Linkages: http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/journal/.

12-16 November, Montreal, Canada: SEVENTH MEETING OF THE CBD SUBSIDIARY BODY ON SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVICE. For further information contact: tel: (514) 288-2220; fax: 288-6588; email: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/sbstta- 07.asp.