The South Centre organised a Workshop on the State of the Global Economy, and Reflection on Recent and Future Multilateral Negotiations. The Workshop provided a forum at the beginning of 2012 for policy makers, diplomats and experts of developing countries to reflect on the state of the global economy and prospects for developing countries, and on the implications of important multilateral negotiations that have recent taken place, and that will take place this year.

The Workshop started with a session on the current instability in the global economy and the prospects for the South in view of the anticipated economic downturn. Followed by elaborations in the second session on how the unstable international financial system and the global economic downturn are likely to affect developing countries. On the second day, the morning session discussed the state of negotiations at the WTO including the outcome of the 8th WTO Ministerial Conference, the scenarios for the negotiations on the Doha Round issues, other existing WTO issues, and the attempts to introduce new issues. The afternoon session focused on the state of play of the global climate negotiations of the UNFCCC and its Kyoto Protocol. The Workshop had a final session on the future of multilateralism, and the importance of South -South Cooperation.

Workshop Programme:

Click here for the  Programme Agenda

Documents

•  The Staggering Rise of the South By Y?lmaz Akyüz, Special Economic Advisor, South Centre

•  Address at the Symposium on World Economy and Development of the South Centre, by Li Zhaoxing, Chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, National People’s Congress; former Foreign Minister, People’s Republic of China

• " Instability and Downturn in the World Economy and the Prospects of the South", Statement by Petko Draganov, the Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD

• “ The Financial Crisis, the Great Recession and the Developing World”, “ Developing Countries in the World Economy: The Future in the Past? ”, Papers by Deepak Nayyar, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; former Vice Chancellor, University of Delhi; former Chief Economic Adviser to the Government of India

•  Global Economic Downturn And The Asia-Pacific Economies: Risks And Policy Options, by Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist, United Nations-Economic And Social Commission For Asia And The Pacific (ESCAP) and Director, ESCAP Sub regional Office For South And South-West Asia, New Delhi

•  State of Global Economy and Reflections on Recent Multi-Lateral Negotiations, by Lim Mah-Hui, Economic Advisor, South Centre; Member, Municipal Council of Penang, Malaysia

•  How A New Global Downturn May Affect Developing Countries And What Can Be Done To Mitigate The Effects? The Case of Latin America, by Alfredo Calcagno, Head, Macroeconomic and Development Policies Branch, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, UNCTAD

•  Reflections on MC VIII and the Way Forward, by H.E. Mr. Jayant Dasgupta, Ambassador & Permanent Representative to WTO, Permanent Mission of the Republic of India to the WTO

•  Presentation on Reflection on the WTO 8th Ministerial Conference of the WTO and its follow-up in 2012 and the future of the Multilateral Trading System, by Matern Y.C. Lumbanga, Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania to the WTO

•  Statement at the South Centre Workshop on State of the Global Economy, and Reflection on Recent and Future Multilateral Negotiations, by YI Xiaozhun, Ambassador & Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the WTO

•  Developments in Intellectual Property, by Carlos M Correa, Special Advisor on Trade and Technology, South Centre

•  EPA Negotiations between EU and Africa, by Aileen Kwa, Coordinator, Trade and Development Programe, South Centre

•  The Results of UNFCCC COP17: Issues and Implications, by Vicente Paolo Yu III, Coordinator, Global Governance for Development Programme, South Centre