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The South Centre held a South Conference on The South in the Global Economic Crisis and Reviewing Multilateral Negotiations on 31 January and 1 February 2013 at Room XVIII at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. It reviewed the critical situation regarding the global economy as it affected developing countries, as well as the state of multilateral cooperation and negotiations that took place in 2012, which were at a very difficult and complex crossroads, as seen in the impasse or near impasse in several areas.
Developing country policymakers and opinion shapers participated and presented in this conference, to undertake a review of the prospects for the South and policy options in the current global context and to identify possible ways forward.
The conference covered the following issues:
- Current problems and prospects in the global economic crisis
- The current economic problems, policies and prospects in various developing country regions (Africa, Latin America, Asia)
- The state of play in WTO, issues on the road to the 2013 Bali Ministerial, and future of multilateral trade system
- FTAs and investment agreements and their impacts on development and policy space
- Review of outcome of COP18 of the UNFCCC in Doha and the negotiating agenda in 2013
- The post 2015 UN development agenda
- The imperative of South-South cooperation
 Programme in PDF
CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
DAY 1 – 31 JANUARY 2013
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1000-1120
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Opening Session
Chair: Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director, South Centre
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Opening Statement, H.E. former Tanzania President Benjamin W. Mkapa, Chairperson, South Centre Board
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Statement, H.E. Ambassador Peter Thomson (Fiji), Chair, Group of 77 and China, Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations in New York
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Statement, H.E. Ambassador Miguel Carbo Benites (Ecuador), Chair, Group of 77 and China (Geneva chapter), Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the World Trade Organization and UNCTAD
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Statement, Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Under Secretary-General, United Nations; and Executive Secretary, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
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1120-1300
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Current Global Economic Crisis and Challenges Facing Developing Countries
Chair: H.E. former Tanzania President Benjamin W. Mkapa, Chairperson, South Centre Board
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Comments by:
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H.E. Ambassador Dilip Sinha, Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva
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Dr. Rubens Ricupero, Dean, Faculty of Economics and International Relations, Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, Brazil
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1300-1430
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LUNCH
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1430-1530
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Africa and the global crisis
Chair: Dr. Youba Sokona, Vice-Chair (Working Group III), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change; Board Member, South Centre
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1530-1630
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Asia and the global crisis
Chair: Dr. Deepak Nayyar, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India; Vice Chairman, South Centre Board
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1630-1730
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Latin America and the Caribbean and the global crisis
Chair: H.E. Ambassador Marion Vernese Williams, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations in Geneva
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DAY 2 – 1 FEBRUARY 2013
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930-1130
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WTO and the Multilateral Trade System: The Fate of Doha, the Agenda Bali Ministerial and Beyond
Chair: Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director, South Centre
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Dr. Rubens Ricupero, Member, Board of South Centre and Dean, Faculty of Economics and International Relations, Armando Alvares Penteado Foundation, Brazil
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Presentation: WTO and the Multilateral Trade System: The Fate of Doha, the Agenda for the Bali Ministerial and Beyond; Paper: Statement in the South Centre Conference on “WTO and the Multilateral Trade System: The Fate of Doha, the Agenda Bali Ministerial and Beyond”, Amb. Srinivasan Narayanan, Former Indian Ambassador to the WTO; Honorary Visiting faculty, Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, India
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H.E. Ambassador Faizel Ismail, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the World Trade Organization
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Presentation: WTO And MTS: The Fate Of Doha, The Agenda Bali Ministerial And Beyond, Mr. Lucas Saronga, Permanent Representative a.i. of Tanzania to the World Trade Organization
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1130-1300
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Development Impacts of Bilateral Trade Agreements and Bilateral Investment Treaties
Chair: Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director, South Centre
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Presentation: The Caribbean, The Crisis And The Economic ‘Partnership’ Agreement, Dr. Norman Girvan, Professor Emeritus, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago; former Secretary General, Association of Caribbean States
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Presentation: EU GSP Reform and the EPA Negotiations between EU and Africa, Ms. Aileen Kwa, Coordinator, Trade and Development Programme, South Centre on recent developments in the EPAs on African development
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Presentation: Some provisions in some BITs/FTA investment chapters, Ms. Sanya Reid Smith, Legal Adviser, Third World Network, on Impacts of Investment Agreements on Development Policy Space
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1300-1430
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LUNCH
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1430-1700
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Climate change, Biodiversity, Sustainable Development Goals, the Post RioPlus20 process, and the UN Post-2015 development agenda
Chair: Ms. Chee Yoke Ling, Director, Third World Network
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Paper: The MDGs Beyond 2015, Dr. Deepak Nayyar, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India; Vice Chairman, South Centre Board; on the Post-2015 Development Agendas
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1700-1720
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Closing Session
Chair: Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Director
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H.E. former Tanzania President Benjamin W. Mkapa, Chairperson, South Centre Board
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H.E. Ambassador Peter Thomson (Fiji), Chair, Group of 77 and China; Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations in New York
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Dr Noeleen Heyzer, Under Secretary-General, United Nations; and Executive Secretary, UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
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