Project Launch Meeting

WTO Doha Round & South Asia: Linking Civil Society with Trade Negotiations

Salon Orchid, Hotel Galadari, Colombo, Sri Lanka

9-10 March, 2005

Organized by:

  • CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, Jaipur, India
  • Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka
  • South Asia Watch on Trade Economics & Environment, Nepal

Agenda

Wednesday 9 March, 2005

0800 -0830Registration

0830 - 0930Inaugural Ceremony

Welcome:Saman Kelegama, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka

Inaugural Address by the Chief Guest:

H.E. Jeyaraj Fernadopulle, Minister for Trade, Commerce & Consumer Affairs,

Sri Lanka

Introduction:Prasad Ranade,CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India

Address by the Guest of Honour:

Mohan Kumar, Deputy High Commissioner of India in Sri Lanka

0930 – 1000Tea/Coffee

1000 – 1230 Agriculture

Chair: Shoukat Ali Anwar Randhawa, Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, Pakistan

Speaker:Navin Dahal, South Asia Watch on Trade Environment & Economics, Nepal

Discussants:Purnima Purohit, CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India

Parakrama Samaratunga, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka

1230 – 1400Lunch

1400 – 1530 Services

Chair:Ratnakar Adhikari, South Asia Watch on Trade Environment & Economics, Nepal

Speaker: Pranav Kumar, CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India

Discussants:Upali Wickramasinghe, Sri Jayawardhanepura University, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Hemanta Kumar Dabadi, Executive Director of the FNCCI, Nepal

1530 – 1600 Tea/Coffee

1600 – 1730 Non-agricultural Market Access

Chair: Douglas Jayasekera, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka

Speaker: Ejaz Ghani, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Pakistan

Discussants: Manab Majumbdar, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, India

Kailas Kartikeyan, UNCTAD,India

1900 Social Evening

Thursday, 10 March 2005

0900 – 1030 Trade Facilitation

Chair: Veena Jha, UNCTAD, India

Speaker: Sanath Jayanetti, Institute of Policy studies (IPS),Sri Lanka

Discussants:Huma Fakhar, Fakhar Law & Associates, Pakistan

Prabhash Ranjan, Centre for Trade and Development, An Oxfam GB initiative, India

1030 – 1100 Tea/Coffee

1100 – 1200 Development Dimensions

Chair: Prasad Ranade, CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India

Speaker: Salma Chowdhury Zohir,Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Bangladesh

Discussants:Mohammed Abu Eusuf, Department of Development Studies, Dhaka University,Bangladesh

Ratnakar Adhikari, South Asia Watch on Trade Environment & Economics, Nepal

1230 – 1330 Closing

Chair: Saman Kelegama, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka

Rapporteur’s note: Bharath Jairaj, Citizen Consumer & Civic Action Group, India

The Way Forward: Veena Jha, UNCTAD, India

Pradeep S Mehta, CUTS International, India

1330 – 1430 Lunch