– N EWSLETTER – J ULY 2009 – The Geneva Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES Geneva) presents its newsletter, designed to inform you of recent and upcoming events and developments at the Geneva-based international organizations and new publications. If you do not want to receive this newsletter please Unsubscribe. Das Genfer Büro der Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung(FES) freut sich, Ihnen unseren jüngsten Newsletter vorzustellen. Dieser enthält Informationen über unsere Veranstaltungen und Neuerscheinungen und bringt Sie auf den neuesten Stand von Entwicklungen in Genfer internationalen Organisationen. Sollten Sie diesen Newsletter nicht erhalten wollen, dann können Sie Ihn hier abbestellen. I NDEX |Upcoming Events| Recent Events| Publications| Subscribe| ******************************************************************************* U PCOMING E VENTS Please note that participation in all events is by invitation only. 24 – 26 SEPTEMBER 2009, LAUSANNE| FES/THE EVIAN GROUP MULTISTAKEHOLDER DIALOGUE VI ON “TRADE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND DEVELOPMENT – A FRESH LOOK AT DILEMMAS AND RECONCILIATION” The Evian Group at IMD and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung are convening the 6th Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue to take place at the IMD campus in Lausanne on 24-26 September. The objective is to provide a platform that generates ideas, builds confidence and seeks common solutions between diverse constituencies and stakeholders and also to act as a bridge between North and South. The overall aim is to explore the tradeoffs between trade, the management of climate change and the policies needed for building sustainable economies in both developing and industrialized countries. 28 SEPTEMBER 2009, GENEVA| FES SESSION AT THE WTO PUBLIC FORUM ON“THE UNIVERSE OF STANDARDS: LEGITIMATE PROTECTION, SOPHISTICATED PROTECTIONISM OR POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY?” The FES session aims to broaden awareness and increase transparency about the universe of standards and their growing importance in international trade; to depoliticize the debate on standards and allow for a more objective view on the issue, juxtaposing potential costs and benefits that arise from the implementation of standards; and to present good practices on how the application of standards works on the ground and how they can transform into potential export and development opportunities for small and medium sized enterprises in developing countries. http://www.wto.org/english/forums_e/public_forum09_e/public_forum09_e.htm 14 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2009, GENEVA| 12 TH SESSION OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Continuing its practice from earlier sessions, FES Geneva will again report on this upcoming session. Planned parallel events to the HRC address the issues of the Universal Periodic Review and the Right to Development. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil ******************************************************************************* ▲ R ECENT E VENTS 4 JULY 2009, GENEVA| FES-ADH CONFERENCE ON IMPACT OF UN SPECIAL PROCEDURES “Special Procedures” are often referred to as the core and crown-jewels of the UN human rights system. This expert meeting explored their impact on the development of international law and the implementation of economic, social and cultural rights on the ground, discussing methods and best practices with current and past

mandate holders and their advisors. globalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/4July09_Program_ExpertMeeting_ESCR.pdf http://www.fes29 JUNE – 3 JULY 2009, GENEVA| FES TRAINING SEMINAR FOR FRENCH-SPEAKING JOURNALISTS ON “WORLD TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT” The multilateral trading system and the linkages between trade and sustainable development are very complex and often misunderstood in the public. FES organized in close collaboration with the WTO Secretariat and with the involvement of experts from UNCTAD, ILO, UN Human Rights Council and Geneva-based civil society organizations a training seminar on this topic. 11 journalists from Africa and the Middle East participated at this seminar and had the opportunity to meet with WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy. http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/Journalists/June_July09_frenchspeaking_Journalists_Program.pdf 23 – 24 JUNE 2009, GENEVA| ACP SECRETARIAT/COMMONWEALTH SECRETARIAT/FES/TRADECOM FACILITY| ACP SENIOR OFFICIALS MEETING ON AID FOR TRADE IN PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND GLOBAL REVIEW OF AID FOR TRADE This meeting brought together senior officials from ACP capitals and regional organizations as well as ACPGeneva based delegates to discuss the challenges faced by ACP countries in obtaining, utilizing and measuring the effectiveness of Aid for Trade. It served as a preparatory meeting for the WTO Second Global Review of Aid for Trade. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/23-24June09_Program_Aid_for_Trade_EN.pdf 3 – 19 JUNE 2009, GENEVA| INTERNATIONAL LABOUR CONFERENCE, ILO More than 500 delegates from trade unions worldwide gathered at the FES reception in the Palais des Nations in Geneva. They had come to Geneva to represent workers interests at the 98th session of the International Labour Conference in June 2009. In his welcoming address, Dieter Schulte, Vice-President of FES and former head of the German Trade Union Confederation(DGB) stressed that the actual financial crisis had shown everybody that it remained crucial to protect workers and their families through a set of social rights and that these needed to be established all over the world. 26 MAY 2009, GENEVA| GENEVA CENTRE FOR SECURITY POLICY/UNIDIR PUBLIC DISCUSSION “TOWARDS A RENAISSANCE OF MULTILATERAL DISARMEMENT” Since Barack Obama became American president there is a new momentum concerning disarmament. That’s why FES Geneva and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy(GCSP) in collaboration with the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research(UNIDIR) organized a Public Discussion on“Towards a Renaissance of Multilateral Disarmament?” on 26 May. UNIDIR Director Theresa Hitchens spoke of the most positive atmosphere in decades:“A new beginning, but still a long way to go”. There were also signs of a“new spirit” in the long-time agonizing Geneva-based International Conference on Disarmament. Other speakers included Oliver Meier, International Representative of the Arms Control Association and Bruno Pellaud, former Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The event was chaired by GCSP Director Fred Tanner and opened by FES Geneva Director Winfried Veit, who informed about the manifold activities of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in security and disarmament matters all over the world. http://www.gcsp.ch/e/meetings/Security_Challenges/WMD/Public_Disc/2009/renaissance_disarmament_summar y.htm 20 MAY 2009, GENEVA| FES/NGLS WORKSHOP ON TRADE AND EMPLOYMENT The linkages between trade and employment have been debated for a long time very controversially. At this workshop, the implications of trade and investment agreements for employment were illustrated, proposals on how to make trade policies and rules more consistent with the decent work objective were presented, and the unequal bargaining relations between labour and capital interests were highlighted. http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/20May09_Program_NGLS_FESWorkshop_Trade_Employment.pdf 18 MAY 2009| PRESENTATION OF“THE GENEVA SCENARIOS ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE 2020” The one year long scenario building on the future of the global economic system came to an end in April 2009 when the“Geneva Scenarios on Global Economic Governance 2020” were published. The scenarios were

officially launched on 18 May at a reception at the UNCTAD Public Symposium in the presence of around 120 members of diplomatic missions, think tanks, representatives from international organizations and NGO’s from all over world. Moderated by Winfried Veit(Geneva), the scenario team members Sergey Afontsev(Moscow), Barry Herman(New York), Alia El Mahdi(Cairo) and Vicente Yu(Geneva) presented the four scenarios using metaphors from the animal world:“Decaying National Park – business as usual”,“March of the Elephants – competing regional blocs”,“Law of the Jungle – towards the abyss” and“Harmonious Nature Reserve – true multilateralism”. The scenarios were commented by Heiner Flassbeck, Director of UNCTAD’s Division on Globalization and Development Strategies, followed by questions and comments from the audience. On 13 May, the scenarios had already been presented in Cairo by Alia El Mahdi and Steffen Grammling. Further presentations took place at an ACP meeting in Geneva in the presence of around 50 senior officials from trade ministries of ACP countries on 24 June(see above), for a group of journalists from 11 francophone countries on 29 June(see above) and on 30 June at the United Nations and International Organizations Civil Society Focal Points annual meeting in the presence of 60 representatives of international organizations, among them Deputy Director-General of the WTO, Rufus Yerxa. The scenarios will next be presented in Brussels(10 September), in Berlin(14 September) and as a side event at the IMF/World Bank autumn meeting in Istanbul at the beginning of October. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/Scenario/Publication_GenevaScenarios_2009.pdf 18 MAY – 2 JUNE 2009| THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HUMAN AND SOCIAL RIGHTS Building on the expert workshop on human rights implications of climate change and its outcome report“Practical Steps for Implementation” FES, together with its partner organization, the Center for International Environmental Law(CIEL), contributed with a series of further workshops, side events and conferences to raising awareness of the negative impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of human and social rights. The principal outcome of these activities can be summarized as follows: there is added value in using human rights standards and mechanisms when addressing the impacts of climate change nationally and internationally. Human rights mechanisms help highlighting the climate justice question by focusing on the most vulnerable and affected communities and by installing participatory mechanisms. The related events are presented in the following three entries. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/Report_HRClimateChange_FES_CIEL_2009.pdf 18 MAY 2009, GENEVA| INFORMAL CONSULATION WITH THE ESCR COMMITTEE On May 18 an informal consultation was held with members of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights(CESCR). The impacts of Climate Change are being felt by rising numbers of people as a violation of their economic, social and cultural rights and as such, the CESCR faces a huge challenge with manifold consequences: it may need to scrutinize its work methods and look out for remedies to address those violations. The meeting was certainly the beginning of more analysis and thinking to come on the issue. For the debate FES prepared a background paper on when and in which context so far the CESCR had addressed the issue of climate change. Given the prominent role of the CESCR in the defense and promotion of human rights, the Committee can be a leader among the treaty bodies in elaborating further on the interfaces between human rights and climate change and making it a criteria in their dialog with State Parties. The next step for the Committee – as decided during this meeting- will be the holding of a day of general discussion to gather further in-depth knowledge on the issue. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/18May09_DiscussionPaper_CESCR_CC.pdf http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/18May09_Roundtableprogram.pdf 2 JUNE 2009, BONN| UNFCCC SIDE EVENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN RIGHTS On 2nd June a side event on climate change and human rights was held at the UNFCCC in Bonn, aiming at strengthening a dialogue that has started between the environmental movement, the human rights organizations and climate change negotiators. With very insightful presentations five expert panelists from CIEL, the International Trade Union Federation(ITUC) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues argued that a new climate treaty can only be viable if it uses human rights standards and criteria in effectively addressing both mitigation and adaptation measures. The vast majority of states that are party to the UNFCCC are also party to the core human rights treaties and have accepted obligations to protect the human rights of people- their own citizens and other nationals. http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/2June09_Report_UNFCCC.pdf

23 JUNE 2009, GENEVA| WORKSHOP AT THE GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN FORUM In the framework of the Annual Forum of the Global Humanitarian Forum under the leadership of Kofi Annan FES together with its partners CIEL and the International Council on Human Rights Policy convened a workshop that discussed the question of accountability. Cases of litigation or potential legal recourse regarding human rights violations caused by climate change were debated in detail. Even though the cases presented – e.g. the Inuit Petition that was brought to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights- did not succeed in obtaining recourse given the complex nature of climate change since causation remains a difficult issue( a specific harm cannot easily be linked to specific actors or actions) the speakers of the panel argued that international law will have to develop in this direction. There will be growing numbers of cases to come in the future as more and more communities will face dramatic impacts caused by climate change and by those who have emitted green house gases or continue to do so. http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/23June09_Report_GHF_HR_CC.pdf http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/23June09_GHF_Executive_Summary_CC_HR.pdf 10 – 12 MAY 2009, CAIRO| FES/WTO REGIONAL DIALOGUE ON“CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES FOR THE MULTILATERAL TRADING SYSTEM – DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES FROM THE MENAREGION” From 10-12 May, around 50 civil society representatives(NGOs, trade unionists, academia), business leaders and government officials from 9 countries of the MENA region participated at this regional dialogue, which was jointly organized by FES and WTO. The exchange of views and ideas across countries and constituencies, as well as with WTO officials was considered extremely useful to foster a better understanding of the multilateral trading system from a MENA region perspective. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/FES_WTO_Regionalseminare_/1012May09_Cairo_Program.pdf 20 – 24 APRIL 2009, GENEVA| DURBAN REVIEW CONFERENCE The Durban Review Conference, held in Geneva from 20-24 April 2009 gave rise to numerous political debates not only on the issue at stake but also the question of participation at UN conferences. In a short report, FES Geneva comments on the Conference and its participants. http://www.fesglobalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/May09_Conference_Report_Durban_Review_Conference.pdf ******************************************************************************* ▲ P UBLICATIONS “THE GENEVA SCENARIOS ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNANCE 2020” The present financial and economic crisis clearly shows the need for a fundamental change in the present global economic governance system. The FES Geneva scenarios offer four different, sometimes surprising, pictures of how this system could look like in the year 2020. The scenarios were elaborated by a team of 25 people from 17 different countries. They are intended to stimulate the ongoing debate on the reform of the global economic governance architecture and to show decision-makers quite plainly what could happen if they take the wrong decisions, if they seize the opportunity and take the right decisions, or if they take no decision at all. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/Scenario/Publication_GenevaScenarios_2009.pdf “11 TH SESSION OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL" The UN Human Rights Council held its 11 th session from 2 to 18 June. In his report, Theodor Rathgeber summarized the actions taken during this session, gives background to the issues and comments on the political developments. http://www.fes-globalization.org/geneva/documents/HumanRights/June09_11th_HRC_Report.pdf “THE WTO ACCESSION PROCESS: EXPLANATIONS AND REFLECTIONS" The WTO has a global vocation, but not yet“world” coverage. Currently, 29 countries are in the process of accession to the WTO. This Fact Sheet reviews the process, highlights expected costs and benefits, and offers some reform proposals. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/genf/06409.pdf

“WTO’S TRADE POLICY REVIEW MECHANISM: EXPLANATIONS AND REFLECTIONS" Accurate, timely and easily accessible information on countries’ trade regimes are important for policy makers, business and civil society that are involved in trade. WTO’s Trade Policy Review Mechanism fulfills an important role. This Fact Sheet reviews the process, highlights recent reforms and offers some reform proposals. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/genf/06316.pdf) More publications are available on our webpage. To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your email address, send an e-mail to info@fes-geneva.org. ******************************************************************************************************************************** The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung office in Geneva is part of the overall program “Dialogue on Globalization” since 2002. ƒ Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung ƒ Director: Ms. Türkan Karakurt/ Dr. Winfried Veit ƒ 6 bis, chemin du Point-du-Jour ƒ 1202 Geneva, Switzerland ƒ ƒ Tel. 0041 22 733 3450 ƒ Fax: 0041 22 733 3545 ƒ E-mail: info@fes-geneva.org ƒ www.fes-geneva.org ƒ ***********************************************************************************************************************************