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05/10/2006 - An attempt to bridge some of the divisions that led to the breakdown of the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations earlier this year will be made in Buenos Aires on 10 and 11 October 2006, at an international conference on agriculture policies organised by the OECD, World Trade Organisation and Inter-American Development Bank.
The meeting on Agriculture and Trade in Latin American Countries will bring together governments from across the region, international agriculture policy experts, trade negotiators as well as representatives of the food and farming industries.
A press conference will be held at 12:30 on Wednesday 11 October at the venue of the meeting - the Panamericano Hotel, Carlos Pellegrini 551, Buenos Aires - with Ken Ash, Deputy Director of agriculture, food and fisheries, OECD and Anabel Gonzalez, Director of agriculture and commodities, WTO.
The aim of the meeting is to promote a better understanding of agriculture liberalisation and to tackle the aspects that divide countries and societies. Who stands to benefit from more open markets? Will there be losers? What effects do trade and agriculture policies in OECD countries have on developing nations? Are regional and bilateral trade agreements good or bad for the world trading system? These will be among the questions at the centre of the talks.
The meeting takes place at a critical juncture for the stalled Doha Development Round of multilateral trade talks. OECD officials hope that the discussions at the Buenos Aires meeting could give fresh impetus to the Doha negotiations.
To register for the press conference, journalists are invited to contact Monica Meda, Press Service of the Economy Ministry in Buenos Aires (tel + 54 11 43492588).
For further information about the meeting or about the OECD’s work on agriculture, journalists should contact the OECD’s Media Division (tel: + 33 1 4524 9700).
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