IISD names Harsha V. Singh senior fellow: to work on China and multilateral trading systems

WINNIPEG—September 9, 2013—Dr. Harsha Vardhana Singh, World Trade Organization deputy director-general for the past eight years, has been appointed as a senior fellow by the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Singh will provide advice and support to the institute's work on China, and the multilateral trading system, and will join IISD on October 1, 2013.

Singh has worked for over three decades on policies relating to international trade, development, infrastructure regulation and global governance. As a deputy director-general of WTO, his areas of responsibility included trade in agriculture, services, trade and environment, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, and electronic commerce. He represented the WTO in several high level meetings of the United Nations, including the UN Secretary General's task force on the global food security crisis and the Thematic Debate on the Green Economy: A Pathway to Sustainable Development organized by the president of the UN General Assembly. He has also chaired a number of WTO meetings such as those on the cotton development initiative and the dedicated discussions on electronic commerce.

"We are thrilled that Dr. Singh will be joining the institute. His extensive experience and knowledge of multilateral trading systems will greatly assist us with our work in China and other leading and emerging trading nations," said IISD president Scott Vaughan.

Singh has been economic advisor and then secretary of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India and played a key role in the reform of the Indian telecom sector. He has been chair and/or a member of policy committees, chair of WTO dispute settlement panels, and a visiting faculty member at research institutes on international trade and regulation. For the 2013-14 academic year, he has been appointed adjunct professor of International and Public Affairs at the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

In 2013, IISD formally opened a permanent office in Beijing to address economic-related issues such as outward foreign direct investment, international trade in services, private sector carbon performance standards and renewable energy, as well as freshwater and air pollution management issues. IISD's partners include Eco-Forum Global and the Institute for Environment and Urban Studies.

For more than two decades, IISD has been working in China, including as a participant in the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, which brings together senior representatives of the central government of China with outside experts.

IISD's senior fellows are internationally recognized for their knowledge on the environment and development, and possess the experience to address high-priority themes in IISD's work. They assist in program development and implementation, as well as the generation and communication of knowledge about sustainable development.

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For more information please contact Nona Pelletier, IISD manager, public affairs at npelletier@iisd.ca or +1 204 958 7740 or mobile +1 204 962 1303.