WTO Public Forum: Should the development of private standards be more transparent?
This event at the 2016 WTO Public Forum will discuss how reclusive should the WTO allow product standards to be?
Private standards are increasing in number, and they affect trade, but their status in the WTO remains problematic.
Our concern is to bring more of these standards within the normative framework of the trade regime—that is, we worry that these private forms of social order can conflict with the fundamental norms of transparency and non-discrimination. In this session at the 2016 WTO Public Forum, we will discuss one aspect of the problem: How reclusive should the WTO allow product standards to be? Should the WTO encourage its members to apply to private standards the WTO rules for adopting those standards that already come under the aegis of the WTO? To what extent do private standards bodies already approximate the transparency recommendations of the SPS and TBT Agreements?
Time and place
Session N°: WS21
Date: 27 September
Time: 17:30-19:00
Location: Room F
Panel
Mark Halle, Executive Director, IISD-Europe, Moderator
Prof. Robert Wolfe, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, Canada
Prof. Petros Mavroidis, Columbia University Law School, USA
Reinhard Weissinger, Senior Expert, Research and Education, International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Switzerland
Joshua Wickerham, Manager, Policy & Outreach ISEAL Alliance, UK
Sun Xinhua, Mission of the People’s Republic of China to the WTO
Upcoming events
Building Bridges: The State of Nature-Based Investments
Join us for a panel at the Building Bridges conference in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the state-of-play of nature-based investments and the potential opportunities they present.
Stakeholder Consultation of the East African Organic Products Standard
This online event will bring together key stakeholders to review new standards, discuss regulatory requirements, and identify updates for relevant policies.
Through Her Lens: Women leading change in sustainable agriculture and market inclusion
Despite the critical role that women play in agricultural production, they still do not have equal access to global agricultural supply chains on terms that benefit them.
A Municipal Perspective on the Value of Natural Infrastructure
This webinar will showcase examples the cost-effectiveness of natural infrastructure from a municipal perspective. Focusing on what municipalities need—what evidence and numbers they rely on, and what tools and planning processes are required to ensure that natural infrastructure is assessed alongside traditional infrastructure for cost-effectiveness.