IISD Reporting Services at PrepCom-1 for the negotiation of a successor agreement to the ITTA, 20-21 May 2003, Panama City, Panama

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at PREPCOM1

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20 May
21 May
SUMMARY

Preparatory Committee for the Negotiation of a Successor Agreement to the International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA), 1994 (PREPCOM1)
20 - 21 May 2003 Panama City, Panama

Daily Web Coverage	\|Mon 19\|	\|Tue 20\|	\|Wed 21\|	\|Summary\|
Spanish	\|Lun 19\|	\|Mar 20\|	\|Mié 21\|	\|Síntesis\|
French	\|Lun 19\|	\|Mar 20\|	\|Mer 21\|	\|Sommaire\|

Highlights for Monday, 19 May 2003

Delegates to the First Meeting of the Preparatory Committee (PrepComI) for the negotiation of the Successor Agreement to the 1994 International Tropical Timber Agreement (ITTA, 1994) convened in Plenary and closed doors Producer and Consumer caucuses. The Plenary held an information session to hear presentations on: new and emerging issues of relevance to the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) and a future ITTA; the ITTA, 1994; the work of the Working Group on Preparations for Negotiating a Successor Agreement to the ITTA, 1994; and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) guidance on the renegotiation process. Above photo L-R: Stephanie Caswell, ITTO Executive Director Manoel Sobral Filho, PrepComI Vice-Chair Ambassador Carlos Antonio da Rocha Paranhos (Brazil), PrepComI Chair Jürgen Blaser (Switzerland), ITTC-34 Chairperson B.C.Y. Freezailah (Malaysia), ITTC-34 Co-Chairperson Jan McAlpine (US), Consumer's Group spokesperson Aulikki Kaupilla (Finland), and Producer's Group spokesperson Jean Williams Sollo (Cameroon)


Stephanie Caswell, ITTO Consultant, presents a paper that she wrote with Ruben Guevarra on new and emerging issues of relevance to the ITTC and a future ITTA. Caswell outlined the reportï¿½s focus on: the work and mechanisms of other relevant organizations, treaties and commodity organizations; emerging issues and developments in international trade, including current market trends, potential role of certification, increased attention to forest law enforcement, and environmental services; and conclusions and issues that ITTC may consider in the context of the development of a new ITTA.

Jï¿½rgen Blaser, Chair of the PrepCom, presented the report of the working group on the preparation of the negotiation of a successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994 and summarized the results of a country survey on matters relating to the negotiation of the successor agreement to ITA, 1994. Blaser reminded delegates that PrepComI should focus on context setting, discussion of scope, definitions, objectives, and further work.



PrepCom Chair Blaser, also provided an outline of ITTA, 1994. He explained that the Agreement: focuses on the world tropical timber economy; contains broader provisions for information sharing; gives emphasis to the policy work of the ITTO; enshrines the year 2000 objective; and establishes the Bali Partnership Fund.


Alexei Mojarov, on behalf of UNCTAD Secretary-General Rubens Ricupero, Mojarov said UNCTAD would provide technical, policy and legal advice prior to and during the negotiations of the successor agreement to the ITTA, 1994, the first session of which will be held in July 2004 in Switzerland.


Plenary: