Participation of the Secretary General of UNCTAD
Tuesday, 28 March 2006
CBD COP8 - Curitiba, Brazil

The Secretary-General of UNCTAD, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, will participate in the Roundtable dealing with Biodiversity and Trade. The Secretary General is particularly keen to support the discussions of the parties on the development of a global partnership on Biodiversity. As the UN agency responsible for addressing the interface between the international trade regime and the sustainable development agenda, UNCTAD has a direct contribution to make on the trade, biodiversity and development interface.

Tuesday, 28 March

Morning

It is expected that the message of Dr. Panitchpakdi to the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be that UNCTAD supports the development of a Global Partnership for Biodiversity and is keen to join such an effort, particularly in the area of making trade work for biodiversity. In this respect, the Secretary-General will be highlighting the work of UNCTAD’s BioTrade Initiative in priority areas for the CBD including using trade as an incentive measures for biodiversity and working with the private sector to ensure that the use of biological resources is sustainable.

List of Speakers

Co-chair: Minister of Environment, India
Co-chair: Commissioner for Environment, European Union
Speaker: Jake Werksman (Rockefeller Foundation)
Panelist: Supachai Panitchpakdi (UNCTAD)
Panelist: Celso Amorim (Minister of External Relations, Brazil)
Panelist: Harsha V. Singh (WTO)
Panelist: Peter Mandelson (EU) Panelist: Marcelo Vianna (ICC)
Panelist: Oded Grajew (Instituto Ethos)
Panelist: Marilena Lazzarini (Consumers International)

Afternoon

The Secretary-General will be hosting a small cocktail for high-level participants of the COP.