UWIIT
Programs Update
Eugenia Ivankova Ross
Vice President of Programs
We are now past the half-way
point of the current WIIT-year and continue to hold interesting and well-attended
events. The quality and value of our programs in terms of both substantive
information and networking opportunities continues to increase, and most of
our events are well-attended.
In the Fall of 2005, WIIT programs naturally focused on the Doha Round of
multilateral trade negotiations and the WTO's Ministerial meeting, held in
Hong Kong in November 2005. We held successful programs on WTO issues in early
November, as well as in December to follow up on the discussions in Hong Kong.
We also held two events on export controls issues (in September and December),
which provided great overview of current developments in U.S. export control
policy.
Other notable events include a tour of the Port of Baltimore in September,
and update on the Bush Administration's STOP! initiative on intellectual property
rights protection in October, an overview of the U.S.-Brazil cotton subsidies
case in October, and a program on the impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
in November.
Our section chairs are currently in the process of organizing new and exciting
events for the coming months. I look forward to working with all WIIT volunteers
to make the rest of the WIIT year a success. If you would like to contribute
to WIIT's programming, please do not hesitate to contact me at ERoss@itta.com.
Recent WIIT Event Highlights:
Prospects for Hong Kong: What is USTR Doing to Prepare for the Upcoming WTO
Ministerial?
Held on November 1, 2005, this event was a two-part series providing insights
into USTR's positions and preparations in advance of the Hong Kong ministerial.
During a morning session, USTR officials responsible for agriculture, non-agricultural
market access, and services provided an overview of the negotiation to-date
and USTR's expectations for the talks in the run-up to the ministerial. During
lunch, keynote speaker Dorothy Dwoskin, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative
for WTO Affairs, reviewed the U.S. government's goals for the ministerial
talks.
The View from the Other
Side: European Perspectives on the Doha Round Negotiations
Held on November 9, 2005, this event featured Jean Francois Boittin of the
Embassy of France and Jean-Marc Trarieux of the Delegation of the European
Commission. This program focused on the European perspective on the EU's agriculture
proposal and the EU's position on other aspects of the Doha Round negotiations
in the run-up to the Hong Kong Ministerial.
Implementation of the
STOP! Initiative
On October 25, 2005, the Industry & Services Section hosted a brown-bag
lunch discussion on the Bush Administration's Strategy Targeting Organized
Piracy (STOP!) initiative. Featuring Chris S. Israel, Coordinator for International
Intellectual Property Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce, the
program provided an overview of recent developments in the STOP! initiative's
implementation.
U.S. Implementation of WTO Cotton Case
Held on October 6, 2005, this event focused on the U.S. government's efforts
to implement the recent WTO decision on Brazil's challenge against U.S. cotton
subsidies. Speakers at this event were Mark G. Manis, Senior Trade Policy
Advisor at the US Department of Agriculture, and Neal Gillen, Executive Vice
President & General Counsel of the American Cotton Shippers Association.
Customs Port Tour,
Port of Baltimore, Maryland
This event was the second port tour organized by WIIT's Customs Section. This
program is very popular and will likely become a tradition for WIIT. The tour
is limited to 15 attendees, and is led by officials of the U.S. Bureau of
Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The latest tour included an address by
Acting Port Director Neil Shannon, an overview of the VACIS container inspection
system at Dundalk Marine Terminal, and a presentation by CBP officers of merchandise
examination at the container examination site.
Export Controls Overview
and Refresher
On December 14, 2005, the Technology & Export Controls section held a
brown-bag lunch reviewing U.S. export control policies and regulations. Speaker
Christine E. Savage of King & Spalding LLP provided an excellent overview
of current U.S. export control policies and led a lively discussion among
the participants. The Technology & Export Control section followed up
on this event with a program on December 19, 2005 which featured Carol A.
Kalinoski, Former Chair of the Interagency Operating Committee on Export Policy,
and Export Regulatory Consultant and Counselor at Carol A. Kalinoski &
Associates, Inc. Ms. Kalinoski provided a more in-depth analysis of current
"Hot Topics in Export Controls."
