Date:                      Monday, 5 July 2010

Venue:                  UNCTAD, Palais des Nations, Room XXV

Languages:            Translation English/French/Spanish will be provided

Participants:         Geneva based delegations and other interested parties

Purpose:               To discuss the role of soft law in WTO law as it could apply to the implementation of future WTO trade facilitation commitments.

                                This panel discussion builds upon the UNCTAD study “Reflections on a Future Trade Facilitation Agreement: Implementation of WTO Obligations. A comparison of existing WTO provisions.

Agenda

Session 1: Soft law and hard law and the implementation of the WTO trade facilitation commitments

10:00     General Introduction / Setting the scene:

10:30     The differences between “hard” and “soft” law in WTO law

Ms Mary E. Footer, Professor of International Economic Law, School of Law, University of Nottingham

Mr Christian Häberli, Senior Research Fellow, NCCR Trade Regulation, World Trade Institute

11:30     Areas of application or potential of “soft law”

Ms Mary E. Footer, Professor of International Economic Law, School of Law, University of Nottingham

Mr Christian Häberli, Senior Research Fellow, NCCR Trade Regulation, World Trade Institute

12:30     Rule referencing in WTO law

                Ms Mary E. Footer, University of Nottingham

13:00     Lunch break

Session 2: Standards and the implementation of the WTO trade facilitation commitments

15:00     International Standards, ISO and the WTO

                Mr Rob Steele, ISO Secretary-General

                15:30     The role of standards in regulatory regimes

                Mr Harm Schepel, Kent Law School, Brussels School of International Studies

                16:00     Standard setting processes and the participation of developing countries

                Ms Julia Black, London School of Economics and Political Science

                Mr Tom Butterly, UNECE

                Debate

18:00     Closure