King's represented in Geneva
September 25, 2012
From September 24-26, Political Science faculty member Erin Hannah and Amy Wood, fourth year Political Science and SJPS student, will be visiting Geneva, Switzerland to attend the World Trade Organization’s Public Forum.
The Public Forum provides an opportunity for governments, non-governmental organizations, academics, and students to critique the question: Is multilateralism in crisis?. Hannah and Wood will be attending as representatives of the global civil society in addressing three themes: formulating new approaches to the multilateral trading system; relevant 21st century security issues, such as food aid and climate change; and addressing ways in which non-state actors can increasingly contribute to the multilateral trading system.
While abroad they will have the privilege to sit in on the 21st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council as observers. Their focus will be to evaluate the interactions between State Delegates and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), fore it will be a vigorous debate on how to universally maintain human dignity by promoting and protecting all human rights.
Additionally, they will graciously attend the breakfast conference at the Canadian Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization while in Geneva. This is Canada’s largest multilateral mission that seeks to develop and maintain international norms and rules on topics such as: trade, health, labour, environment, arms control, and humanitarian values.
This trip will provide new and exciting insight for Hannah’s project entitled, “NGOs and the Reconstitution of Knowledge in the International Trade Regime” which Amy has been assisting on since May 2012. It will also provide beneficial ground research for Amy’s Independent Study Course, POL 4420E: International Trade and Non-Governmental Organization.
If interested further please view http://www.wto.org/publicforum to participate in online discussion of the 2012 WTO Forum.