Start Date : 18 May 09   End Date : 19 May 09 Location: Geneva, Switzerland

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UN-NGLS will co-sponsor a public symposium on the global economic crisis to be held in Geneva on the 18-19 May.

The symposium is intended to provide a platform to people and organizations whose perspectives have not been heard enough in the debate on the causes and effects if the current global economic turmoil. It is intended to deepen understanding of the crisis and at the same time, complement other current initiatives aimed at addressing the crisis.

UNCTAD and UN-NGLS has over the past several months, provided a platform for debate among policy makers and have participated in a number of international forums on the state of the world economy. During the symposium we hope to inject some of our expertise in research and analysis on trade, investment, and the current state of the global economy.

Key topics which will be debated at 3 plenary sessions of the symposium are:
 The global economic crisis - its causes and its multiple impacts: the debate will consider, in particular, the effects on developing countries in the areas of trade, investment, food security and jobs;
 Assessing existing responses to the crisis at the international, regional and national levels – limitations and best practices: in addition to examining the effectiveness of stimulus packages implemented in some countries, the debate will address multilateral efforts to find solutions to the crisis, including the G-20 Summit outcome and regional initiatives;
 Proposals for the way forward - obstacles and opportunities: the debate will include opportunities arising from the upcoming United Nations conference on the world financial crisis and its impact on development, and longer-term issues such as the reform of the international financial architecture and global economic governance.

Focused group sessions/panels will be organized to address in a detailed manner the issues raised and related to those of the above plenary sessions.
There is a call for papers.

Please see further details on the website www.unctad.org/publicsymposium on registration and contributions.