This year saw some fantastic sessions organised by a variety of international NGOS, all of which can be downloaded as MP3 audio files here.

To save you some time, I’ve picked out the ones I think are probably of most interest to readers of this blog:

• Climate-change policies and trade rules: Conflict or coherence? – Organised by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), and Friends of the Earth Europe (FOEE).  Download the audio here.

• A new global contract for food and agriculture: What can the WTO contribute? – Organised by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). Download the audio here.

• Human rights impact assessment (HRIA): A pertinent tool for informing and improving trade governance? – Organised by 3D for Trade — Human Rights — Equitable Economy. Download the audio here.

• Labour and environment provisions in bilateral and regional agreements: Challenges for the multilateral trading system

• - Organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). Download the audio here.

• Multilateralism, our global crises and strategies for the future – Organised by the South Centre and the Global Development and Environment Institute, Tufts University.  Download the audio here.

• How do agreements on trade in services have a role in the financial crisis and the measures to deal with the economic crisis? – Organised by the Third World Network (TWN) and Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO). Download the audio here.

• Fundamental human rights at work and the role of the WTO:  operational routes – Organised by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC). Download the audio here.

That should keep you listening for a few hours!

If you haven’t been following the discussion, below is a collection of some of the best or most important reports and articles I’ve seen in the lead-up to the G20 meeting, including the various issues around the financial/economic crisis which will be discussed there, and the various governments and non-government bodies that have opinions about it all.  In the next few days I’ll also post some of the best analysis following the summit about what gets decided.

Enjoy:

Background:

- Nobel Prize Winner and former World Bank cheif economist Joseph Stiglitz has been leading a commission which has been looking at hw to reform the global economic system.  The grandly named Commission of Experts of the President of the UN General Assembly on Reforms of the International Monetary and Financial System released its report about a fortnight ago.  The Commission has made some exciting, far-reaching and possibly (hopefully!) world-changing recommendations for new global institutions.  You can read the full report here (PDF), or a summary article from Stiglitz in The Guardian here: Reform is needed. Reform is in the air. We can’t afford to fail. There’s more extended coverage of the report from the Third World Network here and here.

- The Africa Progress Panel is Chaired By Kofi Annan, and brings together a variety of political leaders and experts on development including Michel Camdessus (former Managing Director, IMF), Goodall Gondwe (Minister of Finance, Malawi), Gilbert Houngbo (Prime Minister, Togo), Trevor Manuel (Minister of Finance, South Africa), Simon Maxwell (Director, Overseas Development Institute), Festus Mogae (former President of Botswana), Linah Mohohlo (Governor, Bank of Botswana), Todd Moss (Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development), Benno Ndulu (Governor, Central Bank of Tanzania) and Ngaire Woods (Director of the Global Economic Governance Programme, University of Oxford).  The panel has just issued its report ahead of the G20 meeting, warning that “reform of global governance will fail if poorest countries are sidelined.”  The report, New Multilateralism is available here.

- From 25 to 27 of March, the UN held an Interactive Thematic Dialogue of the UN General Assembly on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development at its headquarters in New York.  The Dialogue brought together many of the key players in the international development world – you can find a good summary of the meeting here, or read some of the more in-depth reports, including from UN Conference on Trade And Development, the World Bank, and the International Labour Organisation, or watch some of the hours of video on the Dialogue home page, including this excellent one of Joseph Stiglitz’s presentation (Real Player software needed).

What should be done (articles from the Guardian):

• Jeffrey Sachs, the Earth Institute, Columbia University; Nariman Behravesh, IHS Global Insight; Gerard Lyons, Standard Chartered; Heiner Flassbeck, UNCTAD; Alistair Milne, Cass Business School; Kevin Watkins, UN: various responses.

• Mark Weisbrot: The G20 should end rich-country rule

• Howard Davies: More & Better Regulation

• John Kay: Restore Narrow Banking

• Aditya Chakrabortty: Give up our blind faith in economic growth

• Jeremy Seabrook: an opportunity to redress the inequalities that exist between rich and poor

• Will Hutton: Everything must be re-examined.

On the Summit:

• From the Bretton Woods Project, read an overview of official standpoints and proposals of participating countries ahead of the London summit (PDF)

• Or check out the leaked G20 draft communiqué.

• Or an interesting historical perspective from Dani Rodrik.

On the Protests (from London’s Guardian – again!):

• We were right the whole time!

• Some background

• Coverage from the weekend protests

• Perspectives from various activists

• That spoof of the Financial Times

More places to look for more analysis of the crisis and the G20 summit:

• Rethinking FInance: Alternative Voices for a New Financial Architecture

Phew!

Speakers include: Professor Frank Stilwell (University of Sydney-Political Economy), Professor Jane Kelsey (University of Auckland – Law/Trade/Globalisation) & others.

When: 28th March 10am – 4pm

Where: Amnesty International, Level 1, 79 Myrtle St, Chippendale

Cost: $15 (student/concession) $25 (waged) $40 (passionate) – Some fee waivers available.

Tea and coffee will be provided. BYO lunch.

To confirm your place, contact campaign@aftinet.org.au or lara@aidwatch.org.au by Monday 16 March.

PROGRAM

10:00 – Registration

10:30 – 11:15

Basic Rundown on Economic Theory – What are the fundamentals behind contemporary economics? What are the differences between the predominant economic theories? What are the shortfalls of these theories?

11:20 – 12:05

Neo-liberalism 101 – A more detailed look into what neo-liberalism is and what its impacts are in the real world. From sweatshops to financial crises, is neo-liberalism on the decline?

12:10 – 1:05

Global Resistance and Alternatives – A look at what is the global justice movement and what alternatives exist how the opposition to capitalism/neo-liberalism exists. What role has fair trade and protests played in this?

LUNCH 1:05 – 1:40

1:40 – 2:25

Capitalism/Global Social Democracy – Global Financial Crisis and its impacts on economics, is capitalism dead, or will it just be nicer?

2:30 – 3:15

Australia’s Policies – How do Australia’s aid and trade policies reinforce current economic inequalities and pre-configure what ‘development’ means? What impacts are these policies having on Australia and other countries?

3:20 – 3:45

What you can do? – A discussion about what’s going on and what you can do to work towards an economically, socially and environmentally just future!

The WSF brings together tens of thousands of activists, social movements and NGOs from around the world to discuss and debate the world’s problems and possible solutions, from the bottom up.

As usual, Inter Press Service has produced a fantastic series of articles and interviews from this years WSF, which are well worth a read.

There are interviews with activists, lots more interviews, calls for the WSF to Evolve, and even some criticism of the WSF.

Apparently, unlike previous Forums, the 2009 WSF also produced a host of resolutions – including the Declaration of the Assembly of Social Movements.