Our source has only just phoned in after attending the Phoenix game against Queensland Roar (1-1).
On balance a very interesting day was had by participants at this inaugural conference of the New Zealand Centre of International Economic Law - a very welcome addition to the Wellington scene.
Highlights were the suggestion by Professor Robert Howse of the University of Michigan Law School that the WTO Secretariat Staff be fired, a challenge to this by Minter Ellison's Scott Gallacher suggesting that Government Trade Negotiators were the problem not the Secretariat, a paper by Gallacher on the relationship between WTO and environmental agreements, and an apparently very interesting session on services and labour rights featuring Rafael Leal-Arcas from the University of London, Rebecca LaForgia from Flinders University in Adelaide and Charles Finny from the Wellington Regional Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately our source was not at this session so has based this comment on chatter at the afternoon coffee break.
The Conference continues tomorrow with a video link to NZ's WTO Ambassador in Geneva and sessions on Implementation and Complying with WTO Obligations, and on Regional Trade Agreements.
