Trade in Cultural Goods and Services: Assessing the compatibility between WTO trade rules and UNESCO's cultural diversity Convention

11 April, 2005

On 20 April at 3:00 pm, the INCD will hold a seminar at WTO headquarters in Geneva to discuss the cultural implications of the General Agreement on Trade in Services and the potential implications for trade rules of the new UNESCO Convention. The seminar is part of the WTO's Fifth Annual Public Symposium.

INCD Steering Committee member Jane Kelsey, professor of law at the University of Auckland, will review the GATS and outline how it can have significant direct and indirect consequences for culture and media policies.

With pressure on several WTO member states to make commitments for music services as part of the revised GATS offers, the seminar will examine specific issues related to this key cultural sector.

Jacques B