As part of the DFID-funded South Africa Trade and Poverty Programme and its objective to promote informed dialogue on South Africa's trade policy amongst key stakeholders, TIPS in 2005 implemented a seminar series under the auspices of Nedlac. These seminars provided a platform for government and civil society representatives (business, labour and broader social interest groups) to discuss critical issues concerning the role of trade policy in fostering poverty reduction and human development in South Africa.

This was the first seminar in the series. Discussions, led by Matthew Stern, the director of USAID's Support for Economic Growth and Analysis Project, were based on DFID'sTrade and Poverty Handbook.

The seminar is part of the the South Africa Trade and Poverty Programme (SATPP) funded by the Department For International Development (DFID-SA), and is organised by NEDLAC and TIPS.

Input-output analysis, complemented by means of social accounting matrices is often used as a tool to conduct such meso-level economic enquiry. Researchers frequently use these tools to analyse the impact on production, the environment, prices, employment and income effects of policy related changes in international trade, taxes, fiscal policy and investment. Economic modelling techniques that capture economy-wide impacts of policy changes are increasingly being used in South African academic, consulting and research circles. To cater for this increased demand, the School of Economics at the University of Cape Town in conjunction with the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) are offering the fourth one week introductory course in economy-wide policy impact analysis.

The Presidency and the ComMark Trust, in collaboration with TIPS, hosted a workshop to assess and discuss the prospects of key sectors of the South African economy in preparation for the Presidency's contribution to the January 2005 Cabinet Lekgotla:

• The sectoral, micro-level dynamics and trends of key sectors;
• The constraints and opportunities which these sectors face in both the domestic and export markets;

• The policy levers available to government to invigorate sector development;

• The likely growth potential of individual sectors if identified constraints could be addressed effectively; and

• The likely spill-over effects of sectoral growth for the macroeconomy. The aim of the workshop was to inform government policy and planning processes at both departmental and inter-departmental levels through the research presented and the discussions and research work that followed. Papers were presented on a wide range of sectors, including the automotive, metals and machinery, chemicals, clothing, business process outsourcing, telecommunications, tourism, grain milling and wine industries. TIPS presented a South African Sectoral Outlook for 2004-2009. Approximately 50 delegates attended this workshop, with significant numbers from the private sector and government departments. The business media widely reported on the workshop and its debates as an important forecast of South African economic performance for the next five years.

WESGRO/TRALAC in conjunction with the Market Analysis Section of the International Trade Centre is pleased to invite you to a two day seminar

"TIPS in collaboration with the Market Analysis Section (MAS) of the International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO will be holding an Advanced Seminar on Market Analysis for Trade-led Growth Strategies. This seminar is of particular interest to trade policy analysts and academics involved in international trade research and planning."

"TIPS and the International Trade Centre (ITC) will be hosting a seminar which will focus on the utilisation of ITC's tools for market analysis in the development of international trade strategies.
This seminar is of particular interest to businesses engaged in or planning to venture into international trade."

On behalf of the Department of Economics of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, TIPS will organise a workshop on Growth, Openness and Poverty in South Africa and Thailand. Attached find a paper that explores the interaction between investment and productivity in a intertemporal general equilibrium growth framework in Thailand. Attendance is by invitation only.

The UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) produced a White Paper on Trade and Investment in mid-2004, which aimed to address, among other issues, how the multilateral trading system could be adapted to make it more flexible and of benefit to all its members, especially the poorest.

As part of the consultation process for the White Paper, the DTI UK initiated a programme of seminars on the key themes during March 2004, which included a round table on trade and development in South Africa, with the overarching theme of how the economic gains from increased trade could be spread throughout the supply chain so that all benefit from greater globalisation.

One particular aim of the South African round table was to give stakeholders in the region an opportunity to feed into UK policy on trade and provide the DTI UK with a clear African perspective on the UK's current trade policy and the issues and concerns around such policy.

The Department for International Development (DFID) facilitated and TIPS co-ordinated the South Africa round table discussion.

Over recent years, there has been an unprecedented increase in the scope and level of protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), including patents, copyrights, trademarks, and geographical indications. This trend has generated new opportunities, but also new tensions around key public policy concerns such as public health, food security, education, innovation, transfer of technology and biodiversity management. While much of the debate still focuses on the WTO TRIPS Agreement, higher standards of protection, with narrowed down exceptions (TRIPS plus) are increasingly being included in new bilateral and regional free trade agreements. In a knowledge-based economy, a strong understanding of IPRs and their development implications is indispensable to informed policy-making in all areas of human development. As a contribution to this debate, the dialogue aims to:

• Provide a platform for a strategic discussion between relevant stakeholders (negotiators, capital-based policy makers, academia, NGOs and private sector) on relevant trends and thematic issues in the area of intellectual property and their implications for sustainable development; and
• Develop elements of a regional agenda for development- oriented intellectual property policies and informal mechanisms to advance it in the coming years, through, among others, joint research and networking.

The dialogue was organised and conducted as an open, informal process, bringing together 20-25 stakeholders with a variety of interests and experiences. Formal presentations were kept to a minimum, allowing enough time for a frank and open debate. Think pieces on the four topics for discussion identified in the agenda were conducted by resource persons from the region. The presentations by resource persons were followed by observations and comments by the discussants.

This initiative was developed in the framework of the joint UNCTAD-ICTSD Project on IPRs and Sustainable Development, which aims to improve the understanding of the development implications of IPRs and facilitate an informed participation of developing countries in ongoing negotiations, through policy-oriented research, multi-stakeholder dialogues and outreach.

Further information about this Regional Dialogue is available at: http://www.iprsonline.org/unctadictsd/dialogue/2004-06-29/2004-06-29_desc.htm

Further information about Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Sustainable Development is available at the internet portal.

This forum provides an opportunity for national and international researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders to dialogue on important policy-relevant trade and industrial policy and broader economic policy issues. The fourth conference deals with the critical issue of employment.

Unemployment is the most important social and economic issue in South Africa. There is an urgent need to critically examine ways and means of improving the prospects for growth and employment in South Africa. The aim of the forum is to initiate rigorous research on a range of important areas. The forum will focus on specific themes listed below, beginning with an overarching themes followed by more specific detailed issues.

See Annual Forum papers