The Warwick Commission, an international panel, established by the University of Warwick,  of some of the world’s leading experts in Multilateral Trade, are gathering in Singapore for a special session with Lee Yi Shyan, Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Industry.

The event, to be held at 1pm on 4th April 2008 at the Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, will see the Warwick Commission present its analysis on the future of the multilateral trade system after the Doha Round and discuss the implications of its report with key Singaporean policy makers and researchers. The workshop in Singapore is one of a series planned in key cities around the world as part of the Warwick Commission’s efforts to generate discussion about this global issue.

Also present at the event will be See Chak Mun, former Lead Trade Negotiator for Singapore and now Senior Advisor Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Patrick Low, Chief Economist of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Deborah Elms, Deputy Head (Graduate Studies) & International Political Economy Coordinator, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University.

The event is being jointly organised by the University of Warwick, which created the Warwick Commission, and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University

The Director of the Warwick Commission, Professor Richard Higgott of the University of Warwick said:

"We are delighted at the interest of Singaporean policy makers and researchers in the work of the Commission. We are concerned about the global dwindling commitment to multilateralism in global commerce and some international political leaders' reliance on "the politics of blame and responsibility avoidance" in trade talks. Our report calls for an end to the reliance on consensus decision-making in future negotiations; a bigger role for the World Trade Organization in the delivery of Aid for Trade to developing countries; escalating financial compensation as a means to resolve some trade disputes and a high level 'reflection exercise' on the future of the trade system by the members of the WTO."

While attending the event, researchers for the University of Warwick and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies will discuss possible collaboration between the two institutions on research and study of security issues.