Global Commodities Forum 22 - 23 March 2010
Complete Program [PDF]
Venue: United Nations, Palais des Nations, E-Building, Geneva, Switzerland
Target Audience: Ministers and high-level government officials in charge of mineral resources, corporate leaders in the area of hydrocarbons and metals, commodity trade and finance, academia and NGOs working on commodity problematique.
Objective: The Forum will launch a neutral and integrated platform addressing in a holistic way such perennial issues of the modern commodity economy as functioning of commodity markets and performance of commodity supply chains, effectiveness of commodity policies and sustainability of modes of production and use of commodities. Themes of the first meeting include: (a)current status and prospects of hydrocarbons and metals markets; (b)volatility of prices and instability of markets; (c)effectiveness of commodity policies; (d)commodity economy and sustainable development; (e)commodity trade finance and risk management; (f)commodities and logistics;
Invitations: Sent to ministers and high-level policymakers of many UNCTAD member countries, business leaders and their associations, to authoritative members of academia and other civil society. All plenary speakers received personal invitations of the UNCTAD Secretary General Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi.
Conference Rooms: XVII , XXV and XXVI
Interpretation: The conference is interpreted simultaneously in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Documentation: It would be appreciated if papers and written presentations, apart from being in original language, would be also delivered in English or French.
Day One: Monday 22 MarchPlenary: Hydrocarbons and Metals; Investing in Productive Capacity, Instability of Commodity Markets;Commodity Policies; Better Frameworks for Cooperation
09.45 - 11.00 Opening Inaugural Plenary
Statements by ministers and heads of international agencies on the importance of multi-stakeholder dialogue on the perennial issues of commodities to find better policy frameworks and market mechanisms for the future global commodity economy.
Opening Statement: Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
11.00 - 13.00 Plenary Session Two
The boom, the bust and partial recovery in oil, gas and other energy markets.
• Recent developments in oil, gas and other energy markets;
• International trading arrangements in oil and gas;
• Fundamentals and non-fundamental factors affecting oil and gas prices;
• Terms of trade changes for energy exporters and importers.
• Longer term trends in supply and demand for hydrocarbons;
13.00 - 15.00 Lunch
15.00 - 16.30 Plenary Session Three
Current state and prospects for minerals and metals.
• Recent developments in iron ore, steel and non-ferrous metals markets;
• International trading arrangements in metals;
• Fundamentals and non-fundamental factors affect metals' prices;
• Changes in terms of trade for metals exporters and importers.
• Changing supply and demand patterns in mining;
16.30 - 18.00 Plenary Session Four
Building up modern and sustainable supply capacities in extractive industries.
• Real investments in productive capacities: developing sustainable projects with modern technologies;
• Investing in productive capacities as a part of effective revenue management;
• FDI, contract negotiations and rent distribution in extractive industries;
• G-20/multilateral initiatives and role of ECAs & DFI to augment access to commodity finance;
• Aid for Trade as prospects for building up commodity trade related infrastructure.
GCF participants will also have the opportunity to attend parallel sessions on: Commodity Finance; Commodities and Sustainable Development; Commodities and Logistics. Please see the complete program [PDF] | Day Two: Tuesday 23 March 09.00 - 10.15 Plenary Session Five
Causes of commodity price volatility: fundamentals, speculation and other factors
• The recently increased price volatility: a new trend or an episode?
• Relationship between commodity trading, financing arrangements and prices;
• Regulated commodity exchanges, versus unregulated over the counter(OTC) markets;
• Speculation and commodities as financial asset classes;
• Investment in commodity futures and investment in productive capacities: is there a crowding out effect?
10.15 - 11.30 Plenary Session Six
Addressing the volatility in commodity markets: options for regulatory and market mechanisms mix:
• What next for major commodity exchanges and OTC markets?
• Complementing better commodity trading rules with better regulatory oversight;
• Addressing issues of commodity trading arrangements and market stabilization.
• Prospects for commodity exchanges in developing and transition economies;
11.30 - 13.00 Plenary Session Seven
The commodity policy challenges for energy and minerals exporting countries:
• The policy options for various groups of minerals, metals and energy producers;
• Relations with foreign investors and distribution of rents from extractive industries;
• Good governance including transparency and accountability issues;
• Dealing with competition issues in supply/value chains;
• Investment needs in extractive industries to build adequate supply capacity;
• Diversification within and beyond commodity sectors;
• Better linkages between extractive industries and the rest of the economy.
13.00 - 15.00 Lunch
15.00 - 16.00 Plenary Session Seven (continued)
16.00 - 17.00 Plenary Session Eight
Towards better policy and institutional frameworks and international cooperation in the area of extractive industries:
• Dialogue on better market and regulatory frameworks and improved pricing mechanisms for hydrocarbons and metals;
• Dialogue on building up a sustainable energy matrix for the future world economy;
• Dialogue on sustainable mining practices;
• International cooperation between commodity producers and users.
17.00 - 18.00 Concluding Plenary Session
Co-Chairs: Moderator and Panel members of the Plenary Session 8 and chairs of parallel sessions.
The Co-chairs of the forum will summarize the main approaches expressed at the forum and will highlight the possibilities of improving policy and institutional frameworks and markets mechanisms, both nationally and internationally, to make production, trade and consumption of oil, gas and metals more efficient and sustainable and thus meet future challenges of developing extractive industries. |