On 30 and 31 May 2001 the EU-LDC Network organised a conference on Trade and poverty reduction. The conference brought together around 45 policy-makers, academics and representatives of civil society organisations from developing and developed countries. In light of current discussions on whether there should be a new multilateral trade round, the conference sessions focused on how issues on the multilateral agenda will affect poverty. Attention was not only paid to traditional agenda items, like agriculture, but also to possible new items, like competition policy and investment rules.

The conference ended with a public debate, in which Supachai Panitchpakdi, the upcoming Director General of the WTO, gave the keynote address.

The papers, presentations and summaries of the sessions and the public debate can be found in each of the session pages as follows:

• Session 1 - The multilateral agenda: developing countries’ perspectives

• Session 2 - The multilateral agenda: an EU perspective

• Session 3 - Trade and poverty reduction

• Session 4 - Issues in merchandise trade - Agriculture and textiles

• Session 5 - Trade rules in services

• Session 6 - Extending the Agenda - Extending the Agenda and Competition policy

• Session 7 - Trade and Poverty Reduction - Summing up

• Public Debate

• Other information