The 12th session of the United Nation's Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XII) took place in Accra Ghana from 20th to 25th April 2008. The FES organised a panel discussion with the Ghana Trades Union Congress as part of the Civil Society Forum which took place from 17th - 19th April 2008. The topic was "International Trade and Employment - The case of Agriculture in Ghana". The forum brought together trade union experts, civil society activists and academics to deliberate on the impact of international trade on employment particularly in the agricultural sector. The general consensus was that international trade has brought about a lot of opportunities for development. However, it has also resulted in some negative consequences for developing countries like Ghana due to unfair trade practices such as the maintenance of trade subsidies by developed economies for their agricultural produce. Panelists and participants strongly stated the need for a more development oriented international trade regime.
The FES also organised a one day capacity building workshop for journalist from West Africa to prepare them to cover the main UNCTAD conference and report back to their media houses back home.
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