Free Trade in the Americas Conference To Assess Current State of Trade in Western Hemisphere

by Cynthia Jackson (254) 710-3495

Leading scholars and officials from Canada, the United States and Latin America will examine the nature of Western Hemisphere trade agreements, their implications for hemispheric relations and the multilateral trading system at the Free Trade in the Americas Conference on Oct. 6-7 at Baylor University.

The conference begins Oct. 6 with keynote speaker Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and outgoing Director General of the World Trade Organization, and continues Oct. 7 with several other speakers and panel discussions.

"We hope this will be a dialogue that points the way toward more fruitful cooperation between these trading partners," said Dr. Stephen Gardner, Herman Brown Professor of Economics and director of the McBride Center for International Business at Baylor. He and Dr. Joe McKinney, Ben Williams Professor of International Economics and assistant director of the McBride Center, are coordinating the conference.

Topics of the conference will include new trade strategies in the Americas, regional and bilateral free trade agreements, results of the Free Trade for the Americas negotiations and interaction of regional and global trade agreements. The Free Trade in the Americas Conference is sponsored by the Canadian Embassy and the McBride Center for International Business at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business.

To register or for more information, visit www.baylor.edu/freetrade or contact The McBride Center for International Business at (254) 710-2462.

NOTES TO JOURNALISTS:

• Media are welcome to attend events with no registration fee.
• A multbox will be available for media use.
• Conference agenda online.