Tuesday, June 6, 2006

8- 8:30AM

8:30 - 10:15 AM

10:15 - 11 AM

11 - 11:15 AM

Coffee Break
Sponsored by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority
Lobby, Betts Theatre, Marvin Center, GWU

11:15 AM -
12:30 PM

Opening Plenary
Betts Theatre, Marvin Center, George Washington University
     MC: Mr. Ray Almeida, Bread for the World
Assessment of AGOA at 5: Where are we? 
     Dr. Paul Brenton, World Bank
Civil Society as AGOA stakeholder: Opportunity and Responsibilities
     Rev. David Beckmann, Bread for the World

12:30 -
2:30 PM

2:30 - 4 PM

1: Local and Regional Markets: Building Blocks for Trade Capacity (Duques 151)
US private voluntary organization (PVO) experience shows that targeted investment in building the capacity of African small and medium enterprises (SMEs) – including farmer-owned cooperatives and rural businesses – to participate in local, national and regional markets effectively builds their capacity to take advantage of export opportunities. How can AGOA better support regional integration and market development?

     Facilitator: Dr. Daniel Karanja, Partnership to Cut Hunger and Poverty in Africa
     Dr. John Kilama, Global Bioscience Development Institute
     Mr. Joshua Walton, ACDI/VOCA
     Ms. Phyllis Shearer Jones, Elan International, LLC
     Mr. Ibrahima Coulibaly*, Association of Professional Peasant
          Organizations (Mali)
     Mr. Jabulani Ntshangase*, Thabani Wines (S. Africa)

2: AGOA, GSP, and Doha: The Challenge of Preference Erosion (Duques 254)
The expiration of the multi fiber arrangement (MFA), potential expansion of generalized system of preferences (GSP) benefits in this year's reauthorization and the duty-free, quota-free access for less-developed countries (LDCs) provision included in the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial text all point to new challenges for AGOA countries. What can be done to address these challenges positively and without resisting greater market access for other poor countries?

     Facilitator: Ms. Emily Byers, Bread for the World
     Ms. Meredith Broadbent, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Industry,
          Market Access and Telecommunications (confirmed)
     Ms. Katrin Kuhlmann, Women's Edge Coalition
     Mr. Tshediso Matona, D.G., South Africa Dept. of Trade and Industry
     Mr. Ram Nookadee*, Mauritius Council of Social Services (Mauritius)
     Mr. Paul Ryberg, Coalition for Trade, Inc. (ACT)

3: Market Access under AGOA: Still Room for Improvement (Duques 255)
Though exports from Africa to the United States have grown under AGOA thanks to new market access, there are still important improvements that could be made to AGOA’s market access provisions. Exports have been concentrated in a few sectors, notably petroleum and apparel. In addition, important provisions for the nascent apparel industry are due to expire in the near future. What changes to AGOA could help spur greater diversification of African exports? What can be done to help solidify the gains made in the apparel sector?

     Facilitator: Ms. Katherine Daniels, OXFAM America
     Ms. Viji Rangaswami, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
     Mr. Tim Reif, House Ways and Means Committee (invited)
     Ms. Manisha Singh, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
     Mr. Babacar Ndao*, Reseau des organizations paysannes et de
          producteurs de l’Afrique de ‘Ouest (Senegal)

4 - 4:15 PM

4:15 -
5:30 PM

6 - 8 PM

Wednesday, June 7, 2006

8:30 - 9 AM

9 - 10:30 AM

4: Expanding AGOA: Travel and Tourism (Duques 258)
Tourism has the potential to be a source of broad-based economic growth in Africa, creating jobs and business opportunities for local entrepreneurs. But how can the African tourism industry be developed in a way that keeps the profits close to home, sustaining communities? And could AGOA help make it happen?

     Facilitator: Ms. Kristen Lamoureux, Intl. Institute of Tourism
           Studies, GWU
     Mr. David Saunders, Africa Travel Association
     Ms. Roberta Hilbruner, Sustainable Tourism Group, USAID
     Mr. Iain Christie, Dept. of Tourism and Hospitality Management,
           GWU
     Ms. Jennifer Marcy, Craft Center at CHF International

5: Aid-for-Trade: Can AGOA Deliver? (Duques 151)
It is now nearly universally recognized that the causal links between market access, increased trade, economic growth and poverty reduction are tenuous. There are tremendous local constraints and complexities that must be addressed if more open trade is to translate into poverty reduction. What kinds of capacity building assistance would help strengthen these links?

     Facilitator: Ms. Vanessa Ulmer, German Marshall Fund of the U.S.
     Ms. Susan Bornstein, TechnoServe, Inc.
     Dr. Dominique Njinkeu, International Lawyers and Economists Against Poverty
          (ILEAP)
     Ms. Wilma Wallace, Gap, Inc.
     Mr. Bigman Maloa*, Greenbridge Ltd. (S. Africa)
     Mr. Amacodou Diouf*, Action humaine pour le développement
          intégré au Sénégal (Senegal)

6: Making AGOA Work for Poor People: Oversight from the Bottom Up (Duques 255)
AGOA will not have a dramatic impact on poverty if it is driven solely from the top, down.  Rather, a successful AGOA must be shaped by the priorities of poor people.  This panel will explore the role of civil society in monitoring the impacts of AGOA and what grassroots groups are doing to pressure their governments to put poverty at the center of each country's AGOA agenda.

10:30 -
11:30 AM

11:30 AM -
1:30 PM

Capitol Hill Luncheon (SEATING LIMITED)
Sponsored by the World Cocoa Foundation
Montpelier Room, Madison Building, Library of Congress
Independence Avenue and 1st Street, SE
Poverty Reduction and the AGOA Agenda
     MC: The Honorable Vivian L. Derryck, Academy for Educational Development
     Welcome: Mr. Ray Offenheiser, OXFAM America
     Welcome: Mr. William Guyton, World Cocoa Foundation
     Speaker: The Honorable Jendayi Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State
          for African Affairs

1:30 - 2 PM

2 - 3 PM

Congressional "Town Hall" Meeting on the Future of AGOA
House International Relations Committee Room, Rayburn 2172
Member statements
Q&A with Civil Society Forum Representatives to Members
     MC: Mr. Ray Almeida, Bread for the World
     Hon. Bill Thomas, Chairman, Ways and Means (R-CA)
     Hon. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
     Hon. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
     Hon. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
     Hon. Ed Royce (R-CA)
     Hon. Greg Meeks (D-NY)

3 - 4 PM

4 -5 PM

5:30 - 7 PM

Thursday, June 8, 2006

2 - 4:30 PM

Hearing before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, House International Relations Committee
Subcommittee on Africa, U.S. House of Representatives
Removing Obstacles to African Entrepreneurship
     Hon. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman
     Hon. Donald Payne (D-NJ), Ranking Member