World trade debate scheduled

Panelists will debate the future of the World Trade Organization Thursday, March 23, on campus.

Opponents charge that the WTO puts free trade above the environment, human rights and labor rights, while advocates argue that low-paying jobs in developing countries can be a path to upward mobility for the poor. Explosive protests at its November meeting in Seattle put the organization in the world spotlight.

The free event, co-sponsored by the Center for International Business Education and Research and Latin American and Iberian Studies, will be held from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in B-10 Ingraham Hall, 1155 Observatory Drive.

Panelists include Medea Benjamin, co-founder and director of the San Francisco-based human rights group, Global Exchange; John Nichols, editorial page and op-ed editor of Madison’s afternoon newspaper the Capital Times; Jeffrey Bernstein, assistant professor from the La Follette Institute for Public Affairs; and professor Ian Coxhead of the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the Institute for Environmental Studies.

Laura Hartman, Grainger Chair of Business Ethics at the UW–Madison School of Business, will moderate the session

“The purpose of the event is to provide a forum for the university community and the general public to learn about WTO from a variety of different perspectives and to participate in an information-rich debate on the topic,” says Susan Huber Miller, CIBER assistant director.