IPCC Virtual February Luncheon with Ann Berg

Luncheon Details:

Virtual Mixer: 11:45 AM CST | Guest speaker program: 12:00 PM CST

Program: "Tariffs and Trade: Global Trade Tensions"

From the early days of the Silk Road and Mediterranean shipping to the creation of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and its successor - the World Trade Organization (WTO), trade has played an important role in supporting economic development and promoting peaceful relations among nations. 

Trade disputes and trade restrictions are the historical norm.  GATT and WTO were created post-WWII to promote a multi-lateral trading system aimed at reducing tariffs and other trade barriers.  This neo-liberal global order – is now in retreat. Numerous countries, notably the US and China, are raising tariffs on each other’s goods; others, such as Great Britain, are leaving their trade block.

Ann, a senior advisor to the United Nations, will be talking about how the system boiled  over into a retaliatory trade war, including the use of blunt instruments such as tariffs, quotas or bans? When do these instruments expand into political directives – designed to curb child labor practices, promote democracy, or even punish a sovereign regime? Following the elections, what are the priorities of the new administration and how will they shape trade polict and impact the economy going forward? 

About Ann Berg:

Ann Berg is a leading expert in commodities, commodity futures, and food security issues, and a senior advisor to the UN. She is a former grain exporter, futures trader and Chicago Board of Trade director. She has worked for intergovernmental organizations including the World Bank (WB) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the European Commission, policy think tanks and multinational corporations.

As an emerging market specialist, she has participated in commodity exchange development in Turkey, Egypt, India, Vietnam, Ukraine, and Trinidad. Currently, she is a senior advisor to the United Nations - Food and Agricultural Organization in Rome, Italy, where she recently presented Trade Disputes- Antecedents and Outcomes. Ms. Berg also writes for financial publications and is an exhibiting artist.

For more information about Ms. Berg and her great work, please visit her website: www.annberg.com