Senior WTO official to address World Textile Summit

August 4, 2011

Rufus H. Yerxa, Deputy Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), is to join the eminent speaker panel at the World Textile Summit, in Barcelona, Spain, on September 21, 2011.

Mr Yerxa, who has an extensive record as a trade diplomat, legislative expert and private lawyer, has held his WTO position since 2002. Before that he served as a senior US trade official in both Republican and Democratic administrations and, from 1989 to 1993, was the US Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in Geneva, the predecessor organisation to the WTO. From 1993 to 1995 he was the Deputy US Trade Representative in Washington, when he played a major role in negotiating and securing Congressional approval of both the Uruguay Round/WTO agreement and the NAFTA accord.

At the Summit Mr Yerxa will provide insights into the current structure of international textile-trade relations and on the ongoing Doha round of WTO trade negotiations.

Completing the Summit panel will be Daniel Lopez, secretary to the board and deputy general manager at Spanish retail star Mango, who will illuminate product development and supply-chain management principles in the evolving world of fast fashion.

Keynote speakers at the World Textile Summit are Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary General, and Barry J. Eichengreen, Professor of Economics and Political Science, University of California, Berkeley.  Mr Annan will appear in his role as an advocate for the UN Global Compact on ethical practice, to which several major textile companies are signatories, while Prof Eichengreen will address the world’s industrial future after the economic crisis of recent years.

Other speakers are: Loek de Vries, CEO, Royal Ten Cate; Thomas Babacan, CEO, Oerlikon Textile and COO, Oerlikon Group; Philip Chamberlain, head of sustainability, C&A Europe; Dilip Jiwrajka, managing director, Alok Industries; and Du Yuzhou, president, China National Textile & Apparel Council.

The morning and afternoon sessions will each conclude with an open panel discussion, involving the principal speakers and other textile-industry opinion formers. The first will have the theme: ‘Surviving a brave new world: how to be a winner in the competitive struggle for textile markets’; and the second: ‘Trade and investment: textile industry prospects for the world’s major economies’

The ITMA-ITMF World Textile Summit (www.worldtextilesummit.com) will take place on September 21 at the Hotel Rey Juan Carlos I in Barcelona, one day ahead of the opening of the ITMA 2011 textile-machinery show in the same city.
 
The Summit is the first joint initiative between CEMATEX (the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers) and the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), and is being organised in partnership with the World Textile Information Network (WTiN) and international event organiser MP International. Sponsors include Oerlikon Textile, Newlife by Filature Miroglio, and Royal Ten Cate.

About ITMA
ITMA, the world's largest international textile and garment machinery show, is recognised as the 'Olympics' of the textile and garment machinery industry. Held every four years at different venues across Europe, it is owned by CEMATEX, the European textile machinery manufacturers association. www.itma.com

About ITMF
The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) is an international association for the world’s textile industries, dedicated to keeping its worldwide membership constantly informed through surveys, studies and publications and through the organisation of annual conferences, participating in the evolution of the industry’s value chain and publishing considered opinions on future trends and international developments. www.itmf.org
 
About WTiN
World Textile Information Network (WTiN) is a global textile news and information provider whose beginnings can be traced back more than a century. Its magazines are recognised for their authority and market-leading coverage and in recent years it has developed a complementary range of electronic media and special publications. This clear industry focus means WTiN has become an integral part of the textile community, providing the highest-quality information and now leveraging an innovative online technology platform to deliver next-generation strategic intelligence for textile industry executives. www.wtin.com
 
About MP International
Established in 1987, MP International specialises in organising exhibitions, conferences and special events. The group has organised and managed some 300 national, regional and international events, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2009 Leaders' Week. It is a leading international organiser of trade exhibitions, including ITMA and ITMA Asia. MP International is headquartered in Singapore with a global footprint across Asia and Europe. www.mpinetwork.com

Posted: August 2011

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