It was my pleasure to welcome you to the Columbia University/World Trade Organization Tenth Anniversary Conference in the City of New York as part of the 2005-2006 World Leaders Forum at Columbia University.

Powerful and novel forces continue to reshape our world, creating a global community and increasing our collective sense of responsibility for it. Columbia University’s collaboration with the Appellate Body of the WTO to host this conference speaks to our institutional commitment to serve as a leading center for thought and discussion on the world’s most important economic, policy, and social issues.

The “Columbia WTO at 10 Conference” provided an opportunity for distinguished policymakers, scholars, legal experts, business executives, and senior leaders from around the world to address the critical issues of Governance, Dispute Settlement, and Developing Countries. The conference aimed to stimulate new ideas and fruitful debate about the operation of the international trading system and the future role of the WTO.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger
President, Columbia University