[asia-apec 1254] Campaign Against AOA/WTO

[tpl at cheerful.com]

New Announcement
Peoples' Campaign Against Imperialist Globalization

1999 International Campaign Against
the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) and the
World Trade Organization (WTO)


The Forum Series, Food Security: An Assessment of Philippine GATT
Commitments After Five Years, started with a discussion of the negative
effects of the Agreement on Agriculture (AOA) of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) on the rice and corn industry in the Philippines.  Main
discussant was Danilo Ramos, Secretary General of KMP (Peasant Movement of
the Philippines), himself a rice and corn farmer. The forum was held
yesterday, August 18, in PCED, University of the Philippines. 

It is the first of a series of forums to inform the public about the
disastrous effects of the provisions of AOA-GATT/WTO on the country's
agriculture and fisheries sectors. Sponsors of the series are KMP, AMIHAN
(National Federation of Peasant Women's Associations) and PAMALAKAYA
(National Alliance of Fisherfolk Organizations)

For the September forums, impact on the coconut ( Sept. 1) and the sugar
(Sept. 15) industries will be discussed. For October, the focus will be on
fruits & vegetables (Oct.1) and fisheries (2nd week of Oct.). The Forum
Series ends with a media/public forum on October 15 where the result of a
research being undertaken by the sponsoring organizations will be
presented. One highlight of the research is AOA/WTO's harmful effects on
peasant women.

 
Background 

For the years 1999 and 2000, the Peoples' Campaign Against Imperialist
Globalization (PCAIG) focuses on the AOA in its campaign against the WTO
and imperialist globalization. BAYAN (New Patriotic Alliance) launched
PCAIG in 1996 when the APEC Leaders Summit was hosted by the Philippine
government. An international people's conference against globalization and
the people's caravan against APEC, accompanied by nationwide protest
actions, were the campaign's culmination for the year.  In the same year,
the Anti-Imperialist World Peasant Summit (AIWPS) was convened by KMP.
 
For the first time since APEC was formed, a strong popular voice was raised
against APEC, globalization and imperialism thus blunting and neutralizing
the hype of neo-liberalism created by the centers of global power -- US,
Japan and EU -- and monopoly capitalism.

A major component of this year's PCAIG is the 1999 International Campaign
Against AOA and WTO. It  takes off in the second half of 1999. AOA will be
the main agenda in the WTO Third Ministerial Meeting in Seattle on November
29 - December 4. The review of AOA by WTO member countries/economies is
expected to extend until 2000. Surely, fulfillment of commitments to the
AOA will be accelerated despite the already apparent devastating effects of
having agriculture included in WTO. 

December will also be the start of the Millennium Round of GATT
negotiations. Monopoly capitalism, through the US, EU and Japan and a
strong TNC/MNC lobby, will try to insert investments liberalization  in WTO
through a re-packaged MAI after it failed to have it approved in 1998
because of strong NGO lobby.   

The campaign against AOA is spearheaded by AMIHAN, KMP, GABRIELA, and
PAMALAKAYA. They are organizations and alliances of women, peasants and
fisherfolk who have been in the forefront of the people's and women's
movements in the Philippines. Along with other people's formations like KMU
(May 1st Movement) and League of Filipino Students (LFS) they have
relentlessly waged campaigns against liberalization, deregulation and
privatization in the context of peoples' resistance against globalization
and imperialism.

General Objectives

To create public opinion against the disastrous impact of the AOA-WTO on
the peasants and fisherfolk, especially on the women of the Third World.

To continue exposing liberalization, privatization and deregulation as
imperialist globalization's main swords in disemboweling Third World
economies.

To strengthen people's resistance against the AOA-WTO and imperialist
globalization.
 
To expand linkages and forge deeper unities with other anti-AOA-WTO,
anti-globalization and anti-imperialist organizations, groups and
individuals worldwide.  

Specific Objectives

To push further the demand to take agriculture out of the GATT-WTO.

To make more peasant and fisherfolk mass leaders and activists, especially
among the women of the Third World, aware of AOA's negative effects on
their national economies and patrimony, on their lives and democratic rights.

To make the general public aware of the harmful effects of the AOA on their
country's agriculture and fisheries sectors. 

Contribute to the success of the people's anti-AOA-WTO initiatives in
Seattle parallel to the WTO Third Ministerial Meeting.

Convenors

BAYAN
AMIHAN 
KMP 
GABRIELA 
PAMALAKAYA 

Activities

Signature Campaign  A statement against AOA/WTO will be drafted by Amihan
and Gabriela for signature by Philippine organizations. It will then be
circulated internationally for endorsement by other women's and people's
organizations, NGOs and individuals.

Forum Series  Starting in August, a forum series on Food Security: An
Assessment of Philippine GATT Commitments After Five Years will discuss the
impact of AOA on the different agricultural sectors, i.e. rice & corn,
coconut, sugar, fruits & vegetables, fisheries.  Amihan, KMP and Pamalakaya
will take turns taking charge of the forums. They will ensure that the
special effects on women are discussed. Papers presented will be published. 

Research  Amihan, KMP and Pamalakaya will conduct further research on the
negative effects of AOA on the industries mentioned earlier. [Note: Ibon
Philippines, a well-known education and research institution, is likewise
conducting a research on AOA-WTO's impact on women.] Results will be
presented in all-leaders' meetings and public forums. They will likewise be
published.  

Participation in the APWLD Seminar on AOA-WTO and Meeting of the Task Force
Rural and Indigenous Women  The TF-RIW of APWLD (Asia-Pacific Forum on
Women, Law and Development) will hold its annual meeting in October in
Chaingmai, Thailand. Back to back with it will be a one-day seminar on AOA
and its negative impact on women.  These are preparations for the task
force's participation in the international campaign to take AOA out of WTO.
Gabriela's representative sits as co-convenor of the task force. One of the
speakers in the seminar will be from Amihan, which has campaigned against
GATT even before WTO was formed. 

Peasant Week and Nationally-Coordinated Peasant Actions on October 21.
Every year, the peasant movement in the Philippines led by KMP caps its
year-long campaigns and mass struggles with a series of mass actions and
mobilizations in the 2nd week of October to culminate in a nationwide
peasant mobilization on October 21.  Taking agriculture out of the WTO will
be one of the major demands. 

Attendance in the Global Teach-In on the WTO sponsored  by the
International Forum on Globalization  "The IFG is organizing a Teach-In on
the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be held in Seattle, Washington, on
November 27, 1999. The event will take place at the 2,500-seat Benaroya
Seattle Symphony Hall and the Teach-In events will be free to the public.
(It) 
 will focus on the problems of economic globalization and,
specifically, on the activities of the WTO and other international
agreements and institutions."

1999 Peoples' Assembly/March-Rally - SAY NO TO WTO ! -- in Seattle Main
convenor is Sentenaryo ng Bayan, a Filipino organization whose
representative sits in the Steering Committee of the Seattle-based Network
Opposed to WTO. NO to WTO plans several activities up to November and early
December to inform the public and drum up resistance to WTO. 

The conference will be held on November 28-29 and will culminate in a rally
on November 30. Both events will serve as counterpoint and alternative to
the WTO 3rd Ministerial Meeting. A special half-day session is being
planned to focus on the AOA, peasants and rural women. Invited are
organizations, groups and individuals, whether within or outside of the
PCAIG network, who have been active in resisting TNCs/MNCs, APEC, NAFTA,
WTO-IMF-WB, imperialist globalization and monopoly capitalism. It is
expected that BAYAN networks in the US and Canada will participate. 

Anti-AOA-WTO Protest Action in Manila when the WTO Ministerial Meeting
opens  To be led by Bayan, it will be the Philippine contribution to the
protest actions worldwide against AOA-WTO, as the latter opens its
millennium round of talks. Organizations and groups, especially those of
peasants, fisherfolk and women, in other countries are enjoined to hold
their own protest actions and manifestations. Please inform the Campaign
Against AOA (CAOA) Secretariat so we can circulate the information about
your activities to the CAOA and other anti-globalization networks. 

For details about each of the activities listed above, additional
announcements will be circulated.

CAOA Secretariat 
KMP/AMIHAN/BAYAN
e-mail: tpl at cheerful.com 
Fax: c/o Gabriela (63-2) 374-4423

For inquiries regarding the Peoples' Assembly and March-Rally -- Say NO to
WTO! --  Please write:

ACE  SATURAY
Sentenaryo ng Bayan and NO to WTO
e-mail: azes at juno.com