[asia-apec 1145] Re: Road to Seattle Road to Seattle: Early Planning
Gatt Watchdog
gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz
Sat Jun 5 11:44:41 JST 1999
>From road_to_seattle at iatp.org Sat Jun 5 05:27:09 1999
Received: by corso.ch.planet.gen.nz (1.65/waf)
via UUCP; Sat, 05 Jun 99 11:54:01 +1200
for gattwd
Received: from mail.iatp.org (iatp-2.InnovSoftD.com [208.141.36.66])
by tofu.ch.planet.gen.nz (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id FAA04797
for <gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz>; Sat, 5 Jun 1999 05:27:09 +1200 (NZST)
Received: from [208.141.36.73] by mail.iatp.org
(Netscape Messaging Server 3.62) with SMTP id 255
for <gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz>;
Fri, 4 Jun 1999 12:26:11 -0500
From: "Road to Seattle" <road_to_seattle at iatp.org>
To: gattwd at corso.ch.planet.gen.nz
Subject: Road to Seattle Road to Seattle: Early Planning
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1999 12:24:50 -0500
X-Mailer: Allaire Cold Fusion 3.1
Message-ID: <19990604172449669.AMK301.255@[208.141.36.73]>
================================
Date Posted: 06/04/1999
Posted by: road_to_seattle at iatp.org
================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Road to Seattle - Road to Seattle: Early Planning June 4, 1999
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
I. WHEN IS THE MINISTERIAL?
- MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1999
II. WHO IS DOING WHAT?
- SEATTLE CITIZENS WTO PLANNING COMMITTEE
- SEATTLE HOST ORGANIZATION (SHO)
III. WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?
- TUESDAY, JUNE 8: LEARN ABOUT THE WTO'S PLANS FOR FORESTS
- DEMOCRATIZE THE WTO! JUNE 26 PLANNING MEETING
IV. WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING THE MINISTERIAL?
- INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON GLOBALIZATION TEACH-IN ON THE WTO
V. RECENT PRESS ON THE WTO/TRADE
- WTO TARGETED BY CRITICS AT SEATTLE U TRADE FORUM
- WTO: IS ITS CREDIBILITY IN PERIL?
- WALL STREET JOURNAL, FRONT PAGE
VI. WHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE ACTIVE ON TRADE ISSUES? (INCOMPLETE LIST, MORE TO COME!)
- PUBLIC CITIZEN'S GLOBAL TRADE WATCH
- THIRD WORLD NETWORK
VII. ARTICLES ON TRADE/WTO
- WHY DEMOCRATIZE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY?
- WTO AGREEMENTS: IMPLICATIONS AND IMBALANCES
- WHAT'S AT STAKE? KEY ENVIRONMENT ISSUES IN THE UPCOMING WTO NEGOTIATIONS
VIII. WHERE CAN I FIND MORE INFORMATION?
- WTO BOOKLET: TRACK RECORD AND EXPECTATIONS
- NATIONAL FARMERS UNION, CANADA: THE UNION FARMER QUARTERLY
IX. AND THE WTO SAYS...?
- MISUNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT THE WTO??
INTRODUCTION
The World Trade Organization will be holding its Third Ministerial
Meeting in Seattle, Washington, USA November 29 - December 4, 1999. The
meetings will be held at the Seattle Convention Center, in downtown
Seattle. This will be the first time the WTO will be meeting in the
United States since its founding.
Though November is 6 months away, much planning is already happening by
various groups, organizations, etc. all around the planet. The "Road to
Seattle" will keep you informed about this planning, and we invite you
to tell us what your organization is doing, so we can share that
information with others. There are events already being planned for the
actual days of the Ministerial, as well as in the months preceding.
The "Road" will also circulate articles pertaining to global trade
policies and their impacts; resources for further information,
including websites, documents, etc.; contact information of various
organizations; and much more.
All archived "Road to Seattle" bulletins can be accessed at
http://www.newsbulletin.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEN IS THE MINISTERIAL?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29 - THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1999
At the Seattle Convention Center, downtown Seattle, Washington, USA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHO IS DOING WHAT?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEATTLE CITIZENS WTO PLANNING COMMITTEE
Citizens for a Fair Trade Policy/Democratize the WTO! is the citizens
planning committee on the ground in Seattle. Working closely with
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, this committee is already meeting
monthly to coordinate logistics, media, communications, education and
research, outreach, etc.
>From their flyer:
The Seattle-based People for a Fair Trade invites activists from around
the world to come to Seattle during the World Trade Organization
meeting in November 1999.
The WTO (World Trade Organization) came into being 4 years ago with the
signing of GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade). It ahs
elevated corporate power above the sovereign powers of all nation
states. By means of panels composed of non-elected trade specialists,
it ahs overturned laws affecting labor, community economies, health and
environment. Democratize the WTO! hopes to bring together thousands of
people to Seattle to educate citizens about the workings of the WTO and
formulate alternatives.
Reach the People for a Fair Trade Policy in the US at 1-877-786-7986,
http://www.tradewatch.org, ssoriano at igc.org, 2343 NW 100th, Seattle,
WA, 98177, USA
SEATTLE HOST ORGANIZATION (SHO)
[From the Seattle Host Organizations's website:]
http://www.wtoseattle.org
The Role of the Seattle Host Organization
SHO is a division of WCIT [Washington Council on International Trade].
SHO will not participate in the Ministerial directly. The function of
SHO is to facilitate all of the services necessary for Seattle to host
the Ministerial. SHO is responsible for providing the Convention Center
space, transportation, hotel accommodations, and all other amenities.
The other major part of SHO's responsibility is to help educate and
inform the public about the importance of trade through committees such
as Programs, Media and Public Relations, Education and Outreach, NGOs,
and Web Development. SHO will also assist the numerous NGO's in
Seattle, and involve the interested public and press in events,
programs, and other activities leading up to and surrounding the
Ministerial meeting.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY, JUNE 8: LEARN ABOUT THE WTO'S PLANS FOR FORESTS
Learn More About the World Trade Organization, It's Plans for Forests
and What You Can Do About Them.
Please Join
PAIGE FISCHER, Pacific Environment and Resources Center (Oakland, CA)
ANTONIA JUHASZ, American Lands Alliance (Washington D.C.)
in a presentation and discussion about the World Trade Organization's
plans for the world's forests. The WTO will hold a high level
Ministerial meeting in Seattle in November. At this meeting a number of
agreements may be completed and/or discussed that will have a dramatic
impact on our ability to protect the world's remaining forests and
threatened eco-systems.
Please join us for a discussion of the WTO, it's plans for forests and
what you can do to stop them.
DATE: Tuesday, June 8
TIME: 6:00 pm -- 8:30 pm
PLACE: Olympia Center, 222 N. Columbia (off of Capital Way), Olympia,
WA (for directions, call 360-753-8380)
Paige and Antonia will present information about the WTO's plans for a
Global Free Logging Agreement and the Multilateral Agreement on
Investment. We will lead a discussion about how citizens, environmental
organizations and elected officials can work together to protect forest
ecosystems and environmental regulations from international trade
policies.
DEMOCRATIZE THE WTO! JUNE 26 PLANNING MEETING
For those of you in Seattle -- the next meeting of the People for a
Fair Trade Policy will be held on Saturday, June 26th at the King
County Labor Temple from 9:30 - 12:00 (lunch will be provided).
For more information, call 1-877-786-7986, or email ssoriano at igc.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING THE MINISTERIAL?
------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON GLOBALIZATION TEACH-IN ON THE WTO
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.
The Seattle Teach-In will focus on the problems of economic
globalization and, specifically, on the activities of the WTO and other
international agreements and institutions. Panels of speakers will
address the current failed economic model, and focus on areas such as
agriculture, the environment, human rights, labor rights, consumer
rights, food safety, public health, and many more issues that are
affected by the WTO.
Visit the IFG website (http://www.ifg.org) for updated Teach-In
information as it develops. Or, contact the IFG directly at 1-415-771-
3394, fax: 1-415-771-1121, mailto:ifg at ifg.org, 1555 Pacific Avenue, San
Francisco, CA, 94109, USA
The following is a partial list of featured speakers for the November
27 Teach-In:
Maude Barlow Council of Canadians - Canada
Walden Bello Focus on the Global South - Thailand
John Cavanagh Institute for Policy Studies - U.S.
Tony Clarke Polaris Institute - Canada
Edward Goldsmith The Ecologist - U.K.
Randall Hayes Rainforest Action Network - U.S.
Colin Hines Protect the Local, Globally - U.K.
Martin Khor Third World Network - Malaysia
Andrew Kimbrell International Center for Technological Assessment - U.S.
David Korten People-Centered Development Forum - U.S.
Tim Lang Center for Food Policy - U.K.
Sara Larrain RENACE (Chilean Ecological Action Network) - Chile
Jerry Mander Public Media Center - U.S.
Anuradha Mittal Institute for Food and Development Policy - U.S.
Helena Norberg-Hodge International Society for Ecology and Culture -
U.K.
Mark Ritchie Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy - U.S.
Vandana Shiva Third World Network - India
Steven Shrybman West Coast Environmental Law - Canada
Victoria Tauli-Corpuz Indigenous Peoples' Network for Policy and
Education - Philippines
Lori Wallach Public Citizen - Global Trade Watch - U.S.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
RECENT PRESS ON THE WTO/TRADE
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WTO TARGETED BY CRITICS AT SEATTLE U TRADE FORUM
(Seattle Post-Intelligencer; 06/02/99) Bill Bryant knew he would
face some critics, but he hadn't expected this. Invited to a forum at
Seattle University last week to speak in favor of the **World Trade
Organization**, he found himself the only one of five panelists
clearly defending it, and with the audience clearly against him.
Bryant, of Bryant Christie Inc., trade consultants, spoke on behalf
of the Washington Council on International Trade. The four other
panelists ranged from progressive to Marxist to deep green. The forum
was occasioned by the WTO's plan to hold a meeting of trade ministers
in Seattle Nov. 30 to Dec. 3.
Bryant started with a technical description of how the WTO resolves
trade disputes. The audience wasn't interested; it was focused on the
fundamental questions. The criticism that resonated most with the
audience was the argument by Sally Soriano of the Washington Fair
Trade campaign, who denounced the WTO for subjecting national laws to
"an anti-democratic panel of three trade bureaucrats, operating in
secret."
The WTO, she said, is "a supranational legal system for
corporations, outside our constitution and courts."
An example, she said, was the dispute with Europe over hormone-fed
beef. Europe's democratic governments banned it, and our beef
industry, which uses hormones routinely, appealed to the WTO. The
three trade bureaucrats agree with the American beef producers that
the ban was an impermissible trade barrier.
Bryant defended the ruling. He said the Europeans had offered no
peer- reviewed science to implicate hormone-fed beef. The WTO nations
WTO: IS ITS CREDIBILITY IN PERIL?
http://www.hinduonline.com/today/stories/0602000a.htm
THE HINDU, Wednesday, June 02, 1999
JUST HOW long does it take for an international organisation set up
under a
general agreement to establish its credibility among member countries?
The
case in point is the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that completed four
years and four months by April last. Ever since its creation, the WTO
has
been steeped in controversies, the latest one being its inability to
nominate a new head after Mr. Renato Ruggiero of Italy stepped down on
April
30.
Reaching a consensus on the new appointment has been made difficult by
the
intransigence of members with the leading trading partners U.S., Latin
America and part of Western Europe supporting Mr. Mike Moore, a former
Prime Minister of New Zealand, and most developing countries and Japan
backing Mr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand.
It is
generally agreed that a vote on the issue should be avoided, as
countries
that vote against the ultimate successful candidate may in future face
negative reactions from a system that smacks of highly discriminatory
powers under the dispute settlement process. Developing countries'
concerns
One of the reasons for the crisis at WTO is due to the fact that
perceptions of equitable, fair and free trade vary from country to
country.
Through the WTO, most countries were hoping to strengthen their current
trade through access to new markets. At the same time, they were not
inclined to further open up their own markets to others. With over three
fourths of WTO members being from developing countries whose combined
share
in world trade in 1998 was only 26 per cent as compared to 70 per cent
for
the developed countries, any attempt at harmonisation is bound to be in
favour of the stronger nations. Paradoxically, the developing countries'
share in world trade have been declining over the last two decades, from
close to 30 per cent in 1980. In such a lopsided environment, in spite
of
the so-called concessions available under the provisions of WTO, they
are
unlikely to improve their market share unless this matter, which hinges
heavily on allowable tariffs to protect domestic industries, is sorted
out
at the ministerial meeting later this year. For example, India suffers
due
to high tariffs imposed by importing countries of the European Union on
some of its important export commodities such as textiles and leather -
the
tariff is 12.1 per cent on textiles and apparel compared to an average
of
4-5 per cent on industrial products. Another sensitive issue that
affects
the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which has attained a degree of
maturity
matching the developed world, is the allegation of dumping of Indian
products - for example, ampicillin and amoxycillin - and the imposition
of
anti-dumping duties on them by the EU and South Africa. Along with many
other issues affecting Indian industry, the number of disputes raised
against India has risen to 20, ranging from prawn exports to lndia's
automobile policies. For example, lndia's insistence that at least some
parts for automobiles have to be made locally are considered violative
of
WTO norms. Two way traffic While disputes over India not amending its
Patent Law to be consistent with Sec. 70.8 and 70.9 of Trade Related
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) have been largely settled with
Parliament passing the Patent Amendment Bill, several others are still
pending with the European Union and the U.S. In general, what needs to
be
emphasised is that if the WTO is to be credible, it needs to ensure that
market access is a two-way traffic with equal opportunities for
developing
and developed countries. Apart from manufactured goods, the differential
treatment provisions for developing countries embodied in the WTO
should be
extended to the services sector where developing countries like India
have
major advantages. The justifiable concern of the developing countries is
that the international trade regime monitored and policed by the WTO
will
be effective and advantageous for them only to the extent of the
developed
countries' political and economic will to support their growth and
development. Increased market access can lead to deceleration of
investments in developing countries thereby widening the gap between
them
and the developed economies. Yet another obvious fact is that countries
like U.S. have not revoked many of their provisions to penalise their
trading partners when their domestic economy is affected. Special and
Super
301 provisions under the U.S. Trade Act are two examples of unilateral
action within a professed multilateral system. Problems of the WTO also
relate to those between two major trade partners - the U.S. and the
European Union. With the trade between them exceeding $400 billion
annually, acceptance of the WTO regime unconditionally by these powers
is
crucial for the effective functioning of the organisation. Ever since
the
inception of the world body, disputes have arisen on a number of basic
issues between these two, the most notable and publicised disputes being
the trade in bananas, hormone-treated beef, genetically modified foods
in
general, noisy airplanes, European subsidies for Airbus and geographical
indication dispute on the labelling of Californian wines as Champagne.
The
U.S. strategy has been to impose tariffs whenever it felt that unfair
practices affect its domestic industries and then let the WTO rule under
the dispute settlement provisions. Thus, while the U.S. threatened to
impose levies on over $520 million of imports from Europe to retaliate
against its banana import policies, the WTO fixed the sanctions at $191
million. Similarly, the U.S. is planning to impose sanctions worth $300
million if Europe does not lift its ban on import of hormone-treated
beef.
The battle cry on this issue is loud and clear with Europe in turn
wanting
to ban all American beef unless they are proved to be hormone-free.
Japanese steel makers dispute the ruling by the U.S. Commerce Department
that Japan was dumping hot-rolled steel in the U.S. market. To what
extent
the WTO will be able to settle these disputes between the trading
giants in
a manner acceptable to both parties and in the event, one of the
parties is
aggrieved, what course it will take, remains to be seen. The
credibility of
the system will depend on the ultimate outcome on these major disputes.
China's entry It is paradoxical that even though 134 countries are
members
of the WTO, China, the eighth largest exporting country after the U.S.,
Germany, Japan, France, Britain, Italy and Canada, with exports worth
$180
billion (together with Hong Kong $353 billion) has not been admitted to
the
WTO. According to the rules governing entry, major trading partners of
the
country in question have to approve its entry. In the case of China, the
U.S. is its largest trading partner, and therefore, China needs U.S.
approval for its entry. The U.S.-China relationship has always been
complex
with the corporate world ever so eager to set up base in China, as major
supply points even for the U.S. markets. In the field of electronic and
electrical goods and various commodity items, the U.S. market is flooded
with Chinese products. Four plants in China are producing toys for
Mattel,
the world's largest toy manufacturer. Tens of thousands of Barbie and
other
branded dolls are made in China. As against this, the U.S. Government
believes that, with balance in trade between the U.S. and China very
much
in favour of the latter, unless more concessions are available for U.S.
companies to gain market access to China, the U.S. economy, through
bilateral trade, will be seriously affected. It is against this
background
that China's attempt for the last 13 years to join the WTO or its
earlier
version, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), has been
thwarted by the U.S. The Chinese Premier, Mr. Zhu Rongji, during his
recent
visit to the U.S., assured that several major concessions had already
been
granted to the U.S. that should make it possible for China to gain entry
into the WTO. For example, China insists that it has cleared the way for
export of U.S. wheat and citrus fruits, allows 25 to 30 per cent equity
holding for foreign companies in the Chinese telecommunication industry
and
has opened up further the insurance sector for foreign companies. The
U.S.
still feels that these concessions have not gone far enough to justify
early entry of China in the WTO. On the financial sector, the U.S. does
not
want China to devalue its currency to create new export opportunities
for
its industries and further upset the trade deficit. NATO activities
against
Yugoslavia and the recent bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade
have
further complicated pending issues even though there is a general
feeling
that separating politics from trade matters will be advantageous to both
parties. In the recent trade talks organised by Japan's Ministry of
International Trade and Industry (MITI) between the U.S., Japan,
European
Union and Canada in Tokyo, China's admission was on the top of the
agenda.
The Pacific Economic Co-operation Council (PECC), consisting of business
leaders, government officials and academics that report to the Asian
Pacific Economic Co-operation Forum (APEC), declared that China's
membership of the WTO is critical to sustain recovery and growth in the
Asia-Pacific region. What then are the credibility problems? Unlike in
the
case of the IMF, the World Bank and the International Court of Justice,
world trade is far too close to the political systems and economic well
being of countries. One of the cardinal objectives of setting up the new
body was to ensure that protectionism, which is counter to free trade,
will
be minimised. However, when countries differ so widely not only in their
economic status but also in their labour, service and environmental
standards, attempts at harmonisation become perilous. The frame of
reference and the rules for member countries thus will need to be
re-evaluated taking all these aspects into consideration. Second, the
WTO
today is largely reactive rather than pro-active, which means that much
of
its time and energy are devoted to settlement of disputes rather than
their
avoidance. Third, rulings of W'TO have not only to be fair but have
also to
be seen as fair by all members and once they are made, have to be
implicitly complied with by all including the U.S. and the EU. Fourth,
consensus, which is the preferred route for administrative changes,
seems
to be running into rough weather as in the case of nomination of the new
head. Fifth, the timing of the coming into being of WTO in retrospect
looks
to have been jinxed. As many developing countries went through a
financial
crisis and serious unemployment problems, further liberalisation of
domestic policies as required by the WTO is deemed to have disastrous
consequences. Sixth, some of the world's leading countries like China
are
yet to be admitted to the WTO. Finally, the organisation has problems of
managing its affairs due to lack of adequate and appropriate skilled
manpower and even financial resources. It has been stated that the
annual
budget for WTO today is only $80 million, equivalent to the travel
budget
of the IMF. What should be lndia's strategy'? Most countries are gearing
themselves to present their cases at the ministerial conference to be
held
in Seattle in November. Members of regional trade blocs, set up partly
as
preferential trade areas, are getting together to define their approach
and
strategies. The recent quadrilateral meeting of Japan, the U.S., the EU
and
Canada, discussed in detail all issues impinging on trade between them
and
the rest of the World. This group which commands two thirds of the world
trade wants to redefine the contours and nature of global trade. The
15-nation EU is meeting to discuss priority for a comprehensive round of
trade talks. The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), part of
APEC,
is planning to discuss the Pacific Rim's role in world trade. India,
which
is not a member of any of these powerful trading blocs, has a great
obligation to restructure its policies and evolve common interest
groups to
pursue its own goals for increased trade and economic growth. The three
segments identified as high priority areas for further negotiations at
the
proposed talks in Geneva in January 2000 are agriculture, services and
import tariffs - all three of great importance to the Indian economy.
Growth in Indian exports had shown a sharp decline in the last two
years.
In the last 12 months, exports were $34.1 billion compared to $180
billion
from China, $119 billion from Singapore, $71.6 billion from Malaysia and
$52.4 billion from Indonesia. It is imperative that all issues connected
with trade in items, where India has inherent advantages to produce and
market, should be studied in detail for ensuring meaningful pro-active
negotiations at the summit in Seattle and at the next round of trade
talks
in Geneva.
M. D. Nair
WALL STREET JOURNAL, FRONT PAGE
Friday, April 23, 1999, Front Page, Washington Wire
"Seattle is Bracing for Protestors at a Trade Meeting in November"
Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Sierra Club plan big showings
at a World Trade Organization gathering to protest environmental harm
from globalization. Steelworkers hope to turn out 50,000 people to
protest labor disparities. The Web Site of activists group Public
Citizen says: "Mobilization on Globalization. If you oppose the WTO,
you must go to Seattle."
Seattle's City Council takes a stand on treaty talks, voting to make
the city a global-investment-treaty-free zone. China could be a new
WTO member at the November round of global talks. Americans, by 60% to
26%, think China joining the WTO would have a major impact on the U.S.
economy.
Planners picked Seattle partly because of its experience with
environmental protestors; "It's going to be like Chicago '68," says one
trade lobbyist.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT ORGANIZATIONS ARE ACTIVE ON TRADE ISSUES? (INCOMPLETE LIST, MORE TO COME!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PUBLIC CITIZEN'S GLOBAL TRADE WATCH
Global Trade Watch is the Public Citizen division that fights for
international trade and investment policies promoting government and
corporate accountability, consumer health and safety, and environmental
protection through research, lobbying, public education and the media.
Global Trade Watch is on the cutting edge of research and advocacy in
the field of international trade and investment. Public Citizen is a
national consumer and environmental organization founded by Ralph Nader
in 1971.
To contact Global Trade Watch, visit their website at
http://www.tradewatch.org, or email: gtwinfo at citizen.org
The GTW website contains many valuable links on issues such as: The
Multilateral Agreement on Investments (MAI), The North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Trade and the Environment, and many more.
THIRD WORLD NETWORK
The Third World Network is an independent non-profit international
network of organizations and individuals involved in issues relating to
development, the Third World and North- South issues. Its objectives
are to conduct research on economic, social and environmental issues
pertaining to the South; to publish books and magazines; to organize
and participate in seminars; and to provide a platform representingly
broadly Southern interests and perspectives at international fora such
as the UN conferences and processes.
Its recent and current activities include: the publication of the daily
SUNS (South - North Develoment Monitor) bulletin from Geneva,
Switzerland, the fortnightly Third World Economics and the monthly
Third World Resurgence; the publication of Third World Network
Features; the publication of books on environment and economic issues;
the organizing of various seminars and workshops; and participation in
international processes such as UNCED and the World Bank - NGO
Committee. The TWN also has a collaborative relationship with the South
Centre in Geneva, and has been invited to participate in the Non-
Aligned Movement's Expert Group on Third World debt.
Contact address: Third World Network, 228 Macalister Road, 10400
Penang,Malaysia.
Telephone: 60-4-2266728/2266159 Fax: 60-4-2264505
E-mail:twn at igc.apc.org, twnpen at twn.po.my URL:
http://www.southbound.com.my/souths/twn/twn.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
ARTICLES ON TRADE/WTO
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHY DEMOCRATIZE THE GLOBAL ECONOMY?
>From the New Economy Information Service, http://www.newecon.org
A central feature of the global economy is increasingly mobile capital.
To attract it, governments, like companies, can adopt "high road"
competitive strategies to improve infrastructure, expand workforce
training and education, increase transparency, simplify regulations,
reduce corruption, safeguard a free press, and guarantee the rule of
law. Or they can take the "low road" and lower labor standards, reduce
public spending through cuts in education and health, take bribes, do
favors for cronies, take on unsustainable debt, subsidize industries
with political connections, and hide unpleasant financial statistics.
There is evidence that democracy, especially in the more developed
countries, encourages high-road strategies that result in greater
prosperity. National institutions have developed to regulate market
competition and mitigate its social disruption. At the global level,
however, few such institutions exist. As a result, pressures on
governments to abandon high-road strategies have increased.
The current system of international trade and investment appears
increasingly difficult to sustain politically. The world economic
crisis and the human havoc that it has wrought, as well as the
continuing insecurity about jobs and income inequality in this country,
have created a backlash against globalization.
Can a new consensus be crafted based on a democratic framework of rules
for the global economy that balances the needs of commerce with the
quest for democracy, workers' rights, and religious freedom?
This section of NEIS considers several mechanisms for democratizing the
global economy, including:
A non-protectionist enforcement mechanism to ensure that
internationally recognized core worker rights and environmental
protections are not undermined by unfair trade and investment
practices.
An international financial mechanism to discourage short term capital
flight and currency speculation, and encourage long-term productive
investment.
Conditioning aid and international loans on respect for worker rights.
The use of economic sanctions to further democracy, respect for human
rights and religious freedom.
Use of independent monitoring of corporate codes of conduct.
One difficulty is that large, international public institutions may
themselves undermine democracy if they are excessively bureaucratic and
remote, making their decisions removed from the public eye. Their
development must therefore go hand in hand with a flowering of global
civil society -- a proliferation of cross-border NGOs, environmental
groups, trade unions, and independent media which have access to
information and can monitor the conduct of multinational bodies, be
they corporations or public institutions.
Another difficulty arises when decisions of international institutions
are subject to veto by countries that are themselves undemocratic. Can
such institutions be structured in ways that ensure control by
democratic governments while allowing economic sanctions and incentives
to be used to foster the democratization of the world's remaining
dictatorships?
The transition to a more democratic system of global economic
governance will be long and difficult. One way to start building is
through the Transatlantic community, where all the countries are
democratic and roughly at the same level of development, thereby
lessening fears that such mechanisms can be misused for protectionist
purposes. The recent election of social democratic governments in major
European countries provides a window of opportunity for creating a
viable Third Way for the global economy.
WTO AGREEMENTS: IMPLICATIONS AND IMBALANCES
By Bhagirath Lal Das
This paper, by the former Director of UNCTAD's Trade Programmes,
provides a critique of some of the imbalances existing in the Uruguay
Round agreements, for the South countries. He argues that since these
agreements were targetted to obtain commitments and concessions from
the South, severe imbalances with adverse effects have resulted for the
South. Thus, the South should aim to correct these imbalances and allow
the WTO system to work for them.
Read the full text of the article at:
http://www.southbound.com.my/souths/twn/title/imp-cn.htm
WHAT'S AT STAKE? KEY ENVIRONMENT ISSUES IN THE UPCOMING WTO NEGOTIATIONS
What's At Stake? Key Environment Issues in the Upcoming WTO
Negotiations Discussion Paper Prepared for the IFA meeting, Cuernavaca,
Mexico February 4, 1999 ------------------------------------ The
following topics are major environment and health items currently being
debated in the run-up to the World Trade Organization ministerial.
Forestry
The United States government has proposed that a zero-tariff forestry
and
wood products agreement get completed for signing at the Ministerial
meeting in November in Seattle. This agreement is designed to greatly
accelerate the importing and exporting of logs and other timber products
and would be counter to current efforts to both protect the forests as
eco-systems and to control climate change.
Marine Conservation
A small group of nations has proposed that fishing issues become part of
the WTO negotiations in November. At the same time, recent rulings by
the
WTO on the US Marine Mammal Protection Act, including the overturn of
U.S.
rules designed to protect dolphins and sea turtles, are likely to become
the basis for more strict limits on the rights of countries, including
the
US, to use domestic laws to protect marine life.
Climate Change & Greenhouse Gas Emissions
One result of the Uruguay Round agreement is a significant increase in
the
emission of climate changing gases due to increasing importing and
exporting and due to the increasingly energy intensive production
practices
in agriculture and other sectors that have occurred as a result of the
GATT/WTO. There are new proposals to alter WTO trade rules to encourage
changes in the farming and food systems to reduce greenhouse gases
emissions. In addition, many groups are calling for formal recognition
by
the WTO that Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), like the
Montreal Protocol or the Convention on Biodiversity, cannot be
compromised
in any way by trade rules or trade practices.
================================
How to Use this Mailing List
================================
You received this e-mail as a result of your registration on the road_to_seattle mailing list.
To unsubscribe, please send an email to listserv at iatp.org. In the body of the message type:
unsubscribe road_to_seattle
To post messages, send email to road_to_seattle at iatp.org.
For a list of other commands and list options, please send email to listserv at iatp.org.
In the body of the message type:
help
For other questions email support at iatp.org
More information about the Asia-apec
mailing list