[asia-apec 956] GATT Watchdog on APEC and 50th Anniversary

[Gatt Watchdog]

Media Release for Immediate Use
8 December 1998

New Zealand grandstanding on Universal Declaration of Human Rights 50th
anniversary hypocritical

New Zealand Government attempts to make political mileage out of the 50th
anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are highly
hypocritical and unconvincing says fair trade coalition GATT Watchdog. Prime
Minister Jenny Shipley and Foreign Affairs Minister Don McKinnon will both
speak at events in Wellington related to the anniversary on Thursday
afternoon (10 December).

"Here we have a government that is one of the most ardent advocates of a
global framework of economic policymaking which subordinates people's needs to
the narrow economic goals of achieving open trade and investment and higher
rates of economic growth. It will shortly take over the chair of APEC, a forum
which excludes from consideration the non-economic consequences for poverty,
Indigenous Peoples, human rights, employment or the environment unless they
are redefined in trade-related terms.  The government's grandstanding on
human rights can have no credibility given that it endorses such an unsound
forum for economic policy-making like APEC which actively delinks the
economic programme which it advocates from its effects," says GATT Watchdog
spokesperson, Aziz Choudry.

"The desire to impose a single market-driven, export-oriented model of
development on the Asia Pacific is in itself a gross violation of fundamental
human and democratic rights.  Especially at a time when the economic crisis
continues to devastate millions of people's lives throughout the region.  The
package of reforms which APEC promotes attacks the right to self-determination
and the right of peoples to choose and participate in the kind of development
which they want." 

"Human rights abuses frequently accompany free trade.  Foreign and domestic
investors seek minimal barriers to the exploitation of people and resources.
The rush to become "internationally competitive" almost inevitably dictates
the deregulation of labour markets, a lower standard of health and safety
requirements, the erosion or elimination of minimum wages and conditions,
lack of job security, and cuts to public sector spending in areas like health,
education, housing and welfare.  We've seen that right here in New Zealand -
and it's happening across the region," he said.

"In recent years, New Zealand, along with governments of other APEC economies,
has participated in intergovernmental conferences including the rights of the
child (New York), the environment (Rio),  human rights (Vienna), population
and development (Cairo), social development (Copenhagen) and women (Beijing).
But the consequences of the form of economic and trade liberalisation which
APEC promotes violate the fundamental rights to which they agreed."

"If the government was really sincere about human rights, a good start would
be for it to cancel next year's APEC circus and initiate a full and open
discussion on the economic and non-economic costs and benefits of the APEC
model.  Given that this seems unlikely, we can be sure that APEC 1999 will
continue the tradition of human rights violations which have accompanied every
APEC Summit by security forces trained to suppress domestic dissent and ensure
that overseas delegations are spared political embarrassment."

"What kind of commitment to basic human rights is reflected in the
government's priorities in putting at least $45 million into hosting APEC 1999
when health and education, welfare and housing continue to be chronically
underfunded?" 

For further comment, contact Aziz Choudry, GATT Watchdog ph (03) 3662803