[asia-apec 1066] STATEMENT FROM MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY OPPOSING A MILLENNIUM ROUND OF TRADE NEGOTIATIONS (fwd)

[PAN Asia Pacific]

>In November 1999 governments plan to meet in Seattle for the World Trade
>Organization's (WTO) Third Ministerial Meeting. A number of those
>governments, including those in the European Union, Japan and Canada, are
>already calling for a further Millennium Round of trade liberalisation
>negotiations to be launched at that meeting, in addition to any
>negotiations and reviews already mandated as part of the WTO's "built-in
>agenda". The general impression given is that there is no alternative and
>that a Millennium Round will go ahead.
>
>The groups that have signed the following statement reject this approach.
>Many members of civil society and many governments are opposed to a new and
>comprehensive round of trade negotiations. There has been no review of the
>social or environmental impacts of the Uruguay Round and many developing
>countries find themselves unable to consider any further commitments at
>present. In addition, the WTO process continues to promote trade
>liberalisation at the expense of society and the environment and remains
>firmly weighted in favour of stronger economies.
>
>The members of civil society that have signed this statement believe that a
>halt should be called to the liberalisation process and that a review of
>the process, its benefits and its beneficiaries should be carried out. We
>call on other non-governmental organisations to join this call to reject
>the Millennium Round proposal. Please sign, discuss and circulate the
>attached statement to colleagues and civil society networks and communicate
>its contents to media and governments as you see fit.
>
>All sign-ons should be sent to ronnieh at foe.co.uk as soon as possible. There
>is no deadline for signing, but intergovernmental negotiations concerning
>the Millennium Round are ongoing and we need to build up the list of
>signatories as soon as possible. The name of the organisation should be
>written in full exactly as signatories wish it to appear. Texts with an
>updated sign-on list will be sent to all signatories at regular intervals.
>If you need an updated list for a specific event, your request should also
>be sent to ronnieh at foe.co.uk
>
>
>STATEMENT FROM MEMBERS OF INTERNATIONAL CIVIL SOCIETY OPPOSING A MILLENNIUM
>ROUND OF TRADE NEGOTIATIONS
>
>In November 1999, the governments of the world will meet in Seattle for the
>World Trade Organization's Third Ministerial Conference. We, the
>undersigned members of international civil society, oppose any effort to
>expand the powers of the World Trade Organization (WTO) through a new
>comprehensive round of trade liberalisation. Instead, governments should
>review and rectify the deficiencies of the system and the WTO regime
itself.
>
>The Uruguay Round Agreements and the establishment of the WTO were
>proclaimed as a means of enhancing the creation of global wealth and
>prosperity and promoting the well-being of all people in all member states.
>In reality however, in the past five years the WTO has contributed to the
>concentration of wealth in the hands of the rich few; increasing poverty
>for the majority of the world's population; and unsustainable patterns of
>production and consumption.
>
>The Uruguay Round Agreements have functioned principally to prise open
>markets for the benefit of transnational corporations at the expense of
>national economies; workers, farmers and other people; and the environment.
>In addition, the WTO system, rules and procedures are undemocratic,
>untransparent and non-accountable and have operated to marginalise the
>majority of the world's people.
>
>All this has taken place in the context of increasing global economic
>instability, the collapse of national economies, increasing inequity both
>between and within nations and increasing environmental and social
>degradation, as a result of the acceleration of the process of
globalisation.
>
>The governments which dominate the WTO and the transnational corporations
>which have benefited from the WTO system have refused to recognise and
>address these problems. Instead, they are pushing for further
>liberalisation through the introduction of new issues for adoption in the
>WTO. This will lead to the exacerbation of the crisis associated which the
>process of globalisation and the WTO.
>
>We oppose any further liberalisation negotiations, especially those which
>will bring new areas under the WTO regime, such as investment, competition
>policy and government procurement. We commit ourselves to campaign to
>reject any such proposals. In particular we oppose the Trade Related
>Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPs).
>
>We call for a moratorium on any new issues or further negotiations that
>expand the scope and power of the WTO.
>
>During this moratorium there should be a comprehensive and in-depth review
>and assessment of the existing agreements. Effective steps should then be
>taken to change the agreements. Such a review should address the WTO's
>impact on marginalised communities, development, democracy, environment,
>health, human rights, labour rights and the rights of women and children.
>The review must be conducted with civil society's full participation.
>
>The failure of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's
>Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) demonstrates broad public
>opposition to the deregulation of the global economy, the increasing
>dominance of transnational corporations and escalating resource use and
>environmental degradation.
>
>A review of the system will provide an opportunity for society to change
>course and develop an alternative, humane and sustainable international
>system of trade and investment relations.
>
>This statement is signed by:
>
>American Lands Alliance, United States
>A SEED, Europe
>BUKO Agro Coordination, Germany
>BUND, Friends of the Earth Germany
>Church of Sweden Aid / Lutherhjaelpen, Sweden
>Corporate Europe Observatory
>Friends of the Earth England, Wales and Northern Ireland
>Friends of the Earth Finland
>Friends of the Earth United States
>Komitee Widerstandgegen das MAI, Germany
>MAI niet gezien! anti-MAI campaign, the Netherlands
>Oxfam-Solidarity, Belgium
>Oxfam-Wereldwinkels (Belgium)
>People's Forum 2001, Japan
>Play Fair Europe!, European Union
>PRESS, Save the Children youth, Norway
>Public Citizen
>Rainforest Action Network
>Red Green Alliance, Denmark
>Third World Network
>Towards a Different Europe
>Weltladen-Dachverband, Germany
>Working Group Against the MAI and Globalisation - Turkey
>
>last updated 30 March 1999
>