OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 16, 2015

OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 15, 2015

OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 16, 2015

OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 16, 2015 They raised slogans including No New Issues!! Permanent solution to food stockholding now!!

OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 16, 2015

Submitted by Manicandan on 17 December, 2015 - 07:16
OWINFS members protest at the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference, held at KICC at Nairobi, December 16, 2015

Government Procurement the Old “New Issue” at WTO Nairobi Ministerial: What is at Stake for Developing Countries?

16 December, 2015
The 10th WTO Ministerial being held in Nairobi, Kenya has become the platform for yet another battle of wills between the WTO’s developed and developing members. For the developing countries it is a battle for essential development tools such the continuation of subsidies for poor farmers to support public food programmes, or for a safeguard mechanism to protect their farmers from sudden surges in imports. For the LDCs in particular it is an attempt to get a binding and effective LDC package including on cotton trade, unlike the best endeavour deal they got in the Bali Ministerial.

Provisions likely to be proposed if SOEs (competition) are added to the WTO: Why is this relevant?

16 December, 2015
State owned enterprises (SOEs) can be used for a variety of public purposes, including economic development, industrialisation, economic management, support for local businesses, employment, regional development, social and cultural needs, and infrastructure. If SOE negotiations are added to the World Trade Organization (WTO), this is likely to restrict these SOE roles.

For Press: Trade Union & NGO Experts' Contacts for MC10 WTO Ministerial meeting in Nairobi, Kenya December 15 – 18, 2015

14 December, 2015
Please find contact information for civil society representatives in attendance at WTO MC10, working in coordination with Our World is Not For Sale (OWINFS) global network and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC).

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

14 December, 2015

Dear Members of the WTO,

As members of 460 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

9 December, 2015
As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

Switzerland’s largest city declares “Tisa-Free Zone”

6 November, 2015
Public Services International (PSI)
The city of Zurich has voted to declare itself a TISA-free zone, in a move which emphasizes a growing resistance to the secret trade talks. A proposal introduced to the Zurich Communal Council by the Green Party was passed by a firm majority and could help to establish a precedent for other regions across Europe who may hope to do the same.