International Gender and Trade Network at the WTO Ministerial in Geneva

30 Nov – 2 Dec 2009

Nothing more could attest to the failure of the neoliberal dogma than the current global crises. Pure faith in the market as the sole and most efficient allocator of resources for society has dominated all aspects of economic policy (finance, trade, investments, public services delivery) and had negative consequences on people’s lives across nations, classes, ethnicities and gender. 

As experts dissect the collapse of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Doha round of global trade talks to explain its causes and effects, many are missing how it signals a shift in the sensibilities of people everywhere to end of the era of global free trade and renew government’s rightful role in regulating commerce, especially in the critical areas of fuel, food, and finance.

Geneva -- A senior Chinese official has strongly criticized as ineffective and counterproductive to the multilateral Doha round negotiations a U.S. effort to extract more market access concessions from key countries in bilateral meetings.

http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=106985

 

 

 

THE G33 MINISTERIAL COMMUNIQUE

29 November 2009

GENEVA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Developing countries called on Sunday for a quick deal in the World Trade Organisation's Doha round of talks to help poor nations by removing unfair distortions in the global trading system. Trade ministers from Brazil, India and Indonesia issued the call after a meeting on the eve of a WTO conference in Geneva.

At the link http://www.flickr.com/photos/45107258@N06/sets/72157622773196743/ a photo from Genova about the Lovely Planet Tour, the format we adopted to raise awareness of media and citizen about how our cities are changing due to the liberalizations pushed by WTO and how we are applying concrete solutions to address those violations around the country with organic agriculture, critical consumption, reduction of emissions in productions, fair trade and so on.

The negotiations in various negotiating groups in Geneva are proceeding in a non-transparent manner. However, there are reasons to believe that India has substantially moved away from its earlier position, particularly in regard to Agriculture as well as NAMA (Non-Agricultural Market Access) and is virtually ready to accept what was dramatically rejected by the erstwhile Commerce Minister Kamal Nath less than a year ago under the UPA-I. The reasons for such a volte face are not known. The statements emanating from government spokespersons give the impression that ground is being prepared for justifying such an eventuality.

Cars Burned, Windows Broken in Protest of World Trade Meeting; Police Respond With Tear Gas, Rubber Bullets; 14 ArrestedCBS/AP)  Police with water cannon fired tear gas and rubber bullets Saturday to separate violent demonstrators from a protest opposing a meeting of top world trade officials, but the hooded "black bloc" activists were able to cause damage before 14 were arrested, spokesmen said.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,26415945-23109,00.html
Police, protesters clash ahead of WTO conference
From correspondents in Geneva
Agence France-Presse
November 29, 2009 04:55am

SWISS police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at hooded protesters who broke windows and set cars alight during a demonstration ahead of a major WTO conference in Geneva.