8 RP groups join call vs WTO expansion

30 March, 2007

GMANews.TV

At least 61 non-government organizations, including eight from the Philippines, asked the United States Congress to block the expansion of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

IBON Foundation, one of the Philippine groups, said the 61 groups addressed their appeal to the Democratic Party, which recently became the majority party in the US Congress.

"We are unified in our commitment to an entirely new vision and policy for multilateral trade that would benefit, rather than damage, the world's workers, farmers, environment, and future development potential," the groups said in their letter to be sent to members of the US Congress.

"Therefore, we urge you to reject pressure by U.S. corporate giants and other WTO proponents to renew Fast Track for WTO negotiations," the groups added.

The groups asked said they were heartened that US Democrats are talking about a new direction on trade policy, which they said must include rejection of expanding the WTO.

According to them, the past 12 years of living with the results of WTO policies have resulted in worsening economic conditions for the majority.

"The number and percentage of people living on less than $1 a day in regions with some of the worst forms of poverty � Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East � have increased since the WTO began operating while the number and percentage of people living on less than $2 a day has increased at the same time in these regions, as well as in Latin America and the Caribbean," they said.

On the other hand, they cited projections by the World Bank, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) and Tufts University that the Doha Round would result in net losses for the vast majority of developing countries.

The most likely Doha scenario the World Bank reviewed would yield benefits of only $16 billion for developing countries by 2015 � less than one cent per person per day to the developing world.

Worse, the research revealed under the "likely" Doha scenario, the Middle East, Bangladesh, almost all of Africa and (notably) Mexico would actually face net losses.

"While the majority would lose, according to these studies, the meager gains would be concentrated in the largest developing countries, such as China, Brazil and India," they said.

"There are severe problems for developing countries with all three of the principle areas of negotiation in the Doha Round: agriculture, non-agricultural market access (NAMA) and services," they added.

On the other hand, they said agriculture trade rules have undermined the livelihood needs of hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide.

"WTO agriculture rules promote overproduction while simultaneously not disciplining dumping of agriculture products by trading companies using the Uruguay Round's removal of many countries' supply management systems, " the groups said.

They said overproduction and the dumping of agricultural exports bought by agribusiness giants � often for less than the cost of production in the United States and Europe � continues to drive down world prices for crops that the poor depend on, such as cotton, maize, rice, poultry, dairy, and sugar.

"This is having a devastating effect on local livelihoods, as small family farmers and agricultural workers have been pushed out of the market, and often become displaced and further impoverished as they lose their land," they said.

As for service sector privatization and deregulation, the groups said this is also anti-development.

"The US Congress can take a key step towards restoring the standing of the United States as a true multilateral leader in the international community. We urge you to reject pressure to renew Fast Track for the WTO, and instead work together with your trading partners and global civil society for a new multilateral trade system that benefits all of us," they said.

The eight Philippine groups that signed the petition are the following: Alliance of Progressive Labor; Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM), Inc.; Board of Church and Society-Southwest Philippines Annual Conference and Manila Episcopal Area Innovative Ministries Partnership -The United Methodist Church; Caucus Philippines � United Methodists ; Focus on the Global South (India, Thailand, Philippines); Food Sovereignty Watch Mindanao; IBON Foundation; and Stop the New Round Coalition.

Also signing the petition were ActionAid International (International); Africa Trade Network (Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, DRC, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe); African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD, South Africa); African Forum on Alternatives (Senegal); Albertine Rift Conservation Society (Uganda);

Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Vruthidarula Union (A Federation of Agricultural Workers and Marginal Farmers Unions, India); Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM, Hong Kong); ATTAC Argentina (Argentina); Bangladesh Krishok Federation (Bangladesh); Bharat Krishak Samaj (India);

Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA, Caribbean); Centre for Family Services (Sri Lanka); Coalition for Reconciliation, Transparency and Citizenship (Angola); ConsumersKorea (South Korea); Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN, Nigeria);

EcoNews Africa (Kenya); Economic Justice and Development Organization (EJAD, Pakistan); Economic Justice Coalition (Mozambique); Education and Research Association for Consumers (Malaysia); Equations (India);

Federation of Independent Trade Unions and NGOs (FITUN, Trinidad and Tobago); Federation of Indonesian Peasant Union (FSPI, Indonesia); Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA, Malaysia); FTA Watch (Thailand); Gender & Trade Network in Africa;

Ghana Trade and Livelihood Coalition (GTLC); Humanitarian Group For Social Development (HGSD, Lebanon); Institute for Global Justice (Indonesia); Jubilee 2000 Angola; Labor, Health, and Human Rights Development Centre (LHAHRDEV, Nigeria);

Lake Victoria NGOs Advocacy Network (East Africa); Lokoj Institute (Bangladesh); Mesa Global (Guatemala); Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform (MONLAR, Sri Lanka); Mwelekeo waNGO (Zimbabwe);

Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS, Nigeria); National Fisheries Solidarity Movement (Sri Lanka); Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum; Savisthri Women's Network (Sri Lanka); SEND Foundation of West Africa (Ghana);

Solidarity Africa Network (Kenya); South Asian Network for Social & Agricultural Development (SANSAD, India); South East Asian Council for Food Security and Fair Trade (SEACON, Malaysia); Southern and Eastern African Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda); Sustainability Watch Network, International Network Secretariat (Uganda);

Sustainable Agriculture Action Group (SAAG) Network (Pakistan); Third World Network Africa (Ghana); Trade Strategy Group (South Africa); Uganda Fisheries and Fish Conservation Association (UFFCA); United Federation of Labour (Sri Lanka); Women's Action for Social Justice (Sri Lanka);

World Forum of Fisher Peoples, Sri Lanka; Worldview � the Gambia; World Forum of Fisher Peoples (28 countries); Youth Development Forum (YODEFO, Uganda).