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Contents
- What’s up with the negotiations?
- What you can do!
- Suggested text for a letter
- For more information…
- Bulletin insert for use in your church services
Global leaders are gearing up for the WTO (World Trade Organization) Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong December 13th - 18th, 2005.
Northern governments like the US, the EU (European Union), and
Canada are warning that they do not want the trade talks to collapse,
as happened in Cancun in 2003. It looks like they will do everything
in their power to make sure a deal is struck in Hong Kong, even
if it is a bad deal.
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What’s up with the negotiations? |
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In 2001 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreed to ensure that trade addresses the development needs of the world’s poorest countries in a new round of negotiations called the Doha Development Agenda. What’s clear today is that this commitment has all but fallen off the agenda. Instead, negotiations are going forward on a number of different areas in an attempt to avoid a global stalemate.
The Agriculture negotiations, with their deep contradictions, remain at the centre of the current stalemate. Emerging middle countries, tired of being pushed to open up their markets, have begun to challenge the North. However, unless the deal includes addressing development needs and allows for policy flexibility for the Global South, the inherent injustices of how global trade works won’t be addressed. Southern countries need to have the ability to decide how and when to open up their markets and they need to have the right to safeguard local markets, which provide an affordable, reliable, and healthy source of food.
On the issue of services, countries of the North are pressuring the Global South to open up essential services to privatization. The latest tactic includes suggesting a ‘benchmarks’ proposal that would have all countries open up a certain level of services to foreign service providers. This could even end up negatively impacting countries like Canada that have previously excluded certain services from negotiations.
Canada is also aggressively pushing for the liberalization of
industrial products in the Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA)
negotiations. For many countries in the Global South, their domestic
industrial base is one of the few ways in which they can generate
desperately needed tax revenue to support social services. Under
NAMA, once powerful foreign corporations enter the scene, that revenue
will be likely wiped out.
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What You Can Do! |
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- Write to the Minister of Trade and the Minister of Agriculture.
Any pretence of truly addressing development needs has fallen
off the trade agenda. Trade talks continue to be dominated by
a handful of countries, far from citizen scrutiny, with commercial
self-interest overriding everything else.
In reality, if a deal is struck, most in the Global South will come out worse off after these talks: millions of small scale farmers, mainly poor women, will lose their earnings as multinational agri-business corporations continue taking over local markets. Workers will face lay-offs as local firms are forced to compete with global corporate giants. Essential services like water may be privatized leading to user fees that people simply cannot afford.
Through the Make Poverty History Campaign you can participate in a global lobby calling on governments across the world to stop negotiating unjust trade deals.
Write to Canada’s International Trade Minister Jim Peterson (Peterson.J ) and Agriculture Minister Andy Mitchell ( Mitchell.A ). Tell them you expect Canada to stand for just trade. Tell them Canada must refuse to sign any agreement that doesn’t. Please send your email letter before December 13th.
:: Suggested Text
Dear Minister Peterson and Minister Mitchell:
International trade must contribute to the fight against hunger and poverty.
But trade rules are pitting poor farmers around the world in a losing battle with subsidized crops that are dumped by big agri-business on their local markets. Meanwhile, current WTO negotiations are set to deny poor countries the basic tools they need to protect small farmers, jobs and the environment.
I expect Canada to do all it can to ensure trade justice. Canada must only sign a deal in Hong Kong if it supports:
The Power to Choose: Developing countries must have the ability to manage local markets and exports to support small farmers and local industry – an ability that Canada already enjoys.
An End to Dumping: Those that continue to dump must face penalties. Developing countries must be able to defend local markets from the unfair competition of dumped goods.
Access to Public Services: Governments must be able to maintain and regulate quality public services, to ensure access to water, health and education.
International trade deals have far-reaching consequences for people and the environment. Canada must also ensure:
The Democratization of Trade Talks: Trade negotiations must be made transparent and accountable to the public.
Please assure me that Canada will only sign a deal at Hong Kong that stands for development and the fight against poverty.
Sincerely,
- Uphold Just Trade and Human Rights at your church’s
December 11th service. December 10th is International Human
Rights Day. The Day marks the anniversary of the adoption of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. On the eve of these
crucial trade meetings in Hong Kong, take the time in your worship
service or congregational gatherings to pray for trade relationships
between countries that advance human rights. We have provided
you with a brief insert for your Church Bulletin and a prayer
that you can include in your service bulletin.
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For More Information.... |
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KAIROS will produce a Global Economic Justice Report on the current state of the WTO, available at the beginning of December. We will be closely monitoring developments and traveling to Hong Kong to participate in parallel civil society events including an Ecumenical Conference sponsored by the Christian Conference of Asia and the Women and Economic Globalization Conference sponsored by the World Council of Churches.
Please see the KAIROS web site for more information at: www.kairoscanada.org or subscribe to our periodic trade e-bulletin by contacting Rusa Jeremic at rjeremic .
For further worship, song or prayer ideas for December 11th check out the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) at www.e-alliance.ch. KAIROS is a member of the EAA.
For information on the Canadian component of the global Make Poverty
History campaign: www.makepovertyhistory.ca.
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Bulletin Insert for use in your church services |
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KAIROS Action on The WTO!
December 10th is International Human Rights Day. Global leaders are meeting at the World Trade Organization Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong from December 13th to 18th. As part of the “Make Poverty History” campaign, KAIROS (the churches’ ecumenical social justice organization) is calling on our government to refuse to sign any trade deal in Hong Kong that doesn’t give countries the power to choose their own development path, including the ability to safeguard local markets that provide an affordable, reliable, and healthy source of food, maintain public services like health and education and make trade negotiations transparent and accountable.
What can you do?
- Pray for Trade Relationships that advance Human Rights:
I dare to pray: Lord, let the world be changed,
for I long to see the end of poverty;
I dare to pray: Lord, let the structures be changed,
for I long to see just trade for all;
I dare to pray: Lord, let my life be changed,
for I long to bring hope where good news is needed.
In the strength of your Spirit
and inspired by Your compassion,
I make this promise to work for change,
and wait confidently for the day
when You make all things new. Amen
(Adapted from a prayer by P. Graystone)
- Write a letter to the government expressing your hopes for
just trade for all.
Go to www.kairoscanada.org to find out how you can participate.
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