[E-rundbrief] Info 339 - WTO-Summit-Links, protests

Matthias Reichl mareichl at ping.at
So Dez 11 22:55:34 CET 2005


E-Rundbrief - Info 339:  Zum WTO-Summit in Hongkong einige Links zu 
Homepages; Movements unite in Hong Kong to condemn WTO text. Ten Years is 
Enough!

Bad Ischl, 11.12.2005

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

===========================================================


Zum WTO-Summit in Hongkong einige Links zu Homepages:

(Ich werde über meinen "WTO"-Verteiler wie bisher einige Informaitonen 
darus weitersenden - wer Interesse daran hat, sende ein e-mail -  an: 
mareichl @ ping.at).

http://wien.arbeiterkammer.at/www-397-IP-11327.html (Arbeiterkammer Wien/ 
AK, Ref. Globalisierung, Wien, A)

www.apmigrants.org (Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants/ APMM, Mitarbeit in 
NGO-Koordination, Hongkong)

www.focusweb.org (Focus on Global South, Bangkok, Thailand/ International, 
u.a. mit Walden Bello, Aileen Kwa, Nicola Bullard, Brett Solomon)

www.foeeurope.org (Friends of the Earth International/ FOE, Brüssel, B/ 
Internat.)

http://weblog.greenpeace.org (Greenpeace International)

www.iatp.org, www.tradeobservatory.org (Institute for Agriculture and Trade 
Policy/ IATP/ Tradeobservatory, Alexandra Strickner, Genf/ International)

www.ourworldisnotforsale.org (Our World is not for sale/ OWINFS, Brüssel, 
B/ Internation.)

www.tradewatch.org (Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, Lori M. Wallach, USA)

www.blog.rest-hinterseer.at und www.rest-hinterseer.at (Heidi 
Rest-Hinterseer, Grüne, NR-Abg., A)

www.s2bnetwork.org (Seattle to Brussels-Network, Brüssel/ International)

www.twnside.org.sg (TWN Briefings, Third World Network, Martin Khor, Singapur)

www.viacampesina.org/hongkong (Via Campesina, Bauernorganisation, 
International)

www.wto.org (WTO - offizielle Homepage)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Forderungen der Zivilgesellschaft anläßlich der WTO-Ministerkonferenz in 
Hongkong

(Gemeinsames Papier einiger zivilgesellschaftlicher Plattformen in 
Österreich- u.a. AGEZ, Agrarbündnis, Attac, KOO, Ökobüro, Umweltplattform - 
nur in .pdf-Format downloadbar)

www.oneworld.at/agez/PA_WTO_Hongkong.pdf

www.oneworld.at/agez/WTO-Forderungen%20der%20Zivilgesellschaft.pdf

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Movements unite in Hong Kong to condemn WTO text.
Ten Years is Enough!

Pascal Lamy's draft text released for the upcoming Ministerial Meeting of 
the World Trade Organization (WTO), if agreed in Hong Kong, will destroy 
the livelihoods of peasants, small farmers, landless and indigenous 
peoples, fisherfolk and workers the world over.

Where is the promise of development?

The current round of talks is called the Doha Development Round but the 
draft Ministerial text makes it clear that there is nothing developmental 
about this round. The text focuses on opening up developing country markets 
and sidelines the main demand of developing countries for special and 
differential treatment (S&D).

The so-called "development package" that Lamy is offering to 
least-developed countries (LDCs) is little more than a public relations 
stunt. While stating they will live up to promises made to LDCs on 
development, the text waters down the S&D provisions and resurrects other 
valueless provisions which were rejected 2 years ago in Cancun. Lamy tries 
to cover this up with the offer of 'Aid for Trade'. This is a ploy to 
confuse and weaken the resistance of developing countries as the program 
only goes towards building the capacity of developing countries to 
implement agreements that they were forced to accept in the first place.

"No one is fooled by Lamy's attempt to pass this off as a development 
package. Ten years of broken promises and now this". Nothing more than an 
empty and miserly package," said Mary Lou Malig of Focus on the Global South.

Development for Agri-business not for small farmers

The text on Agriculture reflects the positions of exporting countries and 
the interests of their agri-business. Despite long standing demands to cut 
their direct and indirect export subsidies, the tabled proposals are 
"paper-cuts" that do not change the status quo in favour of developing 
countries. Instead, what the EU and the US have done is reinforce the 
imbalance by expanding the Blue Box, which will allow an additional US $ 
5billion of farm support for the US and the maintenance of the 
undisciplined Green Box which the European Commission will use for its 
other subsidies.

The text also does not give any date for an end to export subsidies. Such 
subsidies, which are largely provided to the biggest producers and their 
agri-business as opposed to family farm based agriculture, will be allowed 
to continue unabated.

In return for this, developing countries are expected to fully open their 
markets through drastic tariff reduction and to cut their remaining, if 
any, domestic supports. It is impossible to see how this Agreement, which 
threatens to wipe out peasants and small farmers, can be classified as 
constituting a 'development round'.

As Henry Saragih of La Via Campesina, an international peasants and small 
farmers movement said, "This text will continue and worsen dumping. It will 
destroy peasants and small farmers livelihoods all over the world. La Via 
Campesina and other movements have launched their demand "People's Food 
Sovereignty Now!'"



Deindustrialization and loss of livelihoods

The Non-Agricultural Market Access text has been strongly criticized for 
its bias towards developed countries as it completely glosses over the wide 
opposition from least developed and developing countries to the proposals.

The text is a threat to developing countries as the draconian formulas 
proposed threaten to wipe out their industries and remove any future policy 
space to determine their own development priorities. Proposals put forward 
by Caribbean and African delegates have been ignored or sidelined in the 
draft Ministerial text.

As Daniel Canada of Kilusang Mangingisda and Southeast Asia Fisheries Trade 
for Justice network states, "The NAMA prescription of blanket trade 
liberalization, contrary to the aims set forth in the Doha Ministerial, is 
a disastrous recipe for food insecurity and the loss of livelihoods of 
small scale, artisanal fishers and communities."

The take-over of services

Of all the proposals, however, the services text proves to be the greatest 
threat of all. It not only glosses over the opposition to this text, it has 
completely ignored any of the developing countries strong refusals to it. 
If endorsed, negotiations in services will be intensified along the path of 
the "plurilateral approach" which subverts the original flexibilities of 
the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS). Countries will no longer 
be able to choose which sectors and how fast they will be liberalized but 
rather they will be all but forced to enter into sectoral negotiations and 
give foreign companies equal rights to local suppliers.

"This will be a take-over by transnational corporations of our services, 
severely limiting access to it to those who can afford it" states Rex 
Varona of Asian Migrant Center.

Movements unite in opposition

Movements are one in voicing their opposition to this threat to the world's 
peoples and are intensifying their struggle in order to prevent this deal 
from going through in the coming WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong this December.

"The Ministerial text is not representative of all Members countries of the 
WTO. We can see that the organization is once again in internal crisis. We 
are demanding an end to the WTO!" said Revitriyoso Husodo from the 
Institute of Global Justice.

"Movements from all over the world will be coming here to Hong Kong, and 
flooding the capitals of their own countries, to ensure that there is no 
deal in Hong Kong," said Kwok Kam Lam of the HKCTU.

------------------------------------------------------------------

The conference was held in response to the release of  Lamy's text on Dec. 
1st - and focused on a range of issues relating to services, NAMA, 
agriculture and the so-called 'development package'. It was also billed as 
an opportunity for the media to meet with NGOs and social movements who 
have already arrived in Hong Kong.

Speakers included:
Indra Lubis, La Via Campesina
Daniel Canada, Kilusang Mangingisda (Fisherfolk Movement) and Southeast 
Asia Fisherfolk Movement
Mia Sumiati, the Hong Kong Coalition of Indonesian Migrant Workers 
Organizations / KOTKIHO
Kwok Kam Lam, Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions
Mary Lou Malig, Focus on the Global South
Rex Varona, Asian Migrant Centre

Brett Solomon
Media Officer
Focus on the Global South
www.focusweb.org

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
     Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
     Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
     Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
     fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
     Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
Spenden-Konto Nr. 0600-970305 (Blz. 20314) Sparkasse Bad Ischl, 
Geschäftsstelle Pfandl
IBAN: AT922031400600970305    BIC: SKBIAT21XXX




Mehr Informationen über die Mailingliste E-rundbrief