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Campaigners in Hong Kong to expose tyranny of free trade
With only days left before the December 13 start of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Hong Kong (China), Friends of the Earth campaigners from a dozen countries announce today their reports, seminars and activities aimed at exposing the danger that current trade negotiations pose to people and their environments around the world.
+ Published today December 8, the new report, 'The Tyranny of Free exposes the danger that current trade negotiations pose to people and their environments around the world. The report is available:
In English www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
In French www.foei.org/fr/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
In Spanish www.foei.org/esp/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
See more details below
+ Published today December 8, the key recommendations for the WTO ministerial meeting are available in the position paper 'WTO: hands off our natural environment' at http://www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/wtohandsoff.pdf
+ On December 14 campaigners will hand over to WTO director general Pascal Lamy a 'citizens' objections' to the biotech trade dispute currently under way at the WTO. This petition is signed by over 134,500 people and 740 organisations that represent 60 million people. (more details below)
+ Photo opportunity: Campaigners play 'WTOpoly' on december `13 (details below)
+ Daily news from Hong Kong in English, Spanish and Portuguese are freely available from Real World Radio, as text and as audio files http://www.realworldradio.fm and http://www.radiomundoreal.fm
+ Latest news and photos from Hong Kong online at www.foei.org/wto
+ FoEI seminars and activities list is available upon request
+ PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
WHAT: Campaigners play 'WTOpoly', a large board game (6x6 sq.metres) similar to the well-known Monopoly. The game shows transnational corporations moving around the world investing and making profits thanks to WTO policies at the expense of the impoverished and the environment.
WHEN: Tuesday 13 at 10:00-11:00 am
WHERE: Victoria park, Hong Kong
WHY: Current trade rules are made by the WTO and the governments of the richest countries dominating this secretive and undemocratic organisation. Trade barriers such as environmental and social protections are banned from the game. Impoverished, developing countries are 'jailed' in a trap.
CONTACT: Maja Göpel +852 6125 6928 (Dec. 10-19);
+ PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:
WHAT: Campaigners hand over to WTO director general Pascal Lamy a 'citizens' objections' to the biotech trade dispute currently under way at the WTO. This petition is signed by over 134,500 people and 740 organisations that represent 60 million people.
WHEN: December 14, 2005, time and details to follow
WHERE: Details to follow
WHY: The WTO often ruled that environmental, consumer and social rules are barriers to trade. Despite the fact that the majority of people do not want to eat Genetically Modified (GM) food and crops, a WTO ruling on GM is now underway and could undermine the right to choose non-GM food throughout Europe and beyond.
CONTACT: Alexandra Wandel +852 6125 7644 (Dec: 11-19). Organized by Friends of the Earth Europe. For more information: www.bite-back.org
CONTACT NUMBERS of Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) IN HONG KONG DECEMBER 11-19, 2005
FoEI Spokesperson Ronnie Hall (UK) +852 6129 0419 ronnieh@foe.co.uk
FoEI Spokesperson Alberto Villarreal (Uruguay) +852 6127 0200 comercioredes@gmail.com
FoEI Spokesperson David Waskow (US) +852 6127 8644 dwaskow@foe.org
FoEI Spokesperson Meena Raman (Malaysia) +852 6129 0032 meenaco@pd.jaring.my
FoE Europe Alexandra Wandel, +852 6125 7644 alexandra.wandel@foeeurope.org
FoEI media line +852 6129 0576 media@foei.org
Other Friends of the Earth (FoE) spokespeople
IN HONG KONG DECEMBER 11-19, 2005
FoE Australia Damian Sullivan +852 6128 8546 damian.sullivan@foe.org.au
FoE Germany Maja Göpel +852 6125 6928 maja.goepel@gmail.com
FoE Togo Mensah Todzro +852 6121 2809 adt-togo@cafe.tg
FoE Haiti Aldrin Callixte +852 6125 3991 youkac@hotmail.com
FoE Indonesia P Raja Siregar +852 6124 0362 radja@walhi.or.id
FoE Mauritius Rajen Atowar +852 6125 0023 maudesco@intnet.mu
FoE Norway Andreas Kokvoll +852 6124 7172 andreaskt@nu.no
FoE Philippines Lodel Magbanua +852 6129 0884 lodelm@yahoo.com
FoE Switzerland Sonja Ribi +852 6124 4975 sonja.ribi@pronatura.ch
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Tyranny of free trade exposed in new report
BRUSSELS (BELGIUM) / WASHINGTON DC (US) December 5, 2005 - Only a few days before the December 13 start of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Hong Kong (China), a new report exposes the danger that current trade negotiations pose to people and their environments around the world.
The report is available:
In English www.foei.org/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
In French www.foei.org/fr/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
In Spanish www.foei.org/esp/publications/pdfs/tyranny.pdf
'The Tyranny of Free Trade', released on December 8, 2005, was produced by Friends of the Earth International, the world's largest grassroots environmental federation [1].
Through a series of a dozen case studies from Denmark to Indonesia, the report highlights the environmental and social impacts that current 'free' trade policies have in essential areas including forests, fisheries, food, minerals, water and biodiversity.
The new 36-page report asserts that. intensive agricultural practices and liberalized international trade are leading to social disruption, environmental damage and even hunger, particularly in developing countries. Furthermore, small-scale farmers are particularly vulnerable to market opening pressures and often forced from their land when it is converted to plantations or planted with crops for export.
Examples from the Philippines, Indonesia and the Seychelles support the assertion that the 40 million small-scale fishers who depend on the ocean's resources to feed their families could be out-competed if the WTO cuts tariffs in fisheries as proposed. Trade measures used to protect small-scale fisher folk, including in developing countries, would have to be removed.
"The myth of unfettered free trade as a solution to poverty needs to be exploded. Regional and bilateral trade agreements running in parallel are as untransparent and as harmful as the WTO," said one of the report's authors, Ronnie Hall of Friends of the Earth International
"What we need now is to stop trade liberalization negotiations in natural resource sectors and an urgent review of the impacts of international trade rules on the impoverished and the environment. The WTO must take its hands off our natural environment." she added.
Current WTO talks aim at freeing up trade in a range of sectors from agriculture to services to natural resources. Because the poorest are the most reliant on access to natural resources, for food, medicines and fuel as well as a resource for their livelihoods, this could boost the enormous inequities that already exist in the current world trading system, making the poor even poorer and the rich even richer. [2]
For more information about the WTO and trade talks see: www.foei.org/wto
Notes to editors:
[1] Friends of the Earth International is the world's largest grassroots environmental federation with 71 national member groups in 70 countries and 1.5 million individual members and supporters. Friends of the Earth International does not have a member group in Hong Kong. 'Friends of the Earth Hong Kong' is not a member of Friends of the Earth International.
[2] According to the 2003 United Nation Development Program book 'Making global trade work for people' (page 33), "liberalizing trade does not automatically ensure human development, and increasing trade does not always have a positive impact on human development. The expansion of trade guarantees neither immediate economic growth nor long-term economic or human development." The book is online at http://www.undp.org/mdg/globaltrade.pdf
