Archive - Signon Statement

Global civil society groups called on the G 20 governments to reject the discussion on further liberalization of trade in the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations, in the meeting of the G20 in Mexico in June 2012. In a statement, civil society groups stated that, the G20 does not have legitimacy to decide the future of global trade governance since only a forum which includes all members, regardless of their economic power, can legitimately make decisions on major issues pertaining to the future of WTO negotiations.

As members of the Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) civil society network, we are writing to WTO members strongly object to the report, “The Future of Trade: The Challenges of Convergence,” written by the Secretariat of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in consultation with the panel composed by the Director General, Pascal Lamy, both in terms of the process, and the content of the analysis and recommendations contained therein.

Since the onset of the global financial and economic crises, UNCTAD has played an important role in identifying the key causes of the crises, assisting developing countries in seeking solutions to the impacts of the crises, and advocating for the reform of global economic and finance policies and governance in order to prevent similar crises from recurring. These are all key roles that no other multilateral economic institution has fulfilled from a development perspective.

WTO Turnaround: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Development First - Call to Action!

October 2011

Dear G-20 Finance Ministers:

As you gather in Washington, D.C. to address pressing issues facing the global economy, we call on you to safeguard governments’ ability to implement policies that will reestablish and maintain financial stability in the wake of the worst financial and economic crisis in decades.

 

December 4, 2009

Governments: Listen to Your People! Abandon Doha—Confront the Crises!

One way or another change is on the way: if we don’t change the rules of the global economy we won’t be able to limit climate change.

A call to unite and confront the converging global crises of our times, replace the trade and investment pacts and related juggernauts of the corporate-driven global economy, and start building a sustainable economic future together.

The Indigenous populations of the Peruvian Amazonia started a general and peaceful strike for almost 60 days to protest against 10 legislative decrees promoted by the Peruvian Government in order to comply with the Free trade Agreement (FTA) with US that threatens their rights and their environment. More specifically, the FTA with the US permits oil and mining companies to enter 44 out of 75 million hectares of Amazonian forest, which are Indigenous territories, without any kind of agreement or even consultation.

We call upon civil society organizations and social movements from around the world to join with us in showing their strong, united and unequivocal opposition to the completion of the World Trade Organization’s trade ‘round’, and other bilateral and regional Free Trade Agreements being forced on people by governments.