News

Letter to WTO Members Seeking Extension of TRIPS Transitional Period on Pharmaceutical Produtcs for LDCs

5 June, 2015
Civil Society Letter to Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO): Request by least developed country members for an extension of the transitional period with respect to pharmaceutical products and for waivers from the obligation of articles 70.8 and 70.9 of the trips agreement

TWN Info: Is “gender” a Trojan horse to introduce new issues at WTO?

TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues

10 December 2017

Third World Network, www.twn.my

Is “gender” a Trojan horse to introduce new issues at WTO?

Buenos Aires, 10 December (Roberto Bissio) – A “Joint Declaration on Trade and Women's Economic Empowerment” co-sponsored by Iceland and Sierra Leone is estimated to have already received the backing of more than one-third of the World Trade Organization (WTO) members and might get official approval during the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference (MC11) that starts today in the Argenti

Information Technology Agreement (ITA) - Global Unions and International Civil Society Express Concerns

The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) together with 163 other trade union and civil society organisations are raising concerns over a proposed expansion of the Information Technology Agreement (ITA II) being negotiated at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). In a joint letter to the WTO members, they argued that the proposed expansion, would lead to erosion of manufacturing potential in developing countries and called for a comprehensive impact assessment of ITA I before taking a decision on ITA II.

Rising tide of trade to sink Pacific

Despite the interest in the lead up to the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in Cairns, the decision to commence trade negotiations barely made a mention in the news in the wake of the meeting.

Global civil society groups called on the G 20 governments to reject further discussion on WTO negotiations, in the meeting of the G20 in Mexico in June 2012

17 June, 2012
21 June, 2012
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.

OWINFS NAMA Statement

Stop the WTO destroying developing country industries and selling off our natural resources!

Many people have heard about the WTO opening up markets in services and agriculture, with negative impacts on farmers, public services and the environment world-wide. But now the rest of the world is also up for sale at the World Trade Organization (WTO), as governments plan to liberalise all remaining sectors through a new agreement, known as the Non-Agricultural Market Access or NAMA agreement, which is being

Our World is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network members' demonstration at WTO MC9 Bali 2013

Our World is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network members' demonstration at WTO MC9 Bali 2013.

11th WTO Ministerial - Letter from Global Civil Society about the Agenda of the WTO

9 October, 2017
Trade Ministers from only 35 countries will attend a “mini-Ministerial” in Morocco which is intended to solidify the agenda for the upcoming 11th Ministerial Conference of the 164-member WTO (MC11) to be held December 10-13, 2017 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Members of 300 civil society organizations (CSOs) including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries just sent an urgent letter to WTO members to raise alarm “that some WTO members are pushing a dangerous and inappropriate new agenda.” It was organized by the global Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network and is available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, and Greek.

SNR Coalition Statement on the Doha Round Negotiations

The Stop the New Round Coalition (SNR) joins peoples’ organizations and movements across the globe in calling for the rejection of the WTO Doha Round and we demand that the Philippine government turn around and walk away from these unfair and unjust negotiations.

Video: Bridge between Moscow and Brussels / Linking our Campaigning Against Corporate Power and to Stop Impunity


Technological Bridge between the G20 Counter-Summit international participants gathered in Moscow and the European Parliament Event "Advancing a new regulatory regime for Transnational Corporations and Investment: Towards An International Peoples’ Treaty", Sept. 5, 2013

Indian Farmers' Statement on India's Stand at the WTO - 23 July 2014

23 July, 2014
In a statement released ahead of the WTO General Council meeting tomorrow, farmers organization in India called upon the Indian Government to stand firm on linking the Food Security proposal with the Trade Facilitation Agreement in WTO. Farmers’ leaders expressed shock over the Chair's summary of the G 20 trade ministers meeting which was held on July 19 at Sydney.

"What we need is system change!" / G20 Counter-Summit Final Declaration, St-Petersburg, Russia (Sept. 2013)

30 September, 2013

DECLARATION OF THE G20 COUNTER-SUMMIT
St Petersburg, 4 September 2013

Social movements and civil society organizations from different parts of the world have met on 3 -4 September 2013 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on the eve of the G20 Summit and in a context of the threat by the United States of America (USA) to attack Syria. With the participation of more than 30 international delegates of world social movements, our G20 Counter-Summit, was hosted by the Post-Globalization Initiative.