Bilateral & Regional Trade

Trade and Africa: Achieving Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa - OWINFS event at WTO Public Forum 2014

1 October, 2014
On 3 October 2014 OWINFS organized an event, "Trade and Africa: Achieving Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa", at WTO Public Forum 2014

Public services unions open new trade agreements to public debate

16 September, 2014
Public Services International (PSI)
At Public Services International (PSI) Global Trade Summit 2014, in Washington, D.C., union leaders from all over the world called for public scrutiny of new wave of global trade agreements, which are now being discussed behind closed doors.

PSI and OWINFS Releases a Special Report on Trade in Services Agreement (TISA)

15 September, 2014
Public Services International (PSI)
On the occasion of Global Trade Summit convened by PSI and it's affiliates in Washington, D.C., on 15-17 September 2014, PSI and Our World is not For Sale (OWINFS) launched a new Special Report by Ellen Gould entitled "The Really Good Friends of Transnational Corporations Agreement" on the first day of the Global Summit. The report was launched with the objective to overcome the secrecy and complexity surrounding the negotiations on trade in services agreement (TISA) and bring it into the public sphere for a democratic debate.

TiSA: The threat to public services by the backdoor

11 September, 2014
Confédération Européenne des Syndicats Indépendants (CESI)
Following a hearing on TTIP in the Luxemburgish Parliament, CESI President Romain Wolff sees TTIP as a distraction to another important trade agreement, the Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA). Here, Mr Wolff warns of a threat to public services by the back door.

Why International “Trade in Services Agreement” (TISA) is Dangerous to Democracy, Development, and the Public Interest, and Must Be Stopped!

14 June, 2014
A memo on International “Trade in Services Agreement” (TISA) that provides details as to why this proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in services is dangerous to democracy, development, and the public interest, and must be stopped!

PSI Special Report: TISA versus Public Services

28 April, 2014
Public Services International (PSI)
A new report TISA versus Public Services by Public Services International (PSI) warns that governments are planning to take the world on a liberalisation spree on a scale never seen before. According to the report, this massive trade deal will put public healthcare, broadcasting, water, transport and other services at risk. The proposed deal could make it impossible for future governments to restore public services to public control, even in cases where private service delivery has failed. It would also restrict a government’s ability to regulate key sectors including financial, energy, telecommunications and cross-border data flows.

Experts caution against rush into a trade facilitation agreement

20 November, 2013
TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Nov13/09)
A group of eminent trade experts from developing countries has advised developing countries to be very cautious and not be rushed into an agreement on trade facilitation (TF) by the Bali WTO Ministerial Conference, given the current internal imbalance in the proposed agreement as well as the serious implementation challenges it poses.

What's Going on at the WTO? : Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting

18 November, 2013
The Huffington Post
In this critical blog Deborah James, Director, International Programs at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, writes on some of the key messages from the Global civil society, trade unions and people's movements on What's Going on at the WTO? Opportunities and Risks Before the 9th Ministerial Meeting.

International civil society opposes binding rules on “Trade Facilitation” in the WTO

6 June, 2013
In a letter to WTO member governments, 188 organizations representing a wide diversity of civil society from developing and developed countries, called on government representatives in Geneva to “abandon the negotiations towards a binding agreement on Trade Facilitation in advance of the upcoming 9th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Bali." The letter was organized by the Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network. The letter states “binding rules on Trade Facilitation should not be promoted either inside the WTO through the proposed Trade Facilitation (TF) agreement, nor through other avenues such as bilateral or regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)."

Global civil society says no to binding rules on Trade Facilitation in WTO, FTAs and EPAs

6 June, 2013
Global civil society organizations, representing hundreds of millions of members across the globe, urge WTO members to abandon the negotiations towards a binding agreement on Trade Facilitation in advance of the upcoming 9th Ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Bali. Further they call upon governments not to promote binding rules on Trade Facilitation either inside the WTO through the proposed Trade Facilitation (TF) agreement, nor through other avenues such as bilateral or regional Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) or Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).

BITs, FTAs and damaging effects of their investment chapters

2 October, 2012
The damaging effects of Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) and the investment chapters of North-South Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) were highlighted at a World Trade Organisation (WTO) Public Forum event on "Investment provisions and agreements: What is the right 21st century approach?" jointly organised by Our World Is Not for Sale Network, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), and Public Citizen on Tuesday, 26 September 2012.

European Union urged to reconsider its role in Central America

1 July, 2009
Friends of the Earth International

Versión española abajo.

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL
MEDIA ADVISORY
For immediate release: Wednesday July 1, 2009

*****
EUROPEAN UNION URGED TO RECONSIDER ITS ROLE IN CENTRAL AMERICA
*****

Trade Act provides road map to new American trade model

29 June, 2009
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
WOW - when's the last time 106 congressional Representatives - 9 full committee chairs and 40 subcommittee chairs included - were original cosponsors of any legislation, much less agreed on a new way forward on the contentious issue of trade?

Call to Indian Government: No WTO-Doha compromise

18 June, 2009
Focus on the Global South
Date: 18 June, 2009 Dear Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh, As the newly formed UPA coalition government is just settling in to govern for the next five years, there is news that Commerce Minister Anand Sharma is already on his way to the United States (US) to bilaterally iron out differences to seal the trade deal that was launched during the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) 4th Ministerial Meeting in Doha. At stake in these trade negotiations are hundreds of millions of livelihoods in the farming and non-agriculture sectors that India has fought hard to preserve over the past eight years since the launch of the Doha Development Round.

Canadians ask Federal Government to Halt Ratification of Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement in Light of Peruvian Police Massacre of Indigenous Protesters

10 June, 2009
Council of Canadians
Non-governmental organizations are urgently asking Canadians to write to senators, MPs and the Prime Minister to express their outrage at the police massacre of peaceful Indigenous protesters in Peru, and to demand that the Canadian government halt its implementation of the Canada-Peru Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that is now before the Senate as Bill C-24.

Biggest emitters fail to show the way forward

10 June, 2009
Financial Times

Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Edward Luce in Washington

China and the US failed to achieve a breakthrough at their latest round of
climate talks on Wednesday, raising the stakes in the global effort to fight
global climate change.

The two countries responsible for almost half of the world¹s greenhouse gas
emissions ended three days of negotiations in Beijing.

While there are still months to go until the December meeting in Copenhagen,
where 181 countries, led by the United Nations, plan to work out a new

Australia: Don't Push PACER

9 June, 2009
AFTINET
Next week, Australia's Trade Minister Simon Crean will attend the Pacific Island Forum Trade Ministers Meeting in Apia, Samoa.

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

4 June, 2009
SUNS #6712

TRIPS and FTAs have adverse impact on access to drugs

Geneva, 3 Jun (Kanaga Raja) -- The WTO TRIPS Agreement and the TRIPS-plus
provisions in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) have had an adverse impact on
prices and availability of medicines, making it difficult for countries to
comply with their obligations to respect, protect and fulfil the right to
health, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Mr Anand Grover,
said on Tuesday.

Canada-Colombia Trade Deal Removed from Canadian Government's Legislative Agenda

1 June, 2009
Canadian Centre for International Cooperation
As a result of increasing parliamentary and public concern, Bill C-23, the implementing legislation for the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), has been removed from the Canadian government's current legislative agenda.

EU stumbles on Canada's internal barriers: Talk ramp up

15 May, 2009
Financial Post
The historic free-trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union were launched to much fanfare this month, but reaching a deal between the 27-country economic bloc and the provincially dominated federation of Canada will not be a walk in the park.