Alternatives

Envoys cry foul as US seeks to protect its farm export credits

Manicandan — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 05:40:25 +0000

2 November, 2015

Live Mint

The US has demanded ‘safe harbor’ protection for its controversial farm export credit programme from the disciplines underpinning the World Trade Organization’s agreement on subsidies and countervailing measures despite denying such a flexibility to India and other developing countries for public stockholding programmes for food security last year.

2 November, 2015 (All day)

The WTO impasse and the possible roads ahead - a development perspective

Manicandan — Mon, 27 May 2013 10:59:37 +0000

1 November, 2012

At a lively session organized by OWINFS on 26 September, 2012 as part of the WTO’s Public Forum, Ambassadors of developing countries and other experts presented their views on the impasse in the WTO’s Doha negotiations, the “new trade narrative” promoted by major developed countries, and the need for an alternative narrative that reflects reality, from the perspective of developing countries.

1 November, 2012 (All day)

UN: North's bailouts destroyed trading system's playing field, says Stiglitz

verda.cook — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 21:46:48 +0000

29 June, 2009

SUNS #6729

New York, 26 Jun (Bhumika Muchhala) -- The bailouts given to companies in developed countries have destroyed the framework of the multilateral trading system for a level playing field, according to the Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Speaking at the UN conference on the global financial and economic crisis, Stiglitz said that the massive bailouts and stimulus programmes of the rich countries have "destroyed the framework for an international and multilateral global playing field for trade."

29 June, 2009 (All day)

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO)

Manicandan — Mon, 14 Dec 2015 07:25:06 +0000

14 December, 2015

Dear Members of the WTO,

As members of 460 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

Call to action for 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, December 2013

Manicandan — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:22:37 +0000

31 October, 2013

On the occasion of 9th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held from 3 to 6 December 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, Our World Is Not For Sale network calls upon its members, trade unions, farmers, civil society organizations and people at large to take action and send message to governments across the world to "Stop Expansion of the WTO and Shut Down the Corporate “Trade” Attack and to prioritize Food, Jobs, Peoples’ Rights and Sustainable Development First!"

WTO Turnaround 2013: Food, Jobs and Sustainable Development First – Statement

Manicandan — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 10:29:20 +0000

Refuse signatories

After many failed Ministerial meetings and nearly twelve years of negotiations, the Doha Round of WTO expansion is at a crossroads. Developed countries have pushed aside agreements to negotiate on key developing country issues intended to correct the imbalances within the existing WTO, which formed the basis of the development mandate of Doha. Even worse, developed countries appear to be re-packaging the same liberalization and market access demands of their corporate interests to create a “new trade narrative” towards gaining agreements at the upcoming 9th Ministerial in Bali. In this statement with specific demands Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) network asserts that in addition to a long-term transformation of the global trade and economic architecture, immediate changes must be made to WTO in order to provide countries more policy space to pursue a positive agenda for development and job-creation, food security, sustainable development, access to affordable healthcare and medicines, and global financial stability.