WTO: Dangerous fudge – not victory for multilateralism

Geneva. 1 August 2004—Greenpeace warned that the WTO deal in Geneva--agreed many hours after an alleged “drop dead” deadline--is a face-saving exercise that is likely to result in further trade liberalisation at the expense of people and the environment. The deal is designed to allow governments to claim that the WTO trade system is intact, despite massive opposition to its negative social and environmental impacts worldwide.

The Geneva deal shifts most of the difficult issues to future negotiations. The final compromise is still highly imbalanced in favour of rich countries, which make vague promises in return for key concessions by developing countries. Greenpeace is particularly concerned that the agreement opens the door for further liberalisation in sensitive sectors such as fisheries and the trade in forest products and that new offers on liberalising the service sector are now to be submitted by May 2005. Both decisions could have devastating consequences for the poor and the environment.

“This deal is not a victory for multilateralism, but a dangerous fudge. The secretive process practiced in Geneva this week once again showed that the WTO is an undemocratic organisation mainly responsive to rich country interests,” said Daniel Mittler, Greenpeace International Trade and Policy Advisor. “Greenpeace wants a just and sustainable multilateral trading system. But the WTO does not seem capable or willing to deliver equitable and sustainable development for all; the WTO only seems to be interested in ensuring its own survival.”

After a week of exclusive behind-the-door negotiations, the final deal is reportedly the result of massive political pressure by the EU and the US, particularly on least developed countries. Developing countries had been blamed and punished by the US and EU after the collapse of the last WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico last year, even though it was in fact the excessive demands made by EU and US that led to the Cancun impasse.

© Scoop Media

Greenpeace

Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice.

Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace.

CONTACT GREENPEACE

• Email - info@greenpeace.org.nz
• Facebook
• Twitter - @GreenpeaceNZ

• Website - www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand
• Google+
• YouTube

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>