Press release - 14 September, 2003
The fifth WTO ministerial conference failed to reach an agreement today. This failure is the "expected" end of a trade system ruled by WTO with a single-minded objective of trade liberalisation. Greenpeace urges governments to rapidly convene an international conference with the mandate to provide the basis for the creation of a alternative trade system.
The WTO's failure in Cancun to engage countries in more trade
liberalisation confirms the commonly shared diagnosis of this
organisation:
- Internal crisis of legitimacy: a permanent lack of
transparency and democracy. For the first time however, a strong
movement of resistance counterbalanced the usual arm-twisting from
rich countries, with developing countries standing together as a
block to refuse dumped trade and the expansion of a WTO mandate on
new issues. Reinforcing the resistance, hundreds of non-government
organisations denounced the US and EU push to coerce WTO members
into ill-fated negotiations.
- External crisis: The WTO made the promotion of free trade for
the gain of private interests the ultimate goal, over and above all
other social, public and environmental objectives. The Cancun trade
talks have clearly failed to improve significantly, and to take
seriously, the need to give priority to sustainable development and
environmental policy. Issues that are most important to poorer
countries have continually been stalled, with no progress in
negotiations.
Greenpeace calls on governments to take the unique opportunity
of the WTO crisis to create an alternative trade system. Greenpeace
is in favour of a multilateral, rules-based system, but one that
has sustainable development and social rights as the cornerstones.
The global community must actively and effectively put an end to
policies that promote the destruction of ecosystems and human
wellbeing.
Therefore, Greenpeace urges the global community:
- to conduct a thorough assessment of the rules governing the
international trade system in order to re-orient this system
towards achieving sustainable development.
- To convene an international conference with the mandate to set
up the conditions and modalities for a safe trade system. Such a
conference should take place in a neutral forum - preferably the
UN, which is better placed to address social well-being,
environment and economic development in a balanced fashion.