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Aziatische organisaties: ‘Doha Ronde is probleem, geen oplossing. Kom in aktie !’

Aktieoproep van Oost- en Zuidoost Aziatische organisaties van vrouwen, migranten, arbeiders, armen, vissers, boeren en sociale bewegingen en civil society (21 juli 2008):
Doha is het probleem, NIET de oplossing. Weg met de Doha Ronde!
Kom in aktie!
(Ondertekenen kan door te mailen naar: marylou AT focusweb.org)

3 min leestijd
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Doha is the problem, NOT the solution

Reject the Doha Round!

Call to Action

 

We, representatives of peasant organizations, women, migrants, workers,

urban and rural poor, fisherfolks, social movements and civil society

organizations from East and Southeast Asia call for the rejection of the

Doha Round. 

 

We condemn and urgently call the attention of others to the attempts to

conclude the Doha ³Development² Round through a Mini-Ministerial in Geneva

this July 21-26, 2008. This informal meeting to be convened by WTO Director

General Pascal Lamy will begin July 21 and last for up to one week. Only

around 30 trade ministers were invited to take part in this informal and

exclusive phase of negotiations with unfair and imbalanced texts as the

basis for the talks.

 

The current texts show that the ambitious agenda to open up markets for

agricultural and industrial goods, and services and not development and

flexibilities for developing countries has become the core element of these

negotiations. The texts continue to reflect the intransigence of developed

countries to give in on demands for reduction of farms subsidies on the one

hand and their aggressive push for substantive market access in goods and

services on the other hand.  The major concessions given for the sake of the

Doha round have consistently been made by developing countries.

 

We reiterate our call to end the Doha Round and reject all attempts to

revive it, knowing that in the three major areas of negotiations ­

agriculture, NAMA and services ­ the majority of proposals under discussion

are designed to protect and promote the interests of the rich countries and

transnational corporations.

 

Lamy along with the leaders of the World Bank and IMF are pushing for the

conclusion of the Doha Round as the solution to the current global crisis of

rising food prices. This is yet another false claim as years of trade

liberalization have shown that promises of development are empty.

 

Doha is the problem, not the solution. Further trade liberalization and

forcing open of markets in the developing countries will leave them even

more vulnerable to not only the food price crisis but also the financial

crisis. If the current texts are agreed to and the Round is concluded, this

will foreclose any chance for development for developing countries.

 

We call on our governments to reject the attempts to conclude the Doha

³Development² Round, at the expense of the people.

 

We commit to mobilize at the national, regional and international levels to

stop the revival of the Doha ³Development² Round from July 21 to July 26,

2008. We call on other movements, peoples¹ organizations and civil society

groups to join us in our struggle.

 

Globalize hope, globalize the struggle!

 
SIGNED:

Alliance of Progressive Labor, Philippines

Asia Pacific Movement on Debt and Development-Jubilee South

ATTAC Japan

Focus on the Global South

FTA Watch Thailand 

Gerak Lawan, Indonesia (People’s Movement Against

Neocolonialism-Imperialism)

Globalization Monitor, Hong Kong

Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions (HKCTU)

International Gender and Trade Network – Asia

Institute for Global Justice, Indonesia

KALAYAAN!(Movement for People’s Freedom) Philippines

Kilusang Mangingisda (Fisherfolk Movement-Philippines)

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)

Migrant Forum in Asia

Serikat Petani Indonesia (Indonesian Peasants Union)

Stop the New Round! Coalition Philippines

WELGA (Women Against Globalization and Poverty)

WomanHealth Philippines

 
To sign on to this statement, please email: marylou@focusweb.org