NGOs urge WTO reform to end exploitation<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali<\/p>\n
Developing countries should fight for reform within the World
\nTrade Organization (WTO) to end the exploitation of developing
\ncountries for the benefit of developed countries and their
\ncorporations, according to non-governmental organization Third
\nWorld Network.<\/p>\n
Third World Network executive director Martin Kohr said at a
\ndiscussion here over the weekend that reform of the WTO was also
\nnecessary to allow sustainable development principles to be put
\ninto practice.<\/p>\n
"There should be efforts to correct the imbalance of the past
\nagreements leading to the WTO and giving more benefits to
\ndeveloping countries," Kohr said.<\/p>\n
The WTO, a multilateral organization regulating trade of goods
\nand services, has been viewed by antiglobalization activists as a
\nstumbling block to the implementation of sustainable development
\nprinciples.<\/p>\n
The WTO has been accused of giving too much room for
\nmultinational corporations to expand their businesses without
\nproper control.<\/p>\n
Multinationals have been accused of contributing largely to
\nthe unsustainable practices of production that eventually cause
\necological destruction.<\/p>\n
The WTO, Kohr said, benefited developed countries more than
\ndeveloping countries.<\/p>\n
Some of the agreements on trade and investment, Kohr went on,
\ngave developing countries limited access to economic resources
\nand hampered economic growth.<\/p>\n
Obligations for developing countries to liberalize their
\nmarkets had made it impossible for their local manufacturers to
\ncompete with large multinational businesses from Northern
\ncountries as their market would be flooded with cheap, mass-
\nproduced products.<\/p>\n
"They (the agreements) cause what I said was a burden for
\ndeveloping countries to fulfill their obligations," he remarked.<\/p>\n
The only benefit of the WTO for developing countries was its
\npromise of access for textile and agricultural products from
\ndeveloping countries to developed countries.<\/p>\n
Even so, developed countries cannot meet such a commitment.<\/p>\n
The massive subsidies provided by developed countries to their
\nfarmers had put pressure on agricultural companies in developing
\ncountries. This situation keeps poor farmers in developing
\ncountries poverty-stricken.<\/p>\n
Again, developing countries lose out.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Kohr said, it is necessary to put checks on the WTO
\nso that it cannot transgress into the interests of developing
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
He said the WTO should revert to its original aim of achieving
\nsustainable development.<\/p>\n
The words "sustainable development" are incorporated in the
\nMarrakesh declaration, the basis for the establishment of the
\nWTO.<\/p>\n
Supporting Kohr's argument, Victoria Corpuz of the
\nPhilippines, another speaker at the session, cited trade
\nliberalization under the WTO had transferred people's rights to
\nbig corporations.<\/p>\n
"That has caused the Earth to suffer from overexploitation,"
\nshe said, citing World Wildlife Fund (WWF) data, showing that the
\nplanet Earth had lost one third of its natural resources.<\/p>\n
Kohr called on developing countries to fight for more power
\nover WTO governance and in its decision-making.<\/p>\n
He suggested that developing countries continue to pursue
\ntheir 100 proposals put forward during the WTO ministerial
\nmeeting in Doha early this year.<\/p>\n
"As soon as we can assure an equal share of economic
\nresources, then sustainable development can start," Kohr
\nunderlined.<\/p>\n
In addition to the WTO, Kohr also warned developing countries
\nto stay alert to developed countries' efforts to further
\nintervene in developing countries' affairs.<\/p>\n
He called on developing countries to block three major
\nproposals for negotiation from developed countries, namely those
\non national treatment for investment, on competition and on
\ngovernment procurements.<\/p>\n
If the proposals eventually go into the international agenda
\nof negotiations, either through the WTO or other means, it could
\nspell doomsday for developing countries, as they would no longer
\nhave control over their own resources and people.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ngos-urge-wto-reform-to-end-exploitation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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