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  Trade issues  

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NEW (recent additions to this section; top item is most recent addition)
No Sell-Out on Trade in the Human Rights Commission -...The human rights impact of international trade was a recurrent theme during the 2003 [United Nations] Human Rights Commission.  And the level of discussion reflected the willingness and ability of many in the human rights community and the trade policy world to seek mutually-beneficial solutions when trade liberalization risks adversely impacting on human rights. (Caroline Dommen, Director of 3D Associates, April 2003)

New study [entitled "Making Global Trade Work for People"] explores ways that trade can maximize development - A new book launched at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York last week presents an independent reassessment of the current system of global trade and looks at ways that it can be improved to contribute more effectively to human development. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Feb. 2003)

But is it any more than a box-ticking exercise? Campaigner and writer Marc Lopatin questions whether developed nations are ready to pay more to improve standards -...Companies that outsource production are not exactly benevolent agents of sustainable development brimming with enthusiasm for respecting labour rights and environmental protection...Is it surprising then that some Southern-based NGOs regard CSR as a hollow project to deflect attention from unfair trade rules and bullying on the part of inward investors? (Marc Lopatin, Observer [UK], 2 Feb. 2003)

Balancing Trade Rules, the Environment and Sustainable Development -...AllAfrica's Akwe Amosu probed these issues with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, the General Manager of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia. (AllAfrica.com, 1 Feb. 2003)

GLOBALIZE THIS! Respect for human rights. -...So we are not opposed to globalisation but we cannot accept a globalisation that dooms more than a billion people to lives of deprivation incompatible with basic human dignity. Why worry so much about expanding investment opportunities and so little about globalising respect for human rights? Why is all the attention on binding rules for trade disputes, and so little on international accountability in relation to states' human rights obligations?...For too long corporations operating globally have exploited weaknesses in national laws and have been party to human rights violations with impunity.  International human rights law is part of the solution to corporate accountability and to the creation of a global regulatory framework that allows for a globalisation consistent with freedom and dignity. (speech by Paul Hoffman, Chair of Amnesty International, to World Social Forum, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 25 Jan. 2003)

Websites:

Attac {···français} {···english} {···español} {···deutsch} 

Citizens Trade Campaign

Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI): The Base Code

Export credit and investment insurance agencies: A race to the bottom (Friends of the Earth)

Focus on the Global South (Bangkok)

Global Economy (Institute for Policy Studies)

Global Source Education: About the Trade and Human Rights Project (Global Source Education)

Global Trade Negotiations: Resource Index (Centre for International Development at Harvard University) 

IISD Statement on Trade and Sustainable Development (International Institute for Sustainable Development [IISD])

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) website

International Forum on Globalization

Issue Library: Trade Agreements (CorpWatch)

Linking Trade and Worker Rights (International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation [ITGLWF])

North-South Institute  {···français: L'Institut Nord-Sud}

Public Citizen / Global Trade Watch

Stomping on the Earth: Trade, Trade Law, and Canada's Ecological Footprints (Canadian Environmental Law Association)

Sustainable Consumption and Trade Initiative (International Institute for Environment and Development)

Sustainable Trade Program: Working towards socially and environmentally sustainable development (CEDHA: Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente / Center for Human Rights and the Environment)

Trade and Environment (Canadian Environmental Law Association)

Trade Developments (including UNCTAD) (Third World Network)

Trade Related Issues (Anup Shah, Global Issues)

Traidcraft: Fighting poverty through trade

Transnational Institute

Worker Rights and U.S. Trade Policy (US/LEAP - U.S. Labor Education in the Americas Project)

World Trade Organization website (World Trade Organization)

WTOWatch.Org: Global information center on trade and sustainable development

Government materials:

The Trade-Labor Linkage: Issues and Prospects (Robert Shelburne, Division of Foreign Economic Research, U.S. Department of Labor [U.S. Government], Jan. 1999) 

Other materials:

2003:

No Sell-Out on Trade in the Human Rights Commission -...The human rights impact of international trade was a recurrent theme during the 2003 [United Nations] Human Rights Commission.  And the level of discussion reflected the willingness and ability of many in the human rights community and the trade policy world to seek mutually-beneficial solutions when trade liberalization risks adversely impacting on human rights. (Caroline Dommen, Director of 3D Associates, April 2003)

New study [entitled "Making Global Trade Work for People"] explores ways that trade can maximize development - A new book launched at the Rockefeller Foundation in New York last week presents an independent reassessment of the current system of global trade and looks at ways that it can be improved to contribute more effectively to human development. (U.N. Development Programme, 5 Feb. 2003)

But is it any more than a box-ticking exercise? Campaigner and writer Marc Lopatin questions whether developed nations are ready to pay more to improve standards -...Companies that outsource production are not exactly benevolent agents of sustainable development brimming with enthusiasm for respecting labour rights and environmental protection...Is it surprising then that some Southern-based NGOs regard CSR as a hollow project to deflect attention from unfair trade rules and bullying on the part of inward investors? (Marc Lopatin, Observer [UK], 2 Feb. 2003)

Balancing Trade Rules, the Environment and Sustainable Development -...AllAfrica's Akwe Amosu probed these issues with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher, the General Manager of the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia. (AllAfrica.com, 1 Feb. 2003)

GLOBALIZE THIS! Respect for human rights. -...So we are not opposed to globalisation but we cannot accept a globalisation that dooms more than a billion people to lives of deprivation incompatible with basic human dignity. Why worry so much about expanding investment opportunities and so little about globalising respect for human rights? Why is all the attention on binding rules for trade disputes, and so little on international accountability in relation to states' human rights obligations?...For too long corporations operating globally have exploited weaknesses in national laws and have been party to human rights violations with impunity.  International human rights law is part of the solution to corporate accountability and to the creation of a global regulatory framework that allows for a globalisation consistent with freedom and dignity. (speech by Paul Hoffman, Chair of Amnesty International, to World Social Forum, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 25 Jan. 2003)

2002:

Court Orders Bush Administration Must Give Trade Documents to the Public - A U.S. District Court today ordered the Bush administration to make public documents by revealing U.S. and foreign government positions in trade negotiations with potential impacts on domestic public health, labor, and environmental laws. (Earthjustice, Public Citizen, FOE and CIEL, 19 Dec. 2002)

From Doha to Cancún: the Hypocrisy behind Western Compassion (Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium, message to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

A World without Frontiers (Aung San Suu Kyi, message to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

Free trade can be a very powerful engine for growth and sustainable development (Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General of the OECD, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

The Principle of Reciprocity (Dr. Aminata Dramane Traoré, Director of the Centre du Amadou Hampâté BA, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

Making the World Trading System Work for All Countries (Govindasamy Rajasekaran, Secretary-General of the Malaysian Trade Union Congress, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

Sustainability and Leadership (Rémi Parmentier, Political Director of Greenpeace International, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

Why Cancún Matters (Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

What Are the Most Urgent Questions to be Resolved for the South to Achieve a Genuine Development Agenda (Chee Yoke Ling, Deputy-Director of Third World Network, Malaysia, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

Europe: Development is the Goal, Trade is the Instrument (Pascal Lamy Member of the European Commission, responsible for Trade, speech to Second International Conference on Globalisation, 26 Nov. 2002)

TRADE: U.S., EU Square Off Over Environmental Concerns -...Speaking at a discussion in New York hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, Zoellick said the European position that trade and the environment should be linked is endangering progress on global trade negotiations with developing countries. (UN Wire, 7 Nov. 2002)

Stop the Dumping! How EU agricultural subsidies are damaging livelihoods in the developing world -...Reforming a system in which Europe’s large landowners and agribusinesses get rich on subsidies, while smallholder farmers in developing countries suffer the consequences, is an essential step towards making trade fair. (Oxfam briefing paper, 31 Oct. 2002)

US crafts labor, green sanctions on trade pacts - The United States and some of its closest trading partners would face millions of dollars in fines if they fail to enforce their own labor and environmental laws as a way of gaining a trade advantage, under a plan being drafted by the Bush administration...Seligman [trade specialist with the Sierra Club] said the new trade law sets "a very low bar" of guidelines for labor and environmental enforcement standards. (Reuters, 25 Oct. 2002)

NGWF demands fair wage and trade for garment sector [Bangladesh] - The National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) formed a human chain in the city yesterday demanding fair wage and trade for garment sector. (Daily Star [Bangladesh], 15 Oct. 2002)

TRADE: EU Calls For UNEP To Be Given Observer Status In WTO Talks (UN Wire, 11 Oct. 2002)

Cut back sweatshop imports, US told - US human rights and trade union groups are launching a campaign aimed at restricting US imports of goods made under alleged sweatshop conditions...They now want to pressure Washington into introducing new laws that could punish firms if they fail to uphold their own declared standards...One of the focuses of the campaign is Bangladesh where the garment industry is the largest employer - but one which has virtually no regulation. (BBC News, 24 Sep. 2002)

U.S. and Chilean Labor Movements Release Joint Statement Calling for Core Workers' Rights in Future Trade Agreements (AFL-CIO, 19 Sep. 2002)

TRADE: New Study Examines How WTO Agreements Affect Public Health - Public health must be taken into consideration in the drafting of trade rules, according to a joint study released today by the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization...The 171-page study, WTO Agreements and Public Health, says nations should be able to restrict imports and exports when the health of its people or wildlife is affected. It examines issues including infectious disease control, food safety, tobacco, environment, access to drugs, health services, food security and biotechnology. (UN Wire, 22 Aug. 2002)

WTO: World Bank Releases Guide On Trade And Development (UN Wire, 27 June 2002)

Aid is fine - but trade is what poor countries need most (Maria Livanos Cattaui, Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, 25 June 2002)

The poor's best hope: Removing trade barriers is not just a job for the rich. The poor must do the same in order to prosper, says Jagdish Bhagwati (Jagdish Bhagwati, Professor at Columbia University, in Economist, 20 June 2002)

Fair trade demo attracts record numbers [UK] - Campaigners calling for a better deal for poor countries in the world trading system swamped parliament yesterday in the largest mass lobby of MPs to date (Charlotte Denny, Guardian [UK], 20 June 2002)

Buying and Selling: Trade Leads to Greed, Hunger (Absalom Mutere, East African Standard [Kenya], 3 June 2002)

Trade, Environment & Development Series Premieres: Top Experts Clarify, Propose Workable Solutions to Trade Issues - Attempting to break through the logjam of polarized debate over the nature, impact, and future of global trade, the Carnegie Endowment premieres the first policy brief in its Trade, Environment, and Development series. (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 3 June 2002)

There's Only So Much That Foreign Trade Can Do -...Contrary to the view of globalization supporters and even some critics, trade with the United States does not automatically provide Third World workers with the keys to wealth and happiness. (Alan Tonelson, Research Fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council Educational Foundation, in Washington Post, 2 June 2002)

Trade unions to fight globalisation - A pan-African trade union movement vowed on Thursday to fight globalisation unless world trade is democratised and made transparent and accountable (South African Press Association, 30 May 2002)

Export at any cost: Oxfam's free trade recipe for the third world - A critique of Oxfam's trade report (Dr. Vandana Shiva, founder of the Research Foundation for Science, Technology and Ecology, 14 May 2002)

What's wrong with the Oxfam Trade Campaign -...I have a lot of respect for Oxfam, and I do agree with many things in the Oxfam report, but I feel that it provides the wrong focus and wrong direction for the movement against corporate-driven globalization during this critical period. (Walden Bello, Executive Director of Focus on the Global South, 26 Apr. 2002)

EAST ASIA: Region's Poor Shortchanged by Trade Rules - Activists - East Asia's farmers, fishermen and women workers are being shortchanged by trade policies that offer few real opportunities to get out of poverty, activists with the international development agency Oxfam here say [includes reference to rice farmers in Thailand, coffee growers in Vietnam, fishermen in Philippines, women in Cambodia's garment industry] (Marwaan Macan-Markar, Inter Press Service, 25 Apr. 2002)

Comments from the European Commission on the Oxfam trade report (European Commission, 17 Apr. 2002)

IMF: Nobel Economist Blasts Fund, Other International Institutions - The International Monetary Fund has betrayed its mission by becoming "the fanatical champion of market hegemony," and the World Bank and World Trade Organization also do more harm than good to poor countries, one of last year's Nobel Prize winners in economics [Joseph Stiglitz] writes in a book that hits shelves today in France. (UN Wire, 16 Apr. 2002)

Oxfam plays into hands of the anti-globalizers:...The report's coverage of the unfairness of many of the rules in international trade is mostly accurate and is a welcome reminder of the hypocrisy which underlies so much Western free trade rhetoric. However, Oxfam shows double standards of its own (Philip Bowring, International Herald Tribune, 12 Apr. 2002)

TRADE: Oxfam Critique of WTO Triggers Reactions from All Sides - Top officials from the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation rejected the analysis published Thursday by the humanitarian organisation Oxfam International about the inequities of the global trade system and the harm it purportedly causes developing countries. The report, part of Oxfam's "Make Trade Fair" campaign, blames WTO rules for relegating the world's poor regions and countries to misery, but at least one other humanitarian group says the report does not go far enough (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 11 Apr. 2002)

press release: The Great Trade Robbery: Rich world swindles millions from the benefits of trade as global wealth divide widens to all time high - OXFAM today accused the rich world of robbing the poor world of $100 billion a year by abusing the rules governing world trade and denying millions of poor people their best escape route from poverty. (Oxfam, 11 Apr. 2002)

Europe's Double Standards: How the EU should reform its trade policies with the developing world (Oxfam, Apr. 2002)

Report of the In-Depth Study Session on the World Trade Organisation for Human Rights Professionals: 1-2 February 2002 [includes sections on: "Trade liberalisation, Development and Human Rights";  "The Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), Traditional Knowledge, and Indigenous Peoples' Rights"] (Secretariat of the Study Session on the WTO / 3D Associates, Apr. 2002)

DEVELOPMENT: Wolfensohn Calls For Freer Trade - In a passionate speech here yesterday at the Woodrow Wilson International Center, World Bank President James Wolfensohn urged rich countries to reduce trade barriers and agricultural subsidies, reiterated the international community's call for a doubling in foreign aid and called for a new war on poverty to create a more stable and peaceful world. (Scott Hartmann, UN Wire, 7 Mar. 2002)

Central America: Readying for Free Trade with United States (Joachim Bamrud, Americas Program, 22 Feb. 2002)

WEF consensus that trade more important than aid in cutting poverty, ministers say: Government ministers summing up discussion at the World Economic Forum (WEF) said there was a consensus that official aid to the Third World must increase but trade could do more to reduce poverty. (AFP, 4 Feb. 2002)

Globalization & Militarization - A national security exception protects countries’ subsidies for military production from international trade rules...By favoring arms sales over other forms of trade, the security exception fuels armed conflict. [includes discussion of U.S. policy on arms trade] (John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Feb. 2002)

2001:

IMF [International Metalworkers' Federation] World Congress Presses GE Global Strategy: "GE exploits workers everywhere," IUE-CWA President Edward Fire said in his presentation to the IMF World Congress. "Wherever the company operates, whether in the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia or Latin America, it resists workers' rights to organize and to trade union representation," he said. The IMF is providing full support to efforts to set the recognition of international labor standards by companies such as GE as a condition for world trade. (Communications Workers of America, 14 Nov. 2001) 

Observer Comment - Anti-globalisation can not help the developing world. But the rich countries must ditch the hypocrisy and keep their promises to the south...Multinational corporations, finance capitalists and Northern Governments justify themselves in terms of free trade, but what they actually promote are their own interests, which is not the same thing at all. In trade the industrialised world imposes liberalisation on developing countries while protecting its own markets in agriculture and textiles through tariff barriers. (Michael Jacobs, Observer [UK], 11 Nov. 2001)

Groups Sue U.S. Trade Representative for Concealing Trade Negotiations - Protection of Domestic Environment and Health Laws at Stake: While the Bush administration pushes Congress to approve “fast track” trade negotiation authority, environmental and public interest groups filed suit today in US District Court in Washington, DC, against US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick for stonewalling public access to the US negotiating position on the US-Chile Free Trade Agreement...The lawsuit was filed by Earthjustice on behalf of the Center for International Environmental Law, Friends of the Earth and Public Citizen. These groups are concerned that the new international trade rules could weaken US and Chilean environmental and health standards. (Earthjustice, 9 Nov. 2001)

Wanted - global authority to tame big business: British charity Christian Aid last week urged delegations heading for next week's World Trade Organisation conference in Qatar to consider the need for a new global regulator to bring corporations under legally binding control. (Reuters, 5 Nov. 2001)

Annan urges trade round to aid poorer nations: Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, called on Thursday for a global response to rebuild confidence in the international economic system after the September 11 attacks in the US, including the launch of new world trade talks to benefit poorer countries...Juan Somavia, ILO director-general, also backed a new trade round to make trade "a locomotive of equitable growth and decent work creation". (Frances Williams & Nancy Dunne, Financial Times, 1 Nov. 2001)

Call for trade round as economy falters: The World Bank has urged global leaders to launch a trade round for the benefit of developing countries. (Steve Schifferes, BBC News, 31 Oct. 2001)

Present Problems and Future Shape of the WTO and the Multilateral Trading System (Chee Yoke Ling, Legal Advisor to the Third World Network, speech to International Conference on Globalisation, 30 Oct. 2001)

It's Not the Trade; It's the Trade-Offs (Naomi Klein, speech to International Conference on Globalisation, 30 Oct. 2001)

Making Trade Liberalization Work Against World Poverty:...One of the keys to success for the Doha meeting will be for the developed countries to articulate what they mean by, and are prepared to do about, a so-called development round. (Donald J. Johnston, Secretary-General, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in International Herald Tribune, 25 Oct. 2001)

Needs of Vulnerable Consumers Ignored by WTO: Impact assessments by Consumers International show trade liberalisation is not benefiting consumers - Consumers International has carried out impact assessments on agriculture and services liberalisation in 16 developing and transition economies from Chile and Chad, as part of its Consumers and the Global Market programme. The results of this work show that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreements in agriculture and services are working against consumers, particularly in developing and transition economies. (Consumers International, 16 Oct. 2001)

Nobel Laureate Encourages Global Justice Movement: Joseph Stiglitz, whose critiques of free market fundamentalism cost him a senior job at the World Bank in 1999 but won him the Nobel Prize for economics last week, has succinct advice for the global justice movement: Keep it up. ''The recognition that the trade agreements of the past have been unfair is one of the important lessons of the anti-globalisation movement,'' he says. ''I think it's something that will stick with us. And if we go forward with another round of trade talks, it will shape our discussions.'' (Tim Shorrock, Inter Press Service, 15 Oct. 2001)

Free Trade for A Better World - Promoters of global free trade have found a new argument for the cause: trade liberalization is key to fighting terrorism. But old conflicts die hard - Even before the smoke had settled from the September 11 attacks in New York and Washington, United States Trade Representative Robert Zoellick launched a series of speeches arguing that global trade liberalization was a central plank of the counter-offensive against international terrorism...But free-traders will find it hard to fully capitalize on the momentum for a response to the deadly attacks. (Murray Hiebert and Shada Islam, Far Eastern Economic Review, 11 Oct. 2001)

EU ups stakes over environment in trade round push: The European Union insisted yesterday that negotiations on environmental rules had to be included in a new trade round, upping the stakes in end-game efforts to get fresh liberalisation talks launched next month. (Robert Evans, Reuters, 4 Oct. 2001) 

US-Jordan free trade deal ratified; includes labour and environment provisions...The Agreement makes Jordan the fourth country after Canada, Mexico and Israel to obtain free trade partner status with the US. Labour and environmental text in the treaty maintains that the two sides will not lower labour and environmental standards for the purpose of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). The deal, if violated by one contractor, could trigger sanctions by the other. These provisions were strongly supported by Democrats who argued that without them, free trade would encourage companies to move operations to the lowest-wage and most environmentally lax nations. (BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 2 Oct. 2001) 

How trade can help the world: The tragic events in America should not be allowed to halt the development of a more integrated global economy (Martin Wolf, Financial Times, 2 Oct. 2001)

The unremarkable record of liberalized trade - After 20 years of global economic deregulation, poverty and inequality are as pervasive as ever (Christian E. Weller, Robert E. Scott and Adam S. Hersh, Economic Policy Institute, Oct. 2001)

Celebrate the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement:...because the agreement includes provisions to protect labor and the environment, some members of Congress and the American business community voiced their opposition to the deal. As two people deeply involved in negotiating the environmental provisions of the agreement for our respective countries, we believe that a closer examination of these provisions counters their concerns. (Ambassador Alia Hatough-Bouran [headed Jordan's environment team as part of the negotiating team for the free trade agreement between Jordan and the United States] and John Audley [former United States Environmental Protection Agency Trade Policy Coordinator], Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 28 Sep. 2001)

WTO: Agenda For Doha Could Yield New Round Of Trade Talks: A document released Thursday by the World Trade Organization could lead to a new round of global trade talks if it is approved by member countries at the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha, Qatar, Nov. 9 - 13...Despite that development, there has been little progress on agreements over labor standards and the environment (UN Wire, 28 Sep. 2001) 

World lacks will to conquer hunger, UN says: The world lacks the commitment to feed its people and the war on hunger is being lost, according to the U.N. food agency...The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has called a follow-up summit for November 5-9 to try to galvanise the international community into action to achieve the 1996 target. "There is a need to recognise that hunger is a violation of basic human rights." [includes references to: the need for rich nations to open their markets to poor countries; GM food; FAO Trust Fund for Food Security which will receive voluntary contributions from governments and the private sector to be used to teach people in poor countries how to feed themselves, for infrastructure and to combat pests] (David Brough, Reuters, 17 Sep. 2001)

Global food chain poses stiff challenge for WTO talks: WTO food talks have centred on long-held differences between the United States, Europe, Japan, developing nations and poor countries on farm subsidies, export subsidies, market access, the environment, labour issues, food security and food safety. (Peter Bohan, 14 Sep. 2001)

Trade Liberalization Can Reduce Poverty (Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director-General Designate of the World Trade Organization, in sponsored section, International Herald Tribune, 13 Sep. 2001)

Straw defends globalisation and rejects tax on capital flows: Jack Straw, the [UK] foreign secretary, yesterday launched a robust defence of globalisation and rejected French proposals to tax capital flows to raise funds for the developing world. He said the "Tobin tax" espoused by Lionel Jospin, the French prime minister, was unlikely to work in practice. (Brian Groom, Financial Times, 11 Sep. 2001)

An Unwise Tax:...The new focus on the Tobin tax is certain to be fruitless. (editorial, Washington Post, in International Herald Tribune, 11 Sep. 2001)

Globalisation is good for us: The best way to combat world poverty is to increase trade (Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary, in Guardian [UK], 10 Sep. 2001)

An idea that gained currency but lost clarity: James Tobin, originator of the proposal to levy destabilising speculation, says its adoption by anti-globalists is based on misunderstanding (James Tobin, Professor Emeritus of economics at Yale University, in Financial Times, 10 Sep. 2001)

Köhler says IMF may look again at 'Tobin tax': Horst Köhler, the International Monetary Fund's managing director, on Monday acknowledged recent calls by political leaders in Germany and France for more detailed discussions on how better to control international capital markets. He added, however, that he remained "very sceptical" about the introduction of a so-called Tobin tax, a proposed levy on international capital flows that has become a central demand of the burgeoning anti-globalisation movement. (Hugh Williamson, Financial Times, 10 Sep. 2001)

Every reason to link trade with labour standard: Sir, Professor Jagdish Bhagwati has done a disservice to the trade and labour debate with his article "Break the link between trade and labour" (August 29). He has also done a disservice to millions of exploited sweatshop workers with his polemic, based as it is on several fallacies and a misrepresentation of the position of those who advocate a positive link between trade and labour standards. (letter to editor from Bill Jordan, General Secretary, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, in Financial Times, 7 Sep. 2001)

We must put people before profits:...the exploitation and atrocities that visited this nation a century are now getting a new life a continent away, fueled by unregulated globalization. (John J. Sweeney, President of the AFL-CIO, in The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2001)

Report of the In-Depth Study Session on the WTO for Human Rights Professionals - Morges, Switzerland 27- 28 July 2001 - The Study Session was organised in the context of increasing expressions of concern by members of the human rights community that trade and trade rules are not sufficiently taking human rights into account, and may even be undermining governments' ability to fulfil their human rights obligations. (Secretariat of the Study Session on the WTO / 3D Associates, Sep. 2001)

Unctad [United Nations Conference on Trade and Development] Sets Options for Dealing With International Agreements: As part of its series International Investment Agreements (IIAs) issues, the UNCTAD has just published new studies, one on the environment, and the other on social responsibility. (TOMRIC News Agency [Dar es Salaam, Tanzania], 31 Aug. 2001)

Effects of Trade Liberalization On Global Food Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa is the developing region of the world that would benefit most from free trade in agricultural goods. For this to happen, European nations need to remove farm subsidies. African nations too, must eliminate taxes on food production and consumption..."The products of greatest interest to the least-developed countries - many agricultural products together with clothing and other labor-intensive manufactures - are among the most heavily protected in the markets of their current and potential trading partners, both developed and developing" (World Trade Organization Press Release, Apr. 27, 2001). (International Food Policy Research Institute, 29 Aug. 2001)

RIGHTS: NGOs Back UN Call for Globalisation Impact Study: Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) applaud the decision of a United Nations body to urge a detailed study of the effects of globalisation and certain trade agreements on human rights. (Gustavo Capdevila, Inter Press Service, 20 Aug. 2001)

A Third World 'No' to Liberal Trade (Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network, in International Herald Tribune, 18 Aug. 2001)

Harnessing Trade for Development: World trade rules have been developed by the rich and powerful on the basis of their narrow commercial interests. Rich countries and powerful corporations have captured a disproportionate share of the benefits of trade, leaving developing countries and poor people worse off. Trade rules should be judged on their contribution to poverty reduction, respect for human rights, and environmental sustainability. (Oxfam, 16 Aug. 2001)

Subcommission discusses plans for Social Forum: The [United Nations] Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights this afternoon discussed preparations for its Social Forum with a group of high-level experts debating what should be the main topics of the meeting which is tentatively scheduled for next year. Jose Bengoa, a Subcommission Expert and the Special Rapporteur for the Social Forum, explained that the Commission on Human Rights this year had authorized the Subcommission to hold a Social Forum next year, which, among other objectives, would focus on globalization, free trade, and threats to poor countries in the labour markets. (United Nations, 13 Aug. 2001)

Unequal 'freetrade' threatens food security: Food security in the SADC [Southern African Development Community] is the biggest casualty of a flawed world trading system - The forces of globalization pose a real danger to food security in the southern African region where the bulk of the countries are under constant pressure to open up markets in line with what are now obligatory western-led economic policies. (Munetsi Madakufamba, Daily Mail & Guardian [Johannesburg], 13 Aug. 2001)

Letters to the Editor: Time to build a better multilateral trading system (Martin Khor, Director of Third World Network, in Financial Times, 9 Aug. 2001)

World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund respond to [United Nations] Subcommission report on globalization [which contended that the rules of international trade and economic regimes did not show sufficient respect for human rights standards] (United Nations, 8 Aug. 2001)

[United Nations] Subcommission continues debate on role of international financial institutions in promoting human rights (United Nations, 8 Aug. 2001)

DRUGS: Study Presented To UN Calls For More Human Rights Focus - International economic agreements, including those covering intellectual property rights, should focus more on the issue of human rights and not bar policies ensuring access to medicine at affordable prices, said a study presented to the UN Subcommission on Human Rights yesterday. (UN Wire, 8 Aug. 2001)

[United Nations] Subcommission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights discusses impact of globalization on human rights (United Nations, 7 Aug. 2001)

Nafta deal changed to curb companies: Trade ministers from the US, Canada and Mexico on Tuesday agreed changes to a controversial provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement that allows companies to sue the governments for wrongful expropriation. The provision, known as Chapter 11, has angered Nafta critics, who charge that the treaty gave corporations unprecedented powers to challenge national regulations. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 1 Aug. 2001)

"If it's broke, fix it": The case for trade reform at the 4th WTO Ministerial [report on the WTO Ministerial meeting in Qatar, 9 -13 November 2001] (World Development Movement, Aug. 2001)

Developing countries are key to a successful new trade round (Maria Livanos Cattaui, International Chamber of Commerce, 27 July 2001)

press release: "TRIPS-plus" treaties leave WTO in the dust: A report published today by Genetic Resources Action International (GRAIN) shows the extent to which industrialised countries are using bilateral treaties to secure ever stronger monopoly rights on biodiversity in developing countries. (GRAIN, 27 July 2001)

Sunday morning political talk shows ignore corporate power issues [USA] - The study found that: Topics related to corporate power -- the environment, corporate crime, labor, mergers, consumer rights, corporate welfare, national health care, free trade agreements, redlining, blockbusting, multinational capital flight, tort reform, renewable energy, the commercialization of children, etc. -- make up less than 4% of the shows’ discussion topics...Corporate influence over the networks, the shows and the guests in part explains the remarkable omission of issues related to corporate power. Multinational conglomerates own the networks, major corporations sponsor specific shows, businesses regularly pay celebrity journalist lecture fees, and massive corporations fund the campaigns of the guest newsmakers. (Essential Information, 12 July 2001)

NGOs Air Concerns On Trading System At WTO Symposium (ICTSD Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 10 July 2001)

Like Minded Group Sets Out Positions Before Doha: Trade Ambassadors from the Like Minded Group (LMG) -- a 13 member developing countries coalition -- elaborated their positions on various WTO issues in an interactive dialogue with journalists and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) held on 5 July in Geneva. (ICTSD Bridges Weekly Trade News Digest, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, 10 July 2001)

Minister pins hopes on fair trade: Patricia Hewitt, the [UK] industry secretary, yesterday bluntly told globalisation protesters that their demands would block the world's poor from pathways out of poverty. (Patrick Wintour, Guardian [UK], 10 July 2001)

Open Societies, Freedom, Development and Trade (speech by World Trade Organization Director-General Mike Moore, WTO Symposium on Issues Confronting the World Trading System, 6 July 2001)

The Global Alternative [What are the elements of a transnational New Deal, and how do we bring one about? The emerging global social-democratic alternative involves a "grand bargain" between the two wings of the opposition: The developed world would get protection for its social standards, and the developing world would receive the flexibility and capital investment it needs for growth.] (Jeff Faux, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001)

Government without Democracy [Don't believe that the global economy is "anarchic." It is governed all too effectively in the interests of its sponsors.] (Richard C. Longworth, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001)

From Protest to Program [Critics of the inequities of globalisation have won a seat at the table. Can they change global policy?] (Michael Massing, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001) 

Localizing Globalization [NAFTA undercut state regulation. But as NAFTA targets the entire hemisphere (with the proposed FTAA), states are fighting back.] (Chris Mooney, American Prospect, 2-16 July 2001)

Globalization and its impact on the full enjoyment of human rights: Progress report submitted by J. Oloka-Onyango and Deepika Udagama (United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 2 July 2001)

The impact of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights on human rights: Report of the High Commissioner (report prepared for United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 27 June 2001)

Free Trade and Sweatshops: Is global trade doing more harm than good? - Perhaps the fundamental question about globalization is whether it helps or hurts workers, particularly in developing countries. Insight asked Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange and David Henderson of the Hoover Institution to engage in an e-mail debate. (San Francisco Chronicle, 24 June 2001)

Intellectual property rights and human rights: Report of the Secretary-General (United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, 14 June 2001)

TRADE: ILO Proposes Commission To Air Social Fears: International Labor Organization Director-General Juan Somavia yesterday proposed establishment of a commission on the social dimensions of globalization. Diplomats say establishment of the body could remove a significant obstacle for the launch of new World Trade Organization talks. (UN Wire, 12 June 2001)

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY: Call for clean technology to boost exports - Green barriers being put up by Europe [Thailand] (Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, Bangkok Post, 6 June 2001)

Sustainability and trade (briefing paper for World Summit on Sustainable Development, published by IIED [International Institute for Environment and Development] and RING [Regional and International Networking Group], June 2001)

DEVELOPMENT: LDC [Least Developed Countries] Conference Ends With Adoption Of Action Plan (UN Wire, 21 May 2001)

Progress for poor hard to spot at UN conference [Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Brussels, 14-20 May 2001] (Frances Williams, Financial Times, 21 May 2001)

UN Conference in 10-year Rescue Plan for World's Poorest [Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Brussels, 14-20 May 2001] (Allen Nacheman, Agence France Presse, 20 May 2001)

DEVELOPMENT: UNCTAD Says Market Access Would Help LDCs [Least Developed Countries] (UN Wire, 18 May 2001)

Facing Global Power: Strategies for Global Unionism [including Part 1: Corporate Power and the World Social Economy] (Vic Thorpe and Professor Jeffrey Harrod,  ICEM [ International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine & General Workers' Unions] SECOND WORLD CONGRESS, 18 May 2001)

Action not promises That is what developing countries need (leader/editorial, Guardian [UK], 16 May 2001)

Secretary-General [UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan] Urges NGOs to Campaign For Genuinely Open Markets [The Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) Forum at the 3rd United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries] (M2 Presswire, 15 May 2001)

'The challenge of eradicating poverty; international community response' special event at Brussels conference on Least Developed Countries (Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Brussels, 14-20 May 2001, 14 May 2001)

Rigged trade and not much aid: how rich countries help to keep the Least Developed Countries poor (Oxfam GB [Great Britain], 14 May 2001)

TRADE: Restrictions Cost World's Poor 2.5b Dollars Each Year - Oxfam (Brian Kenety, Inter Press Service, 13 May 2001)

EU sees potential clash between WTO, green pacts (Reuters, 7 May 2001)

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD: Farmers told to expect tough patent laws in the future: Strong trade barriers also on the cards [Thailand] (Ranjana Wangvipula, Bangkok Post, 6 May 2001)

US urges 'green' guidelines: The US is urging countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to agree this month to a common set of environmental guidelines for national export credit agencies. (Edward Alden, Financial Times, 3 May 2001)

U.S.: Monetary Penalties on Labor Rights Backed: U.S. Must Keep Labor Rights in Trade Pacts (Human Rights Watch, 27 Apr. 2001)

Concerns Regarding Changes to US-Jordan Trade Agreement: Letter from LCHR [Lawyers Committee for Human Rights] to US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick regarding negotiations to "modify" the recent US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, 12 Apr. 2001)

Human rights a divisive issue: Activists want them included in trade pact; business says 'no way' (Sue Montgomery, Montreal Gazette, 3 Apr. 2001)

Chasing the holy grail of free trade: Towards a 'Free Trade Area of the Americas' (Dorval Brunelle, Le Monde Diplomatique, Apr. 2001)

International Trade Should Protect Human Rights (Rights & Democracy, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, 29 Mar. 2001)

U.S. Manufacturers Bring High Labor, Environmental Standards to Overseas Operations, New Study Finds: Joint Survey by NAM [National Association of Manufacturers] and Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Finds ‘Race to Top,’ Not Bottom (National Association of Manufacturers, 24 May 2001)

Trade Dilemma: Should Trade Agreements Champion Workers' Rights?  (panel discussion, Peter Morici [Professor of International Business at the University of Maryland and Senior Fellow at the Economic Strategy Institute], Sam W. Brown Jr. [Executive Director of the Fair Labor Association], Michael Moore [writer and film director], P.J. O'Rourke [Foreign Affairs Editor for Rolling Stone], Reuters Forum, at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 21 Mar. 2001)

Taming Globalization for People and the Planet (Dr. Robert Cox, President of Sierra Club, and Daniel Seligman, Senior Trade Fellow of Sierra Club, Georgetown International Affairs Journal, forthcoming)

Guatemalan Rights Probe Tied To Trade (Jane Bussey, Miami Herald, 10 Mar. 2001)

A route out of poverty: Industrialised countries should follow the EU's lead in giving greater market access to the poorest nations (UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in Financial Times, 4 Mar. 2001)

Fighting free trade laws (Naomi Klein, Guardian [UK], 1 Mar. 2001)

Trading in Illusions: Advocates of global economic integration hold out utopian visions of the prosperity that developing countries will reap if they open their borders to commerce and capital. This hollow promise diverts poor nations' attention and resources from the key domestic innovations needed to spur economic growth. (Dani Rodrik, Professor of International Political Economy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, in Foreign Policy, Mar.-Apr. 2001)

Trading in Illusions (Dani Rodrik, Foreign Policy, Mar. 2001)

General Agreement on Trade in Services: Press Briefing (World Development Movement, Mar. 2001)

A Human Rights Framework for Trade in the Americas (Diana Bronson and Lucie Lamarche, Rights & Democracy, International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, Mar. 2001)

New Economy, Old Politics: Do We Need New Rules to Ensure Fair Growth? (panel discussion, Pete Engardio [acting Asian Edition for Business Week], Thomas M. T. Niles [President, United States Council for International Business], John G. Ruggie [U.N. Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Adviser for strategic planning to Secretary-General Kofi Annan], Joseph E. Stiglitz [Senior Fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution and Professor of Economics at Stanford University], Lori Wallach [Director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch], Reuters Forum, at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, 14 Feb. 2001)

Patent Injustice: How World Trade Threatens the Health of Poor People (Oxfam briefing paper, Feb. 2001

Should Countries Promote Foreign Direct Investment? (Gordon H. Hanson, University of Michigan Department of Economics and School of Business Administration, G-24 Discussion Paper Series, paper no. 9, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Feb. 2001)

A Grand Trade Bargain: Closing the Wealth Gap (David Sanger, Foreign Affairs, Jan./Feb. 2001)

A Greener Fast Track: Putting Environmental Protection on the Trade Agenda [specific policy proposals for U.S. negotiators] (John J. Audley, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2001)

2000:

Poorest Countries Left Behind by Trade Boom (Jim Lobe, Inter Press Service, 6 Dec. 2000)

What's Wrong with World Trade? (Friends of the Earth, Sep. 2000)

The Reality of Sustainable Trade (International Institute for Environment and Development, 2000)

Sustaining the rag trade (International Institute for Environment and Development, 2000) 

Commentary: Take a Break, Trade Bullies...Problem: How to get developing nations to accept standards for environment and labor. Solution: Tone down the West's rhetoric (Paul Magnusson, Business Week, 6 Nov. 2000)

Inclusion of Environmental, Labor Issues in U.S.-Jordan Trade Pact Is Important Step To More Balanced Trade Approach (Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, 24 Oct. 2000)

UNEP head for cooperation on trade and environment (Lean Ka-Min, Third World Network, 24 Oct. 2000)

Canada's trade agenda needs to focus on development, says new report (North-South Institute, 21 Aug. 2000)

Prevailing economic policies lead to poverty - A Plea for Socially Responsible Economic Policy (joint declaration by Swiss NGOs, June 2000)

Trade, Labor & the Environment (Brookings Institution, Resources for the Future, Apr. 2000)

Labour Standards and World Trade Law: Interfacing Legitimate Concerns:...We submit that the WTO labour-related measures should focus on a product-related approach while the implementation of broader policies and efforts should be pursued within the ILO (Thomas Cottier and Alexandra Caplazi, Institute of European & International Economic Law, University of Berne, Mar. 2000)

Trading the Environment (Shalmali Guttal, Focus on the Global South, 9 Feb. 2000)

Separate and Unequal: Trade and Human Rights Regimes (Roger Normand, UNDP Human Development Report 2000: Human Rights and Human Development Background Paper, U.N. Development Programme, 2000)

1999:

Building Workers' Human Rights into the Global Trading System (International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, Nov. 1999)

A Trade Policy that Works for Everyone: Why It Matters and What it Will Take (Gare Smith, Levi Strauss & Co., 12 Oct. 1999)

Enough is Enough: Third World Intellectuals and NGOs' Statement Against Linkage (Centre for International Trade, Economics & Environment, India, 1999)

1998:

The Evolution of Corporate Responsibility: From Unbridled Markets to Mature Capitalism (Roy Culpeper, President, North-South Institute, address to The Canadian Centre for Ethics and Corporate Policy, Toronto, 2 Dec. 1998)

Building Markets for Sustainable Trade (Nick Robbins, International Institute for Environment and Development, 29 Oct. 1998) 

Global Markets and Corporate Responsibility (Joe Clark, Member of Canadian Parliament, address at the Royal Bank of Canada, Toronto, 30 June 1998)

Reconnecting to Social Responsibility: Canada's Financial Sector (North-South Institute, 20 May 1998)

1997:

Human Rights: APEC's Missing Agenda (International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, Sep. 1997)

1994:

Sierra Club Conservation Policies: International Trade Policy (Sierra Club, 1994)