WTO: Cause not Solution to the Crisis!! WTO TURNAROUND NOW!

Monday, 30 November 2009, 11:00

Geneve

For the past four years, proponents for WTO expansion have not called another Doha Round negotiating ministerial – despite a WTO requirement that ministerial conferences be held biannually. Why? Because they are afraid of another failure like the Seattle and Cancun Ministerials.

Speaker(s)

Myriam vander Stichele, Shalmali Guttal, Ambassador Nathan Irumba, Etienne Vlok

WHO: Members of Global Our World Is Not for Sale Network (OWINFS); including: (1) Ambassador Nathan Irumba, Southern and Eastern African Trade Information (2) Shalmali Guttal, Focus on Global South (3) Myriam Vander Stichele, Center for Research on International Corporations- SOMO, Europe (4) Etienne Vlok, SACTWU, South African.

WHAT: For the past four years, proponents for WTO expansion have not called another Doha Round negotiating ministerial – despite a WTO requirement that ministerial conferences be held biannually. Why? Because they are afraid of another failure like the Seattle and Cancun Ministerials.

Despite the current global economic, food and climate crisis, the same old Doha Round agenda remains on the table.

Calls continue to grow for WTO Turnaround – a halt to WTO expansion of the Doha Round, and a roll-back of the existing commitments under WTO, particularly those that have brought us to this state of crisis.

We invite you to meet leaders of social movements and civil society organizations from different regions that have come to Geneva to highlight the role that the WTO has played to cause the multiple crises, and provide alternatives to Ministers attending the 7th WTO Ministerial.

PRESS CONTACTS:

Verda Cook: verda.cook@gmail.com and +41 (0) 78 776 0178
Kinda Mohamadieh: kinda.mohamadieh@annd.org and +41 (0) 79 872 8738.