- What is the WTO?
The World Trade Organisation.
- Who is in charge of the WTO?
The new Director General is Mr Mike
Moore of New Zealand. Mr Moore is sitting in for the
first half of the term starting 1st of September.
Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi of Thailand, will serve the
second half with a three-year term beginning 1 September
2002.
- When was it established?
1st January 1995.
- How did the WTO start?
It was created by the last GATT (General
Agreement on Trade and Tariffs) negotiations called
the Uruguay Round (1986-94)
- Where are the headquarters located?
Geneva, Switzerland
- Does it have a membership?
Yes. There are now 134 member countries
as of 10th of February, 1999
- What is its Budget?
122 million Swiss francs for 1999 for
500 Secretarial staff.
- What are the functions of the WTO?
According the WTO, they: Administer
WTO trade agreements.
Provide a forum
for trade negotiations.
Handle trade disputes.
Monitor national trade policies.
Assistance in technical and training for developing
countries.
Provide cooperation with other international organisations.
- Who holds the balance of power in the WTO?
The agenda of the WTO is largely steered
by the common interests held by Japan, Canada, the EU
and US. They are referred to as the ‘Quad’. This combined
power can undermine the interests shared by the other
130 countries including Australia that
are not as powerful.
- What implications does this have for us?
- Moving beyond its historic role of setting tariffs
and quotas, the WTO now deals with non-tariff barriers
to trade (ie health & environmental standards) as
well as every imaginable regulation that might somehow
‘distort’ or ‘obstruct’ the free flow of goods and services.
- The "Pay the Polluter" principle
is applied under the new WTO definition of "expropriation",
which can allow foreign investors to sue governments
for passing any legislation, in the public interest,
that reduces profits from a planned investment.
This will discourage new environmental protection.
- It will weaken the duty of governments to ensure that
foreign investments do not harm their constituents;
by allowing business groups to use the WTO system to
pursue their interests against governments which may
favour enforcing rights for their unions, environmental,
community, consumers & or indigenous groups etc.
- It guarantees the right of large corporations and
financial institutions to come and go anywhere they
please on their own terms, and therefore play one country
against another for the most favourable ‘climate’ for
investment, leading to a downward spiral of labour &
environmental standards.
- The WTO may consider international boycotts against
dictatorships as illegal trade barriers. Plus all international
treaties signed by Australia to protect human, economic,
cultural, political rights etc.
- It would eventually lead to the borderless world envisaged
by the WTO.
- Why should this concern you?
It will destroy democracy in Australia
forever because:
- It impairs the rights of individuals to participate
in decisions impacting on social, cultural & economic
rights.
- It excludes individuals from the adjudication of disputes
regarding dispossession of resources & investment.
- Laws enacted by Australia to protect our culture,
workers, environment & indigenous rights are subject
to the "rollback" clause, meaning a
gradual phase-out. Included is the "standstill"
clause, our inability as a sovereign nation to renew,
strengthen, or enact new legislation to protect these
rights once they have been ‘rolledback’.
- Australia can sign this without Parliament’s consent.
- Both the Australian Labor and Liberal Parties are
united in their support for this new WTO round.
- WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Ring & write to your local paper,
talkback radio station & MP and ask them: Where is
the public debate? Ring up your local councillors. Let
them know of your concern. Get involved with the ‘StopWTOround’
campaign. Lodge your protest with the DFAT, Address them
to:
Mr Steve Moran. Trade Negotiations
Division Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
R G Casey Building BARTON ACT 0221 Phone
02 / 6261 2980 Facsimile 02 / 6261 3514 trade.consult@dfat.gov.au
For more details visit our website: http://www.nettrek.com.au/~brian
E-mail the Victorian ‘StopWTOround’ coordinators:
Alan Griffiths composer@alphalink.com.au
Serena O’Meley <sophia@pipeline.com.au>
