Abandon Doha—Confront the Crises!

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The 7th Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was held in Geneva in the midst of multiple crises, when people all over the world are demanding that governments take decisive action to protect their livelihoods from the dangers of corporate led globalisation. The failure of deregulation and liberalisation that the WTO locks in through its trade regime are all too evident to the ordinary people in the world. That this Ministerial was a non-negotiating meeting, is a reflection of the massive resistance to the WTO trade regime from workers, farmers, fishers and social movements from across the world. Trade ministers did not come to Geneva empowered with a popular mandate to move forward the negotiations. But in an inexplicable but expected disconnect to the realities back home, many of them have called for a speedy conclusion to the Doha Round in 2010.

Fifteen years after its inception, the WTO is further away than ever from an equitable, just, rulesbased multilateral trading system that can foster development. Since its launch eight years ago, it has become progressively more evident that the Doha Development Round is completely antagonistic to the real priorities of peoples in developing countries. Instead, the demands of the global powers continue to set the agenda for trade negotiations and are doing so in a climate of fear where the 'blame game' has become the order of the day. Any country that is not prepared to support the speedy conclusion of the Doha Round is in danger of being blamed for the failure of the multilateral trading system.

The WTO is not a solution to the multiple crises that the world is facing. On the contrary, evidence shows that WTO trade rules are more a cause of and will exacerbate the current food, financial and climate crises. If the the main purpose of this ministerial meeting was to examine the role of the WTO in the current global economic environment, then governments must:

• Immediately halt all negotiations on the Doha Round;

• Reverse WTO commitments and reject progressive liberalisation;

• Conduct comprehensive development audits of the impacts of WTO trade on local and national economies;

• In collaboration with national constituencies, develop new trade rules that will ensure food sovereignty, financial, economic and environmental security and climate justice;

Governments: listen to your people! Abandon Doha! Confront the Crises!

Endorsed by:

ActionAid International

AFRIKA-EUROPA NETWERK NETHERLANDS

AFTINET

Agribusiness Action Initiatives (AAI)

Alliance of Progressive Labour, Philippines

ATTAC Argentina

ATTAC Austria

ATTAC France

ATTAC Germany

ATTAC Japan

ATTAC Norway

Bharatiya Krishak Samaj, India

Blue Planet Project

Both ENDS

Campaign for the Welfare State

Center for Encounter and Active Non-Violence, Austria

Centre for Education and Communication (CEC), India

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Asia-Pacific

Colegiado de Gestão do INESC

Common Frontiers-Canada

Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO).

Council of Canadians

CRBM/Mani Tese, Italy

Development Alternatives with Womenf or a New Era (DAWN).

Ecologistas en Accion, Spain

Economic Justice Network

EQUATIONS India

Fair, Italy

Focus on the Global South

Fundacion Solon Bolivia

Global Network Asia

Hemispheric Social Alliance: Group of Agriculture and Commerce (gtac-asc)

IBON Foundation

India FDI Watch

Initiatives for Dialogue, Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS)

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

Institute for Global Justice, Indonesia

Intercultural Resources, India

International Forum on Globalization

International Gender and Trade Network

International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF)

Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya

Kilusang Mangingisda/ Fisherfolk Movement Philippines

La Via Campesina

Labour Education Research Network (LEARN), Philippines

MOSIP (Movimiento por el si de los Pueblos)

Ngo M.A.I.S. Italy

No to WTO Grassroots Campaign in Japan

Obsevatori del Deute en la Globalització (ODG), Catalona

Pambansang Kalipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid

Platform of Filipino Migrant Organisations in Europe

Commission for Filipino Migrant Workers

Polaris Institute

Red Brasilera por la Integracion de los Pueblos (REBRIP)

Red Mexicana de Accion frente al Libre Comercio (RMALC)

REDES--Friends of the Earth Uruguay

Resistanze and Alternative, Mauritius

RESPECT Network Europe

Stop the New Round Coalition Philippines

The Berne Declaration

The Development Fund, Norway

The Latin American Solidarity Committee of Norway

The Oakland Institute

Trade Strategy Group (TSG) , South Africa

Transnational Institute

Transnational Migrant Platform (TMP)

TWN Africa

War on Want

Women in Development in Europe (WIDE)

World Development Movement

平等の権利と正義委員会・日本（Equal Rights and Justice Committee, Japan)

On December 4, 2009