General Press Releases
Trade summit ‘threatens millions with poverty’
WTO attacked over democracy, hunger claims.
Ministers arrive in Geneva to prepare for crunch talks on global trade
Ministers arrive in Geneva to prepare for crunch talks on global trade
The World Trade Organisation’s last-minute push for a global trade deal threatens to throw millions more people into hunger and poverty in developing countries, the charity War on Want warns today.
The warning comes as ministers gather at the WTO in Geneva in their final effort to clinch an agreement to end the controversial Doha Round of trade talks launched seven years ago.
G8 leaders, including British prime minister Gordon Brown, claimed earlier this month that a WTO trade deal could help solve the crisis sparked by soaring food prices, which has seen riots in over 30 developing countries.
But, according to War on Want, forcing open the markets of such countries still further will deepen the crisis by handing greater control to multinational corporations which put their own profits before people’s needs.
John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want, said: “Developing countries are still being pressed to open up their markets, despite the risks involved, while rich countries fail to address their own farm subsidies. If the deal on the table goes through, millions of the world’s most vulnerable people stand to lose their jobs and fall into poverty. Ministers should abandon the talks before they cause long-term damage to the prospects of the world’s poor.”
War on Want points to the 100 million additional people left hungry by the food crisis in the first quarter of this year, bringing the world’s total to one billion.
It cites massive earnings in the same period for the world’s largest agribusiness corporations, which are cashing in on the crisis:
Grain giant Cargill, one of the USA’s largest private firms, recorded $1.03 billion net earnings, up 86 per cent, in the three months to end February this year.
US grain company Archer Daniels Midland reaped $913 million operating profit in the quarter to end March 2008, 54 per cent higher than for the same period last year.
And agribusiness corporation Bunge International made $867 million gross profit, a rise of 189 per cent.
War on Want also criticises WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy for preventing participation by the broad base of developing countries in the trade talks.
Under its own rules, the 152-member organisation was supposed to hold a full ministerial conference by the end of 2007, within two years of the 2005 ministerial held in Hong Kong.
Instead, War on Want says that Lamy is pressing ahead with an anti-democratic summit involving just over 30 ministers in closed ‘green room’ sessions. Other ministers may still come to Geneva, according to the charity, but they will not be invited to take part in the key negotiations.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The warning comes as ministers gather at the WTO in Geneva in their final effort to clinch an agreement to end the controversial Doha Round of trade talks launched seven years ago.
G8 leaders, including British prime minister Gordon Brown, claimed earlier this month that a WTO trade deal could help solve the crisis sparked by soaring food prices, which has seen riots in over 30 developing countries.
But, according to War on Want, forcing open the markets of such countries still further will deepen the crisis by handing greater control to multinational corporations which put their own profits before people’s needs.
John Hilary, Executive Director of War on Want, said: “Developing countries are still being pressed to open up their markets, despite the risks involved, while rich countries fail to address their own farm subsidies. If the deal on the table goes through, millions of the world’s most vulnerable people stand to lose their jobs and fall into poverty. Ministers should abandon the talks before they cause long-term damage to the prospects of the world’s poor.”
War on Want points to the 100 million additional people left hungry by the food crisis in the first quarter of this year, bringing the world’s total to one billion.
It cites massive earnings in the same period for the world’s largest agribusiness corporations, which are cashing in on the crisis:
Grain giant Cargill, one of the USA’s largest private firms, recorded $1.03 billion net earnings, up 86 per cent, in the three months to end February this year.
US grain company Archer Daniels Midland reaped $913 million operating profit in the quarter to end March 2008, 54 per cent higher than for the same period last year.
And agribusiness corporation Bunge International made $867 million gross profit, a rise of 189 per cent.
War on Want also criticises WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy for preventing participation by the broad base of developing countries in the trade talks.
Under its own rules, the 152-member organisation was supposed to hold a full ministerial conference by the end of 2007, within two years of the 2005 ministerial held in Hong Kong.
Instead, War on Want says that Lamy is pressing ahead with an anti-democratic summit involving just over 30 ministers in closed ‘green room’ sessions. Other ministers may still come to Geneva, according to the charity, but they will not be invited to take part in the key negotiations.
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The invitation-only ‘green room’ sessions are due to start at the WTO on Monday, 21 July. But Pascal Lamy has called for trade ministers to arrive in Geneva from 18 July for bilateral talks.
- EU ministers will also be meeting to prepare for the trade summit in Brussels from 18 July.
