Making World Trade a Successful Tool for Development [antikvár]

Will the upcoming WTO Ministerial Conference to be held soon in Hong Kong fulfil the expectations of progressives worldwide? This booklet, the first publication of the Global Progressive Forum (GPF), aims at presenting new perspectives on trade and development in order to understand the issues at stake. I would like to thank the members of the GPF "Trade and Poverty" Group, which includes socialist and social-democratic politicians, trade unionists, NGO representatives and high ranking officials from international organisations, for having expressed their vision and hopes for a successful 6th WTO ministerial conference. By contributing to this debate, the booklet alsó calls for a mobilisation in favour of a positive conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda. Four years after its adoption in 2001, the rich countries still have not met the commitments undertaken in Doha. It is essential that these are carried out in order to reach the targets set by the Millennium Development Goals and to effectively answer the Global Call to Action against Poverty. The equation is well-known. How should the product of an ever more unequally distributed wealth be shared, in order to integrate the weaker economies into the global markét and guarantee a sustainable and balanced development for all? On the other hand, how do we ensure that sharing this wealth will improve the living and working conditions of the poorest inhabitants of the planet? Expectations are high, and the challenges faced by the progressive community from the North and the South are immense. I believe that the WTO is neither evil nor a panacea, but that it must be put to the service of truly regulated and fair trade relations. The role of the WTO should focus on being an impartial arbitrator and regulator of multilateralism, in order to ensure that the law of the strongest does not prevail. These rules should have a certain degree of flexibility in order to respond to different economic realities. A certain mix of asymmetry is necessary to allow the weaker to be protected and guarantee the common good. For us, trade is a means, not an end. This is why trade should abide by social, environmental and health rules. Somé goods and services are not for sale; others should be protected. For this reason, it is urgent to rapidly create an UN Humán Development Council, a sort of Economic and Social Security Council overseeing a reformed and more democratic WTO. Such an organisation would alsó supervise the Bretton Woods institutions and the ILO, and would guarantee the coherence of their policies through the establishment of a hierarchy of norms. The fear of the future is a concern for workers from the South as well as from the North. International economic competition, financial speculation, and the search for short-sighted profit maximisation are flouting the legitimate wishes of millions of people to live in dignity and to offer their children a better future. The GPF very much supports the "decent work" agenda, which guarantees good working conditions and salaries, equality between women and men, collective bargaining and representation. This is not hidden protectionism, but a fundamental right for workers and a prerequisite for lasting humán development. Workers are an asset, not a burden on society. The Progressive forces, which have continually fought for social progress from one generation to the next, should now come forward with a "Global New Deal" for sustainable development. Many remarkable proposals can be found in this publication. I hope you will enjoy reading this booklet as much as I have, and that together, on 18 December 2005, we will be able to catch a glimpse of a better world.