An open letter to trade ministers

As the World Trade Organization prepares for its December summit in Hong Kong, critical pre-meetings held this week in London and Geneva will determine whether the talks will finally deliver what they promised – development for the poorest people.

Closed-door policy
However, these meetings will be held behind closed doors and are exclusive, attended by a very small proportion of WTO members.

ActionAid demands that these meetings are scrapped and WTO procedures overhauled to make them transparent, inclusive and representative of all WTO members, particularly the poorest nations.

Development disaster?
At this critical stage, developing countries are being pressurised – particularly by the EU and the US – into accepting proposals at the WTO that will lead to massive job losses and the continued dumping of agricultural products.

The next few days represent rich countries’ last chance to avoid a development disaster at Hong Kong. The EU must drop its aggressive demands on market access for manufactured goods and services and make real cuts to trade-distorting subsidies.

A bad deal
If the final deal is anything like what is on the table at the moment, ActionAid International believes that poor countries at the WTO should make history and reject it.

Aftab Alam Khan
International Co-ordinator
Trade Justice Campaign
ActionAid International