|
CIVIL
SOCIETY STATEMENT |
Signed
by 156 organisations from 49 countries as of 24 May 2002
UN
member governments have an opportunity in Johannesburg to make a clear
statement concerning the relationship between Multilateral Environmental
Agreements (MEAs) and WTO trade rules, in order to reaffirm the authority
and autonomy of MEAs and to ensure that MEAs are not subordinated to or
undermined by the WTO.
At
the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in Qatar, WTO Members
decided to launch negotiations on the relationship between MEAs and trade
rules because there has been some uncertainty about the relationship
between certain MEA provisions and WTO trade rules.
Today, around 20 MEAs have trade-related provisions.
It
is known that due to the rapid development of WTO rules with strong
enforcement measures, the implementation of some MEA trade provisions have
suffered from a “chilling” effect, with some members arguing that some
MEA trade provisions would not be compatible with WTO rules.
Negotiations
will come to first results at the next WTO Ministerial Conference in
Mexico in mid 2003.
At
stake here is the very question of global governance, where the MEAs
represent a rare and strategically important space in today's
international governance architecture to protect people and the planet.
They must be defended and strengthened as a countervailing force to WTO
rules.
WHAT
SHOULD GOVERNMENTS DO NOW
During
the preparatory process for, as well as at, the World Summit on
Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg, the World Summit on
Sustainable Development should:
-
Reaffirm the authority and autonomy of MEAs; and
-
Clarify that the objectives, principles, and provisions of MEAs must not be subordinated to WTO rules.
Signed
first by:
1.
Friends
of the Earth International
2.
Greenpeace
International
3.
Northern
Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED)
4.
Third
World Network
5.
Sierra
Club
6.
WWF
International
Additional
signatories:
7.
11.11.11.-
Coalition of the Flemish North-South Movement, Belgium
8.
A l'Ecoute de
la Nature, France
9.
Action
Canada for Population and Development, Canada
10.
ADOME,
France
11.
Advocay
for Environmental Restoration Zambia (AREZ)
12.
AGEZ
(Arbeitsgemeinschaft Entwicklungszusammenarbeit), Austria
13.
Africa-Europe
Faith and Justice Network (AEFJN)
14.
Albury-Wodonga
Environment Centre, Australia
15.
Allergy,
Sensitivity & Environmental Health Association Qld Inc, Australia
16.
Amici
della Terra/Friends of the Earth Italy
17.
Anti-Globalisation
Network, UK
18.
Asia
Pacific Environmental Exchange (APEX)
19.
Attac
Austria
20.
Basel
Action Network (BAN), US
21.
BC
Council for International Cooperation, Canada
22.
Biowatch
South Africa
23.
Both
ENDS, the Netherlands
24.
Bretton
Woods Project, UK
25.
BUND/Friends
of the Earth Germany
26.
Campagna per
la Riforma della Banca Mondiale/Campaign to Reform the World Bank, Italy
27.
Canadian
Council for International Cooperation, Canada
28.
Caroline
Lucas, MEP, UK
29.
Center
for Development of International Law (CDIL), US
30.
Christenen
voor het Socialisme, Belgium
31.
Coalition
Clean Baltic - Latvia
32.
CODEFF/Friends
of the Earth Chile
33.
Coecoceiba/Friends
of the Earth Costa Rica
34.
COHPEDA/AdT-Haiti
35.
COS
Groningen, the Netherlands
36.
De
Kleine Aarde, Centre for Sustainable Lifestyles (The Small Earth),
Boxtel, Holland
37.
Die Verbraucher
Initiative, Germany
38.
Dodo -
Living Nature For The Future, Finland
39.
Earthlife
Africa Johannesburg
40.
Ecodesarollo
Gaia, Spain
41.
Ecoropa,
France
42.
Environmental
Center Biostan, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
43.
Environment
Centre of the Northern Territory, Australia
44.
eThekwini
ECOPEACE, South Africa
45.
Energy
Club, Budapest, Hungary
46.
European
Environmental Bureau
47.
Evert
Vermeer Foundation, the Netherlands
48.
FAO
Community IPM in Indonesia
49.
FERN,
Belgium
50.
FIELD (Farmer's
Initiatives for Ecological Livelihoods and Democracy), Indonesia
51.
Finnish
Association for Nature Conservation (Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto),
Finland
52.
"For
Civil Society", Kyrgyzstan
53.
For
Poole Agenda 21, UK
54.
Forum
for Ssytemdebatt/Forum for System Debate, Sweden
55.
Friends
of the Earth Cyprus
56.
Friends
of the Earth Middle East
57.
FUTURA,
Spain
58.
Germanwatch
e.V., Bonn/Berlin, Germany
59.
Global
Cooperation Council
60.
Global
Network Against Weapons ans Nuclear Power in Space
61.
Green
Alliance, UK
62.
Green
Belt Movement, Kenya
63.
Green
Cross Sweden
64.
Green
Youth of Sweden
65.
Grönfront,
the Netherlands
66.
HELIO
International
67.
Hnuti
DUHA/Friends of the Earth Czech Republic
68.
Humanist
Institute for Co-operation with Developing countries (HIVOS), the
Netherlands
69.
Indonesian
IPM (Integrated Pest Management) Farmers' Association, Indonesia
70.
Informationsgruppe
Lateinamerika (IGLA), Austria
71.
Initiatives
de Développement Stratégique - Stratégic Development Initiative
(IDS), France
72.
Institute
for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), US
73.
Institute
for Economic Relocalisation, France
74.
Irish
Seedsavers Association, Ireland
75.
International
NGO Task Group on Legal and Institutional Matters (INTGLIM)
76.
Japan
Network on Debt & Poverty, member of ICDA, Japan
77.
KEPA -
Service Centre for Development Cooperation, Finland
78.
KFEM(Korean
Federation for Environmental Movement), Korea
79.
K.U.L.U.
- Women and Development, Denmark
80.
KWIA,
Flemish Support Group for Indigenous Peoples, Belgium
81.
Le Forum
Maghrébin pour l'environnement et le développement ONG, Morocco
82.
Legambiente,
Italy
83.
Les Verts,
Morocco
84.
LIVANINGO,
Mocambique
85.
Maan
Ystävät/Friends of the Earth Finland
86.
MAMA
TERRA / For Mother Earth-Romania
87.
Milieudefensie/
Friends of the Earth Netherlands
88.
Mineral
Policy Institute, Sydney, Australia
89.
Monitoring
Network Health and Environment (Meldpunten Netwerk Gezondheid en
Milieu), the Netherlands
90.
Move
Your World, the Netherlands
91.
National
Toxics Network Inc., Australia
92.
Natur
og Ungdom (Nature & Youth), Denmark
93.
Naturhomist
International, India
94.
Nea
Ecologia-Friends of the Earth Greece
95.
Network
for Fresh Water Advocacy, Indonesia
96.
NM
Ecoglasnost/FoE Bulgaria
97.
Norwegian
Forum on Development and Environment, Norway
98.
Open
University, UK
99.
Oxfam
International
100. Pacific
Institute of Resource Management, New Zealand
101. Pasumai
Thaayagam (Green Mother Land-NGO), Pakistan
102. Paul
Lannoye, MEP, Belgium
103. Peaceboat,
Japan
104. Pelum
Tanzania Network, Tanzania
105. Plight
of The Redwoods Campaign, USA
106. Polaris
Institute, Canada
107. Public
Services International
108. Programme
Sustainable Development, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands
109. Pro
Natura/Friends of the Earth Switzerland
110. Public
Citizen, US
111. Rechord,
UK
112. Robin
Harper MSP, Leader of the Scottish Green Party
113. Senator
Andrew Bartlett, Federal Democrat Senator from Queensland, Australia
114. Social
Action Office(CLRIQ), Australia
115. Socio-Ecological
Union International, Russia
116. Solagral,
France
117. SOMO,
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, the Netherlands
118. South
Hams Sustainable Development Group, UK
119. Southpanafrican
Ghana, European Office
120. Sustainable
Population Australia
121. Stichting
Aarde, the Netherlands
122. Suedwind
NÖ, Austria
123. Swedish
Society for the Conservation of Nature, Sweden
124. Taiwan
Environmental Protection Union, Taiwan
125. Terra
Curanda; Globus, Tilburg University, NL-Argentina
126. Transnational
Institute, the Netherlands
127. The
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
128. The
Australian Greens, Australia
129. The
Baltic Centre, Riga
130. The
Danish Ecological Council, Denmark
131. The
Danish Society for Conservation of Nature, Denmark
132. The
Danish 92 Group, Denmark
133. The
European Christian Environmental Network (ECEN)
134. The
future in our hands, Sweden
135. The
Green Library, Lund Sweden
136. The
Green Party of South Africa
137. The
Green Socialist Network, UK
138. The
Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Australia
139. The
Women's Alliance of the Netherlands (Vrouwen Alliantie)
140. Union
for Defence of the Aral Sea and Amudarya (UDASA), Uzbekistan
141. Ukrainian
Environment Asociation Zeleny Svit, Ukraine
142. VABIKU,
Austria
143. VAK
Green Center, Latvia
144. Vereniging
INZET, Associations for North-South Campaigns, the Netherlands
145. VODO
(Flemish Platform on Sustainable Development), Belgium
146. VOICE
(Voice of Irish Concern for the Environment), Ireland
147. WALHI
(Indonesian Forum for Environment)/ Friends of the Earth Indonesia
148. Warwick
& Leamington Green Party, UK
149. Werkgroep
Globalisering DD, the Netherlands
150. Wildlife
and Environment Society of South Africa
151. Womens
International League for Peace and Freedom, France
152. Women's
Network for Sustainability, Canada
153. World
Federalist Movement
154. WWF
Denmark
155. "Yanus"
Environmental-Legal NGO, Armenia
156. Young
Volunteers for Environment of Togo
Countries
in total:
49, including Argentinia, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada,
Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Japan, Italy, Kenya,
Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Ireland, Latvia, Middle East (groups from Israel,
Jordan and Palestine), Morocco, Mocambique, Netherlands, Pakistan, New
Zealand, Norway, Romania, Russia, Spain, South Africa, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, Togo, Tanzania, UK, US, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zambia
If
you still wish to sign on, send the name of your organisation and the
country to wssd@foeeurope.org
Regular
updated lists will be published at http://www.rio-plus-10.org