As we know that Ministerial Level meeting of WTO is going to be organized in HongKong from 13 Dec.to 18 Dec.I want to draw your attention that the framework for negotiations on non-agricultural market access(NAMA) is contained in Article 16 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration from 2001 and developed countries have been pushing hard for a very aggressive tariff liberalization which is far from the interests of developing countries. Handloom weavers have already been losing their jobs and facing starvation. In this respect cases of weavers Vishambher and Kanhaiya of village Shankerpur in district Varanasi of India should be taken in to account which had been reported by PVCHR.Despite it 39 more deaths of weavers were reported by media in Varanasi district of India.PVCHR urges that at ministerial meeting in HongKong proposal of NAMA must be defeated at all costs otherwise it would have disastrous effect on weavers,farmers and small traders of the country. PVCHR has published a book on NAMA, which has heading Handloom has become live grave for weavers on International Day against violence on Women, Karma Festival was organized by Hong Kong based AHRC and Varanasi based PVCHR at Rajendra Prasad Ghat in Varanasi. At this occasion Karma dance was performed by Ghasia Tribe against WTO and afore said book on NAMA was inaugurated by Pt Vikash Maharaj. Dr Lenin of PVCHR is going to join Conference on Globalising Economic Justice and Social Sustainability in HongKong along with this book to discuss the adverse effect of WTO on developing countries. He is participating in this conference as partner of Asian Human Rights Commission of Hong Kong.
Therefore we demand from Indian Government and from other Governments of developing and developed countries of the world, which as follows:
Halt the current NAMA negotiations
Reject the current NAMA negotiating text of July 2004 and bring forward an alternative, pro-development and pro-poor text
Carry out a full, independent assessment of the potential developmental and environmental impacts of the NAMA negotiations.
Halt all WTO negotiations, WB-IMF structural adjustment program.
Recommendations of South Asian Peoples Forum for peoples SAARC (15-17 Jan.,2005):
Food sovereignty
We believe the right to food is a fundamental right and must be assured through guarantees to equality in work, justice and uniform minimum wages, and land entitlement.
We recommend that relief and aid should be culturally sensitive and value adding, and uphold that hunger and starvation are unacceptable.
Globalization and International Finance and Trade
We believe the existing policies of multilateral aid and trade organizations are anti-people and perpetuate unemployment, poverty and inequalities.
We advocate that all aid and trade agreements and instruments be subject to public scrutiny to ensure transparency and accountability.
We uphold the need for collective SAARC representation and uniform standards for negotiations on aid and trade instruments and the formulation of a common social responsibility standard to govern FDI.
We oppose privatization, particularly that of social infrastructure.
We oppose Foreign Direct Investment without effective social controls and strongly endorse the promotion of small and medium enterprises through peoples markets.
We believe the World Trade Organization is not ratified by the people and advocates only freedom of capital, and ask SAARC to work towards the democratization of the WTO through inclusion of civil society organizations in negotiations.
We ask SAARC to move towards the creation of an economic community to suit the peoples interest and step back from free trade envisaged under the SAFTA, which is an extension of the WTO model.
We believe that the existing ownership of intellectual property and laws governing violations are flawed and advocate stiff penalties for those infringing into the traditional knowledge and services belonging to developing countries.
Recommendations from The Benares Declaration(26 June 2003):
1.Oppose the American led imperialistic rule and the suppressing regimes and exploitation. Oppose the Indian decision to send military to Iraq and pressurize that force should not be send despite parliaments agreement.
2. The economic policies made under the influence of World Bank, IMF, G-8, World Trade Organization and transnational companies have brought unemployment. People would be made aggressive against such policies and support movements against these policies and the government would not be allowed to step back from welfare State.
3. We oppose the Governments plan to connect our major rivers despite the ecological implications and ignoring the more urgent problem of pollution of almost all our rivers. We will oppose any move to give control of our Common property resources to Multinational companies and resolve to protect the marginal community and its interests.
4. We resolve to boycott Soft drinks like Coca Cola and Pepsi marketed by multinationals, inform the public about the harmful side effects of Coca-Cola and Pepsi and all products of Hindustan Livers.
5. Equal, Secular, Free Compulsory elementary education is the responsibility of the government and the gimmicks with education should be stopped. Landless should be granted land and men and women equally, remove Article 20 of the Forest Act, prohibiting Adivasis use of their land and eliminate multinational control of common property resources.
6. Government provide guarantee of employment and aid to the unemployed.
7. Demand centralized law for landless agricultural laborers and domestic workers...
8. Ensure purchase of weavers and farmers produce while the Public distribution System prices should be brought at half of present process...
9.Indian industrialists have not paid 1.57 lacs cores to the banks, which that had taken as credits. They should be taken back while the loans of poor farmer should be excluded. 10.We opposes the Kanhar Dam Project and the Concept of Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
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We are looking your kind intervention for pro-weavers and farmers initiative.