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CUTS CITEE LInkages Update No.14 No.14, August-September 2002 |
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Linkages Update is a bi-monthly E-newsletter, which apprises readers on latest news, information and analysis related to the issue of linkages between trade & labour and trade & environment. If by chance you are receiving this e-newsletter inadvertantly, we apologise for the same. Please do let us know to make the necessary changes.
Contents Editor’s
Note News
Roundup Studies
and Reports Event
Reports Events
Announcement Editor’s
Note
Where
have All the Concerns Disappeared? Whether
it is the WTO Ministerial Meeting or the UN sponsored Financing for
Development Conference or the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD),
the poverty and development issue makes its way everywhere. Any
international meet, which aims to enhance economic and social welfare of
billions of poor, just cannot afford to overlook this very aspect of
development. The question arises, which is the most appropriate forum to
discuss sustainable development? There is no prize for guessing answer; it
is obviously WSSD, which is under way in the South African city of
Johannesburg. WSSD
is the forum, where issues related to sustainable development can be
addressed in a more appropriate and focused manner. The Johannesburg
Summit, after Doha and Monterrey, is the third major international event
of the last one year. There is a general feeling that unlike the Rio
Summit, held in 1992, this time the international community is little
better equipped to address the issue of sustainable development. However,
developed countries who generally play the role of dealmaker or breaker in
such kind of international meetings, are extremely unstatesmanlike in
their approach. In
WTO, they are always very vocal in pushing forward an agenda of
environment and sustainable development. It is not too long back, last
year at Doha, the European Union (EU) along with some other developed
countries finally got environment into the main work programme of the Doha
Development Agenda. A similar concern seems to be missing before as well
as during the current Johannesburg summit. Whatever
little concerns shown and actions proposed by them indicate that developed
countries are acting more like reluctant parents, who when have failed to
take proper care of their child, are now somehow trying to perform their
legitimate duty. The US’s initiative to forge public-private alliance,
called “partnership for development” at the ongoing WSSD for promoting
a range of projects meant to combat poverty, is most likely to benefit big
business than the poor. This proposal is also favoured by other rich
nations – the EU and Japan.
This
is not for the first time when US has put their business interests on the
top. Last year, they did not ratify Kyoto Protocol because it could have
had an adverse impact on the US economy. In fact, US by refusing from
being a party to the Kyoto Protocol, gave a big jolt to the entire
preparatory process of the WSSD. It was exactly ten years ago, George Bush
Senior torpedoed the Rio Summit by saying “America’s lifestyle is not
up for negotiation.” History repeats itself! On
the other hand, the EU, so far, is involved more in rhetoric than action.
Apart from supporting the partnership initiative, it has also pledged Euro
22bn extra ODA up to 2006. But this was a commitment under the Monterrey
Consensus. It
seems and is quite obvious that the main concern of developed counties is
not environment or sustainable development but their own commercial
interests. In WTO they clearly see that by pursuing the agenda of labour
and environment, they can practice protectionist trade policy in
a disguised form. The fate of the Doha Ministerial could have been
easily imagined, had developing country not given up on environment in
exchange for the EU’s consent for phasing-out domestic agriculture
subsidies. Perhaps, it would have met the same fate as Seattle. It only
reflects that up to what extent developed country can go if their business
interests are not met. This is the reason behind their ambivalence towards
the WSSD.
Pradeep
S. Mehta, Editor A
Global Campaign for Dismantling Protectionism Civil society representatives from
North and South and intergovernmental organisations at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development, launched the Jubilee 2010/2020 Campaign to
dismantle trade barriers and agriculture subsidies. It is being
orchestrated by an alliance of civil society groups from all over the
world under the leadership of CUTS. The movement is inspired by the
Jubilee 2000 campaign that led to debt relief for poor countries. It aims
to dismantle trade protectionism in labour intensive goods such as
textiles & clothing, where poor countries have marked production
advantages, by the year 2010 and agricultural products and subsidies by
the year 2020. This may help to halve poverty by 2015; a target arrived at
the UN Millennium Summit in 2000. Consequently, civil society groups,
church groups and trade unions are being called upon to harness their
energies and sentiments in support of the movement. Also, both rich and
poor nations’ leaders need to endorse the Jubilee 2010/2020 movement. A statement for the Jubilee 2010/2020 Campaign is being circulated and organisations from all over the world are invited to participate in the Campaign. Already over 50 groups and networks have supported the Campaign, which is expected to increase over time. It is available at www.petitiononline.com and at www.cuts-international.org. For
more: www.cuts-international.org/news-cuts.htm#Jubilee-2010-2020-campaign
News Roundup
Ecuador: Accord
Signed to Eliminate Child Labour in Banana Plantations Ecuador
has moved to eliminate child labor in a new accord signed by
representatives of the banana industry, UNICEF,
the ILO
and
the country's ministries of labor and education. Following growing
condemnation of the practice of employing children on banana plantations
in Ecuador, the world's largest exporter of the fruit, the new accord,
which will take effect in 12 months' time, will prohibit those under the
age of 15 from working on such farms. Ecuador's four largest
exporters – Bananera Noboa, Rey
Banano del Pacifico, AGROBAN
and
the Del Monte subsidiary in Ecuador, Bandecua --
are in the agreement. Human Rights Watch, which released a report in
April on the problem, has called for blocking banana exports from the
country. Banana producer Salomon Larrea
said
the new accord will give Ecuador the opportunity to defend itself from the
"ill-intentioned attacks of certain international organizations.” An ILO investigation has found working conditions
inside Cambodia’s apparel manufacturing industry showing “encouraging
signs of improvement”. The comments follow an ILO review of conditions
in 30 factories that produce garments for North America, Europe and other
developed countries, based on a monitoring programme set up in 1999. The
ILO said it found no evidence of child labour or sexual harassment,
although some problems remain. These reports are also of critical
importance as foreign buyers have said they use ILO monitoring information
to make purchasing decisions. Bush
Introduces Clear Skies Legislation The
Bush Administration introduced the legislation implementing a market-based
approach to reducing air pollution from power plants, known as the
“Clear Skies Act”. But a new national poll shows that most voters
reject this approach, preferring the mandatory emissions cuts and other
mechanisms contained in the existing Clean Air Act. The Bush
Administration calls the plan an aggressive program that would cut power
plant pollution by 70 percent and protect public health. Restructuring
Taxes to Shelter the Earth Many
countries have implemented taxes on environmentally destructive products
and activities while simultaneously reducing taxes on income. The scale of
tax shifting has been relatively small so far, accounting for only three
percent of tax revenues worldwide. It is increasingly clear, however, that
countries are recognising the power of tax restructuring to reach
environmental goals. Germany a leader in tax shifting, has implemented
environmental tax reform in several stages by lowering income taxes and
raising energy taxes. Defiant
Norway to Resume Whaling and Export to Iceland Norway,
which together with Iceland and Japan, has not signed an international ban
on trade of whale meat, once again started exporting minke whale meat and
blubber in mid-July. This is the first time since 1988 that Norway has
sold whale meat or blubber, but the recent shipment is likely to be
followed by other shipments both to Iceland and Japan in coming months.
Most fishing nations were persuaded to ban commercial whaling in 1986. The
ban was supported by a separate Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) provision that came into force in 1975 that
bars the import and export of whale products. The Norwegian government was
reported to be treating the issue as a matter of its sovereignty over the
management of its resources. Japan only allows whaling for ‘scientific
research’, but critics allege that most of the minke whales hunted by
Japanese ships are used commercially. Britain
Falls Behind Green Energy Targets – Report Britain
is falling behind its targets to replace polluting fossil fuel with clean
renewable energy, threatening goals to cut greenhouse gas emissions to
curb global warming, a Parliamentary report said. “On the present rate
of progress, we are likely to fall well below even the modest targets
which the government has set,” John Horam, Member of Parliament and
chairman of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee which
wrote the report, said in a statement. Widespread
Occurrences of Child Labour in Europe – New ICFTU Report The new ICFTU report, authored by Collin Harker, notes that “while child labour is not widespread in Europe, unacceptable exploitation of children is occurring in most - if not all - countries to some degree, mainly in the informal sector and in agriculture.” In Portugal many children work between 10-14 hours a day in the tourism, textile, construction and clothing industries in particular. Some start at 7 am and return at 11 pm or midnight. They often work in illegally established enterprises and are fired when they get older. Some of these children are abused by employers and many suffer serious mental and psychological damage. But
child labour is far from limited to Portugal, and the ICFTU report draws
attention to child labour in Spain, France, Greece and Italy. In the UK, a
number of surveys carried out over the past ten years have found that
around 40 per cent of children aged between 13-15 have some type of
part-time employment which is usually unregistered, and often illegal. One
study in North-east England by the Low Pay Unit found that 44% of children
at work had suffered an accident during their employment, and that a
quarter of the children at work were under 13. Child prostitution is also
a major problem in the UK and a common source of income for homeless
children. National
Multi-Stakeholder Workshop on Leather Sector in India, New Delhi CUTS Centre for International Trade, Economics &
Environment (CUTS-CITEE), India, the UNEP and the Ministry of Environment
& Forests, India, in association with the Council for Leather Exports,
India, as co-sponsors, organised a workshop on the leather sector in India
on 13th June 2002 at New Delhi. Pursuant to UNEP’s core
programme on Trade and Environment, this workshop was convened under the
project titled “Barriers and Opportunities in Promoting Trade in
Environmentally Preferable Products (EPPs).” In this context, CUTS had
been commissioned by UNEP to prepare a case study on the Indian leather
sector, for wider discussion and recommendations for follow-up action from
key stakeholders. The national consultative workshop was held at New Delhi
with active participation from more than 30 delegates from various
institutions from diverse fields such as academia, research institutions,
government agencies, UN organisations, export promotion agencies, NGOs,
and buyer groups among others. Post
Doha Scenario: The State of Play, New Delhi, 23 September 2002 CUTS-CITEE
is organising a panel discussion titled “Post-Doha Scenario: The State
of Play” on Monday, 23rd September 2002 at 5 to 7 pm in New Delhi. The
Venue is FICCI Conference Hall, Tansen Marg, New Delhi. Invited panelists
are - Jairam Ramesh, Economist; Muchkund Dubey, Former Foreign Secretary,
India; T. K. Bhaumik, Confederation of Indian Industries; Jagdish
Shettigar, Member, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council; and Dr.
Sanjaya Baru, Editor, The Financial Express. The panel discussion will be
preceded by the release of a book titled “WTO and India: An Agenda for
Action in the Post-Doha Scenario” written by Pradeep S Mehta. This book
covers analysis of pre and post Doha developments, the international
agenda and most crucially the domestic agenda for India. |
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