[2656] in peace2
WTO 5th Ministerial, Cancun
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jdu@MIT.EDU)
Mon Aug 11 00:22:39 2003
From: jdu@MIT.EDU
Message-ID: <1060575656.3f3719a878d86@webmail.mit.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2003 00:20:56 -0400
To: peace-announce@mit.edu, greens-announce@mit.edu, nowar-announce@mit.edu,
labor-announce@mit.edu
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*Last posting about this event.*
Below is a message from Gan (a course 11 character) who's in Chiapas and heading
to Cancun as I write. Please consider going to what will be an amazing
happening. I just got a ticket on priceline for $375, everything included, r/t
from Boston. So it's affordable for many of us. The scope of ideas and
perspectives will be awesome. The Washington Consensus will be used for toilet
paper in Cancun. Think Seattle but hosted by the Mexicans! Vaya!
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
I'm writing this to let you know about an important global event that's about
to take place right in our own hemisphere – and you´re invited!
++WHAT: The WTO 5th Ministerial Conference (Sept 10-14) and the Alternative
Conference that will be occuring simultaneously.
The "Non-Official" Events include:
Alternative Media/Technology Conference (Sept 1-7)
International Peasant Forum: Food Sovereignty and Free Trade (Sept 8,9)
Forum on Women's Rights in Trade Agreements (Sept 8,9)
Sustainable Trade Symposium (Sept 10,11)
International¨Fair Trade Fair (Sept 10-12)
Alternatives to the Neoliberal Trade Model (Sept 12,13)
…and several more currently being finalized. There are 1001 thesis topics
awaiting you!
++ WHO: The World. Just about everyone you might ever want to work with will be
showing up to this event. During your time at DUSP this will be the single
largest international convergence of NGO´s, human rights groups, indigenous
people´s organizations, farmer groups, fisher groups, environmentalists, labor
unions, social movements…the list goes on. The number of organizations
attending is in the hundreds and growing daily.
++WHERE: Cancun, Mexico.
++WHY: A Real World Education. You might miss a class or two, but you will
learn more about how policies are operating around the world than could
possibly be covered in a classroom. There is a massive global debate raging on
issues of trade liberalization, privatization, intellectual property rights and
the fundamental legitimacy of the dominant global institutions that drive these
issues (World Bank, IMF, WTO, Asian Development Bank, FTAA, etc.). If you are
even considering work in related fields, you would benefit from a clearer
understanding of these key issues and how these multinational organizations
interact with the global community...and did I mention that Cancun will offer
you 1001 thesis topics to choose from?
++WHEN: See above. The big days will be on the 9th and the 13th so make sure
your plans includes those. Of course, for those who come early (3 days? 1
week?), there is loads of interesting work to do that would foster much deeper
connections with the many groups that will be present.
ACCOMODATIONS:
Hotels: Hotels in Cancun are at least $25-35 a day. Only those folks accredited
by the WTO are allowed to stay on the hotels near the ministerial meeting
sites. The rest of us will stay at hotels in the City of Cancun...but that is
where all the interesting stuff will be.
Camping: There will also be centrally-located outdoor camping organized for $5-
10 a day, and maybe a dormitory (we are still working on organizing that).
Amenities will likely be minimal, but serviceable. Cancun is a well stocked
resort town, so it will have anything you might need or want.
ON THE ISSUES:
To see how the WTO sees itself, go to:
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dda_e/dohaexplained_e.htm
To see what some others think, go to:
Public Citizen http://www.citizen.org/trade/wto/
Int`l Forum on Globalization http://www.ifg.org/
Focus on The Global South http://www.focusweb.org/civil-society-call/
Via Campesina http://www.viacampesina.org/art_english.php3?id_article"8
Orale,
gan
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Topics at Cancun: Sustainable Development, Privatization, Liberalization,
Deregulation, Neoliberalism, Human Rights, Economic and Social Rights,
Indigenous Rights, Workers Rights, Fair Trade vs. Free Trade, Market Access,
Capital Controls, Agriculture, Land Reform, Deforestation, Large Dams, Food
Security, Genetically Engineered Food, Health Care, Pharmaceuticals,
Biodiversity, Biopiracy, Alternative Media, Appropriate Technology, Plan
Pueblo Panama (PPP), Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), Free
Trade Agreement of Americas (FTAA)
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