World Trade Organisation Ministerial 2003

Cancun, Mexico - 10th to 14th September

En Español

View of world
from Cancun

World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meetings are held every two years for members to discuss their progress in bringing about free trade.

Daily WTO news

Eve Mitchell, our Corporate Globalisation Campaigner is sending daily updates direct from WTO Ministerial.

14th September: Is it me or can you hear a rather large woman singing?
Eve is in a celebratory mood.

13th September: Endgame
Campaigners are banned from the press area.

12th September: Teamwork in the pressure cooker
Stalemate despite US threats.

11th September: A day of reflection
Tributes to the Korean protestor.

10th September: Did I mention it was hot?
Eve joins the peasants protest march.

9th September: A tale of two Cancuns
Preparations for protest.

8th September: And so it begins
Gunships and bemused honeymooners greet Eve as she arrives.

Our internet radio station - Real World Radio - will be broadcasting in English, Spanish and Portuguese throughout the talks.

See also:

• Key dates
  - What to watch for
• Background information
  - Everything you need to know

Key dates

These are the events to watch out for -

• 14th September
  - Last day of talks
• 13th September
  UK protest - Get involved
• 10th September
  - Start of talks
• 9th September
  Pocket PM photo album delivered to No 10, International day of protest
• 8th September
  - Eve arrives in Mexico
• 7th September
  - Action at Friends of the Earth Local Groups Conference

Background information

Friends of the Earth campaigns on issues up for discussion at the World Trade Organisation:

• food
• corporate globalisation

World Trade Organisation - glossary
(PDF† 192K) August 2003
Understanding trade jargon is an essential first step for anyone wanting to understand or change the international trade system. This is a guide to help would-be trade campaigners crack the WTO code.

UKplc in Latin America
(PDF† 766K) September 2003
The EU, backed heavily by the UK, continues to push hard for a new WTO investment agreement while British multinationals plough on with the kind of investment such an agreement would promote. Friends of the Earth exposes the plans, demands the accountability of those responsible, and shows up the WTO investment agreement myth.

GM trade war looms
(PDF† 241K) May 2003
The WTO's Dispute Resolution Mechanism decides who wins and who loses in international trade wars. This briefing exposes how it works, and explores what may happen following the US complaint against the EU over GM food.

Open wide, this won't hurt a bit
(PDF† 303K) June 2003
This briefing explains what a WTO investment agreement would look like and why we don't need it.

More information can be found in our general readers and media resource sections.

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