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24 Aug 2002
On the first day of negotiations at the Johannesburg Earth Summit,
Friends of the Earth slammed the EU and US for using bullying tactics
to promote their free trade agenda at the expense of environmental protection,
poverty alleviation and sustainable development – all of which
should be the priorities of the Earth Summit.
Non-Government Organisations at the meeting in Johannesburg today obtained secret joint EU/US negotiating document which advocates using the Earth Summit process to promote trade liberalisation and corporate-led globalisation while completely failing to propose legally binding mechanisms to protect the environment or vulnerable communities.
Friends of the Earth called on South African President Thabo Mbeki, official chair of the Earth Summit, to resist these bullying tactics and ensure that the negotiating process is made transparent and fair.
The Earth Summit is the only opportunity for the countries of the world to come together on a level basis and discuss the critical and urgent problems of environment degradation and growing poverty and inequality. The EU and US stance will frustrate many other countries, particularly developing countries who will see the proposal as an attempt to deflect criticisms from their failure to implement what was agreed at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
The EU US joint “Non Paper” on “Globalisation, Trade and Finance” calls on countries to fully implement the WTO Doha agenda of trade liberalisation but proposes only voluntary mechanisms for protection of the environment.
Friends of the Earth Director, Charles Secrett, said:
“This paper proves that the US and EU will sacrifice the environment
and poor countries needs for their own selfish free trade agenda. Their
position paper on ‘Globalisation, Trade and Financing’, will
drive a deep wedge between North and South. There are no binding rules
proposed in the paper to control predatory corporations. It is all about
voluntary business action and market expansion. The EU and US should
use their economic and political power to push genuine development solutions
to critical environmental and poverty-related problems. As it stands,
this is just a WTO takeover of the Earth Summit process. It is imperative
that the host President Mbeki stands up to the Americans and Europeans
and safeguards the interests of the environment and developing countries.”
Copies of the paper are available from the press office at Friends of
the Earth
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
