By Friends of the Earth
AttacAugust 28, 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 priorties 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."
Earth Summit or Trade Fair?
Friends of the Earth exposed the intense lobbying being carried out by the US and the EU at the Earth Summit to push free trade policies ahead of tough targets on poverty and the environment. Developing countries have sent a large number of trade negotiators to the Summit, while most developing nations have only environment and development experts.
The accusations come as business leaders at the Summit are promoting partnership agreements which they claim will encourage sustainable development. But Friends of the Earth fears the partnerships are no more than a cover for business as usual unless tight corporate accountability rules are introduced to protect people and the environment. The power of multinationals has increased massively since the last Summit in Rio, but with no clear benefits to the world's poor, and a growing gap between the have and have-nots.
The UN has warned that if we do not tackle environmental degradation and poverty, the world will become a more dangerous place, with increasing risks of international terrorism. The USA, together the Canada and Australia, are working against targets to tackle these problems.
Friends of the Earth has a number of experts in Johannesburg tracking progress. We have also launched a website, www.radioearthsummit.org providing daily reports from the talks, and featuring examples of multinationals damaging the environment and people's health.
Tony Juniper, Vice-chair of Friends of the Earth International, said: "The Earth Summit must prioritise action on poverty and environmental degradation. Instead rich countries are pushing the WTO's free trade agenda despite evidence that current trade rules are responsible for many of the problems we face. This Summit desperately needs political leadership if it isn't going to fail. Tony Blair must fly out here soon and work with other leaders to get these talks back on track."
Ricardo Navarro, Chair of Friends of the Earth International, said: "Western multinationals are destroying livelihoods of communities in the third world. If these corporations were as responsible as they pretend here in Johannesburg, they should all be signed up to a binding corporate accountability convention which would make them legally liable for irresponsible behaviour".
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