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World Trade Organization Established in 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) enforces a dozen separate trade agreements and serves as a forum for ongoing talks to develop new trade agreements. The WTO is the product of the Uruguay Round (1986-1994) of negotiations under the old General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Currently, the WTO includes 150 member countries ranging from "developed" to "developing" to "least developed countries." The latest round of negotiations, called the Doha round, was launched in November of 2001 and poses serious threats to communities and the environment. Of specific concern are provisions allowing corporations to sue governments for environmental regulations that impact profit as well as provisions facilitating the privatization of essential resources. WTO Doha Development Round Collapses, July 2006: Developing Countries blame US Agrobusiness Subsidies for the collapse. "This is a Development Round…This Round is not for perpetuating the flaws in global trade especially in agriculture, it’s not to open markets in developing countries in order for developed countries to have access for their subsidized products to developing countries. We say the Round should correct the structural flaws and distortions in the system, and there should be fair trade, not only free trade." — Kamal Nath, India Commerce Minister, July 2006 Read more about Peru FTA by clicking here. Peru Slideshow Sierra Club goes to Hong Kong for WTO Meeting Margrete Strand, Washington DC Trade Represenative for the Sierra Club, attended the World Trade Organization (WTO) meetings, December 13-18 2005, in Hong Kong. Margrete chaired the "Our World is Not For Sale Network" that consists of NGOs from throughout the world. They worked to ensure that the public and the media were aware of these negotiations, which could impact the things we care about so much: the environment and the ability to support our families. For analysis on the Ministerial outcome, we recommend Third World Network's website. Check out the slideshow from the December 2005 WTO. Factsheet: New Rules on Services Threaten our Air, Water, and Land (PDF) Factsheet: New Pro-Corportate Rules Threaten our Environment & Health (PDF) Cancun WTO Summit: Putting Communities at Risk Trade and Investment in Services: The Stakes for Workers and the Environment, a report from the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Environment (October 2001) New WTO trade talks increase environmental risks, analysis by Dan Seligman (November 2001) WTO's Website Risks to Our Health and Heritage No Globalization Without Representation Environmental Impacts: Global Trade’s Anti-Environmental Record Pest Invaders Asian Long-Horned Beetle Sea Turtles WTO and logging WTO and food safety Photo courtesy freefoto.com Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use | © 2008 Sierra Club