No to Trade in Women’s Human Rights!

Excerpts from a Position paper on WTO Negotiations by Women from ACP countries, other Southern Countries and Europe participating in a consultation organised by WIDE, Nov. 7-9, 1999.

What We Want

 Trade is one of the various instruments of development. It should be utilised in accordance with other instruments of development, such as social, industrial, fiscal, monetary and other national policies

 Trade rules should be constrained and bound by existing international agreements that promote human rights and women’s rights, the environment, human dignity and life as such. They should be dedicated to the eradication of poverty.

 Women in civil society should be given genuine opportunities to know about and to express their views, and participate and influence the outcome of policies.

 In reforming the WTO system and processes, rule making, negotiations, monitoring, and dispute settlement, should be open, transparent, democratic, and paricipatory to the highest possible degree

 The rights and responsibilities of national governments to ensure affordable access to water, health care, education, energy, transport, etc. to their populations should be safeguarded and enforced.

 The ILO should play a stronger role in strengthening workers’ rights and giving affirmative support to women workers. Working conditions and issues of job security should be taken into consideration. Conventions and codes of conduct on Transnational Corportaions (TNCs) should be implemented.