As the 6th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO) proceeds in Hong Kong, (Dec.13-18,) the Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, KAIROS, joined the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) and other bodies in lobbying national governments and WTO delegates.
KAIROS is urging its partners to call upon their governments to refuse to sign any trade deal in Hong Kong that doesn’t:
- give countries the power to choose their own development path, including the ability to safeguard local markets that provide an affordable, reliable, and healthy source of food,
- allow countries the power to maintain public services like health and education and
- make trade negotiations transparent and accountable.
On Dec.9-11, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) and EAA organised an inter-faith pre-conference in Hong Kong to focus specifically on church contributions to the debates on trade, under the theme Globalizing Economic Justice and Social Sustainability.
The conference was aimed at providing a platform for faith communities to critique the WTO’s role, and reflect on the economic justice aspect of the WTO and search for alternatives towards social justice and sustainability.
The inter-faith conference produced a statement and a message addressed to all faith communities.
For more information and regular updates on the WTO conference, please visit the following websites:
Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance:
http://www.e-alliance.ch
Or KAIROS:
www.kairoscanada.org
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