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WTO Ministerials: Hong Kong 2005
6th Ministerial meeting, Hong Kong, 11-19 December 2005
The current round of trade talks is billed as a 'development round', but the WTO failed to deliver a genuinely pro-development outcome on Sunday 18 December 2005.
Corporates have excessive influence in the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Behind the scenes in Hong Kong, pressure was brought to bear on poorer and weaker nations to sign a deal. The final deal benefited the rich at the expense of the poor.
Read the daily blogs from the Hong Kong ministerials
WDM has always been at the forefront of exposing the arm-twisting tactics used at the WTO...
- Unbalanced. The EU sent over 500 negotiators to Cancun who could take turns in attending the dozens of simultaneous meetings whilst most poor countries could only afford one or two delegates to cover them all.
- Starved & Exhausted. Negotiations go on long into the night, sometimes lasting as long as 48 hours. With no meal breaks or toilet breaks, negotiators are tired and hungry and ready to accept anything.
- Secrets. 'Green Room' negotiations are held in secret with only the big players invited. Poor country delegates are not informed and not invited to take part, often they only find out by accident that meetings are taking place.
- Blackmail. It has been reported that EU and US negotiators have threatened to withdraw aid and loans to poor countries that did not sign deals in favour of the rich countries.
- Bribery. By negotiating deals to reduce agricultural subsidies, the bullies want to create a good image for themselves. What they don’t want us to know is the price poor countries have to pay for these long promised reforms – opening up their markets and handing over control of their economic development.
Read the facts about the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong and WDM's analysis of the final declaration
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