Signatory list update at: www.fjellregionen.no/wto

 Presentation

The letter is one of several tools of mobilisation and actions in order to build up broad and deep attention and consciousness towards the WTO Ministerial in Hong Kong December 13, 2005. The letter will be delivered to Ambassador Crawford Falconer at the Hong Kong Ministerial.

As of December 9, 2005, the letter was signed by 157 parliamentarians - from India (48), Norway (33), Pakistan (15), Switzerland (13), UK (10), Korea (9), Mexico (6) etc.
If we manage to have 500 worldwide parliamentarians to sign on the letter, it will be the biggest demonstration of political elected representatives in the support for just and equitable trade in agriculture, and this “positive alternative” to WTO agriculture proposals can no more be neglected! Please help to distribute this letter widely and ask your parliamentarians to sign on!

Please send copy of signatures to:

Devinder Sharma, India: dsharma del6.vsnl.net.in

or

Helge Christie, Norway: happycow online.no

Sign on updates (English, Espanol, Francias) will be placed at www.fjellregionen.no/wto and www.worldfoodpolicy.org websites.

Letter To Ambassador Crawford Falconer, Chairperson, WTO Committee on Agriculture, Geneva

 EACH NATION SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO PROTECT ITS AGRICULTURE

Food is a basic human right and therefore not just like any other commodity. Almost 90 percent of the agricultural products in the world are consumed domestically and thus in practice remains outside international trade. Only 10 percent of world agriculture products are traded internationally. Rules for international trade in agricultural products should be rules for the 10 percent traded internationally and not for the 90 percent consumed domestically.

We propose agricultural trade agreements to be based on:

Principle

Each nation should have the right and obligation to produce basic food for its own population and ensure food sovereignty. All efforts should be made to reduce poverty and eliminate hunger.

Measures

1. Restore import protection through quantitative import restrictions or tariffs. This will be an effective measure for each country to secure special strategic products and will serve as a special safeguard mechanism to protect rural livelihoods.

2. Protect farmers’ income by state support on products for domestic consumption, but not on products for export or products that ends up on the world market (and thus function as hidden or indirect dumping of food).

3. Export subsidies, export credits and credit insurance should be eliminated. There is a need for an effective system of market regulation and supply management that stops dumping.