Citizen’s Conference on Trade and the Environment: Towards the APEC Osaka Meetings

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Recommended Citation

"Citizen’s Conference on Trade and the Environment: Towards the APEC Osaka Meetings", EASSNet, September 06, 1995, https://nautilus.org/eassnet/citizens-conference-on-trade-and-the-environment-towards-the-apec-osaka-meetings/

The establishment of the WTO in January this year will further
accelerate the global trend towards greater liberalization of
trade and investment.   Within the Asia-Pacific region, a
commitment to economic liberalization is demonstrated by the
Bogor Declaration which was adopted at the APEC summit meeting in
Indonesia last November.  The Declaration reads "trade and
investment will be liberalized within the region by 2010 for the
developed countries and by 2020 for the developing countries."  
To follow up on this initiative, an "Action Agenda" for trade and
investment liberalization is planned for submission by APEC
officials in this November's APEC meeting in Osaka.

With regards to environmental issues within APEC, recommendations
referring to the results of the Earth Summit were made by APEC
environment ministers in Canada in 1994.   They were followed by
the action plan produced at the environment expert meeting in
Hualien, Chinese Taipei in the same year.   However, these
recommendations are not adequately addressed to at the
ministerial meetings and the Senior Officials Meetings (SOM),
both of which are the main decision-making mechanisms in the APEC
structure.

We believe rules on trade and investment significantly and both
directly and indirectly affect people's lives and the
environment, therefore, we are seriously concerned about how
information is currently disseminated in the decision-
making process on trade and investment rules.   First, such
information and perspectives are severely inadequate; second,
there are no avenues or procedures for citizen participation in
the decision- making process in international economic fora such
as the WTO and APEC.

Three Purposes of the Conference:
Thus, we are hosting the "Citizen's Conference on Trade and the
Environment, Tokyo."   We hope this will provide a forum for
people:
(1) to examine the effects of trade and investment liberalization
on people's lives and the environment,
(2) to discuss alternative economic systems for the realization
of sustainable societies that allow fair trade, investment and
equitable redistribution of wealth and,
(3) for this end, to strengthen people and NGO networks in the
Asia-Pacific region for the formulation of mid- and long-term
strategies and actions by individuals and NGO groups.

We encourage all of you to participate in the conference to share
your views and ideas in order to develop a proposal from the
perspective of peoples  and NGOs  on trade and the environment.


Citizen's Conference on Trade and the Environment, Tokyo:
Theme:  A Fair Trade & Investment and A Sustainable Economic
System
Date:   November 11th and 12th, 1995
Place:  Komaba Campus, Tokyo University (Komaba, Meguro-ku,
Tokyo)
Sponsor: Organizing Committee of "Citizen's Conference on Trade
and the Environment, Tokyo"
Secretariat:    Peoples' Forum 2001, Japan
Maruko Bld.5F, Higashiueno, Taito-ku, Tokyo 110 Japan
Tel: 03-3834-2436     Fax: 03-3834-2406
Email: pf2001jp@igc.apc.org

Citizen's Conference on Trade and the Environment, Tokyo
Towards the APEC Osaka Meeting

PROGRAM(DRAFT)
As of September 6

First Day (November 11, Saturday)
10:00`19:00

Opening Remark  
10:00`10:10

Panel on TES Alternatives:      
10:10`13:00

Forum on Trade of Natural Resources
14:00`16:45
Forum on Alternative Policy on Energy
 14:00`16:45
Forum on Investment and Transnational Corporations
14:00`16:45
Forum on Sustainable Agriculture
14:00`16:45

Drafting Committee      
17:00`19:00

Second Day (November 12, Sunday)        
10:00`12:00

Keynote Speech: 
10:00`11:00

Adoption of a Citizen Proposal on Trade and the Environment in
the APEC region
11:00`11:45

Closing Remark  
11:50`12:00

Organizing Committee:
Campaign to Halt the Export of Nuclear Power Plants
Committee on Partnerships with Business Community, PF2001
Energy Working Group, PF2001
Global Village
Japan Center for a Sustainable Environment and Society(JACSES)
Japan Tropical Forest Action Network(JATAN)
Peoples' Forum 2001, Japan(PF2001)
Working Group on Finance and the Environment, PF2001


PS People who wish to participate also in a NGO Closed Meeting in
Kyoto on 13th and 14th of November, please let us know when you
notify your intention to attend the above mentioned conference to
us.

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