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Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb24/28) Penang, 27 Feb (Kanaga Raja) — A number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have submitted formal complaints with World Trade Organization officials and key WTO members on the first day of the WTO’s 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, over the “unannounced and unprecedented” removal of the civil society’s rights to “freedom of speech and political expression” at the conference. The NGOs pointed out that previous WTO ministerial conferences have allowed civil society participants to distribute information and analyses, take photos, display banners, and other forms of engagement. However, according to the NGOs, the Abu Dhabi conference has so far seen that on opening day of MC13, civil society groups were told that they could not take photos inside or outside of the conference venue, even though the WTO’s own informational PowerPoint presentation had said that filming and photography in public areas of the conference are allowed. Furthermore, they said security officials on 25 February took away posters without explanation, and that people were stopped from handing out press releases. The NGOs also pointed out that Ms Deborah James, the facilitator of the civil society network “Our World Is Not For Sale (OWINFS)”, was told by the Head of External Relations of the WTO that the Emirates security officials have said that banners and protests are banned, and anyone leafleting will be subject to arrest. However, the NGOs said it is not clear what “leafleting” includes: distribution of articles, press releases, reports, or flyers? The NGOs noted that at previous WTO activities, civil society groups have never been told what not to say and what not to do. “I have been to many WTO ministerials and have never encountered such a determination to silence critical voices. The WTO must and will be held accountable for its decision to hold the MC13 here without securing guarantees that independent civil society can be heard. It exposes the presence of “inclusivity” for what it is – a public relations sham to gloss over the reality of power politics in the WTO, both inside and out,” said Professor Emeritus Jane Kelsey. Rodolfo Lahoy from IBON International, said: “Economic rights cannot be fulfilled without the active voices of civil society and social movements. Any rhetoric of development or sustainability by the WTO is fundamentally incoherent and impossible if civil society voices, especially from the South, cannot even raise the concerns and narratives of their peoples and constituencies. No development for us, without us.” Victor Menotti, from Demand Climate Justice, said: “The UAE hosted UNFCCC’s COP28 only three months ago and so is very, very familiar with the international standards of civil society participation, freedom of speech and political expression established at global summits for rule-making, yet Abu Dhabi appears to be paranoid about any critical analyses of proposed WTO decisions that will impact millions of people’s lives beyond its borders.” Against this backdrop, the NGOs sent a letter to the WTO Director-General, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on 26 February, calling on her to address these issues as a matter of urgency. However, the NGOs said that they have yet to receive a response. In their letter to the WTO DG, the NGOs expressed serious concerns over their ability to effectively participate in the MC13 process. “At other international governance organizations, NGO observers are welcomed into deliberations and permitted to make interventions on the record.” “The WTO has long fallen short in this regard, but the silencing we have experienced thus far in Abu Dhabi is shocking even by the low bar the WTO has set,” they said. In their letter, the NGOs said on 25 February, several accredited NGO representatives entered the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) to distribute information to delegates outside the Investment Facilitation event. But immediately after being permitted through security, they were stopped and searched by local police. Their papers were taken away, they were detained and then escorted off the premises. A separate group distributing a press release was similarly asked to leave, said the letter. Another colleague was prevented from entering the conference due to a traditional piece of clothing that was rejected as politically sensitive and potentially affecting the security of the conference, even though the official invitation sent to participants invites them to wear their national dress. “On 26 February, NGOs were not permitted to attend the opening ceremony. It seems that reporters were held in the restricted area and thus unable to attend our scheduled press event,” the NGOs said. “The imposition of restricted areas has also prevented us from meeting with reporters in the press area and using WTO facilities usually available, such as photocopiers,” said the letter. “We are representatives of people’s movements, small-scale farmers, fisher-folk, union leaders. We have traveled here from Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Spain, Uganda, and Zimbabwe to speak on behalf of millions of people at this meeting of the world’s largest economic rule-making institution,” the NGOs said. The communities that will be affected by WTO decisions must be permitted to participate in this process, they emphasized. “The WTO talks of inclusivity, yet what we have seen to date suggests our voices will be silenced throughout this ministerial. We expect you, as the Director-General, to ensure there is space for critical voices to be heard in the ministerial itself,” said the NGOs. The NGOs noted that this continues a concerning pattern of suppression of free speech at WTO ministerial conferences. “You will be aware of the damage that was caused to the WTO’s credibility when dozens of registered NGOs had their visas rescinded, and others were turned away at the airport at the MC11 in Buenos Aires. At MC12, registered NGOs were harassed by Geneva police and WTO security for simply wearing t-shirts with peaceful messages.” “There is a risk that the situation at MC13 will be even more controversial and damaging to the organization’s credibility and to your credibility as the Director-General unless this matter is addressed and resolved now,” said the NGOs. Moreover, they said, “it is totally unacceptable for the WTO and UAE to invite people to this conference without any clear guidelines of what is going to be permissible. That not only wastes our time and money, but more importantly puts people at significant risk of violating rules they are not forewarned of, with potentially serious personal consequences.” “It is the organization’s responsibility in allocating this ministerial to Abu Dhabi to ensure that participants’ rights will be respected. We call on you to address these issues as a matter of urgency,” said the letter addressed to the WTO DG. +
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