TPP – Open Letter to Trade Ministers Meeting in Chile, 14-15 March 2017
The National Farmers Union has joined over 200 organizations from Pacific Rim countries who are calling upon Trade Ministers meeting in Chile this week to abandon the TPP model and instead join with citizens in a more open and democratic process to develop alternative approaches to international trading relationships that genuinely serve the interests of our peoples, our nations and the planet. Read the open letter and list of signatories below.
Open Letter to Trade Ministers Meeting in Chile, 14-15 March 2017
It is clear that the withdrawal of the United States means that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement as previously negotiated is dead. As representatives of many millions of people in a wide range of unions, civil society groups and social movements, we believe that the TPP text, negotiated in secret, served the interests of large corporations at the expense of governments’ rights to regulate in the public interest and of our fundamental rights as citizens. It gave special additional rights to global corporations that were enforceable in discredited offshore tribunals, despite widespread public opposition.
The TPP did not deliver on promises of secure livelihoods, good jobs and prosperity. It would have restricted governments’ ability to regulate to ensure affordable medicines, financial stability, workers’ rights, protection of the environment and climate change mitigation, and to protect indigenous rights and other fundamental human rights. We are better off without the TPP.
For these reasons, we believe it is not acceptable for TPP rules to be used as a model for future trade negotiations whether bilateral, regional or multilateral, including the World Trade Organisation. We urge you to accept that this model has failed, and to engage with us and others in a more open and democratic process to develop alternative approaches that genuinely serve the interests of our peoples, our nations and the planet.
Carta abierta a los Ministros de Comercio reuniéndose en Chile, 14 y 15 de marzo de 2017
Está claro que la retirada de los Estados Unidos significa que el Acuerdo de la Asociación Transpacífico, tal y como se había negociado, está muerto. Como representantes de muchos millones de personas en una amplia gama de sindicatos, grupos de la sociedad civil y movimientos sociales creemos que el texto del TPP, negociado en secreto, sirve a los intereses de las grandes corporaciones a expensas de los derechos de los gobiernos a regular en el interés público y de nuestros derechos fundamentales como ciudadados. Otorgó derechos adicionales especiales a las corporaciones globales que podían hacer cumplir en tribunales extranjeros desacreditados, pese a la amplia oposición pública.
El TPP no cumplía las promesas de medios de vida seguros, buenos empleos y prosperidad. Habría restringido la capacidad de los gobiernos para regular los medicamentos asequibles, la estabilidad financiera, los derechos de los trabajadores, la protección del medio ambiente y mitigar el cambio climático, los derechos indígenas y otros derechos humanos fundamentales. Estamos Mejor Sin TPP.
Por estas razones, creemos que no es aceptable que las reglas del TPP se utilicen como modelo para futuras negociaciones comerciales, ya sean bilaterales, regionales o multilaterales, incluida la Organización Mundial del Comercio. Les instamos a aceptar que este modelo ha fracasado y a comprometerse con nosotros, con nosotras y con nuestras poblaciones en un proceso más abierto y democrático para desarrollar enfoques alternativos que sirvan genuinamente a los intereses de nuestros pueblos, de nuestras naciones y del planeta.
Signed:
Global organizations:
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)
Friends of the Earth International
LDC Watch
Regional organizations:
Alianza LAC – Global por el Acceso a Medicamentos
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development
Building and Woodworkers International – Asia-Pacific, New Zealand, Malaysia, Vietnam, South Korea, Singapore and Japan
Australian organizations:
ActionAid Australia
AEU- NSW Teachers Federation
AID/WATCH
Alliance to Save Hinchinbrook Inc.
Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
Australian Council of Trade Unions
Australian Education Union
Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union
Australian Services Union
Combined Pensioners & Superannuants Association of NSW
Data Stream Pty Limited
Edmund Rice Centre for Justice & Community Education
Electrical Trades Union of Australia
Finance Sector Union of Australia
FOODwatch WA
Friends of the Earth Australia
Gene Ethics
Householders’ Options to Protect the Environment (HOPE) Inc.
Jubilee Australia
LIVE – Locals Into Victoria’s Environment
Loreto Sister’s Australia & South East Asia
MADGE Australia Inc.
Margaret River Community Garden
Margaret River GM Free Group
Margaret River Regional Environment Centre
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart Justice and Peace Centre
N.S.W. Retired Teachers’ Association
National Tertiary Education Union
National Union of Workers
NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association
Pax Christi Australia
Pesticide Action Group of Western Australia
Presentation Sisters Queensland
Presentation Sisters, Wagga Wagga
Presentation Society of Australia and Papua New Guinea
Sisters of Charity
South Coast Labour Council (NSW Australia)
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre
Textile Clothing & Footwear Union of Australia
The International Grail Justice in Trade Agreements Network
The SEARCH Foundation
UnionsWA
Wide Bay Burnett Environment Council Inc
Canadian Organizations:
Canadian Environmental Law Association
Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network
Canadian Union of Public Employees
Centrale des syndicats démocratiques
Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ)
Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté
Comité pour les Droits Humains en Amérique Latine (CDHAL)
Common Frontiers
Conseil Central du Montréal Métropolitain-CSN
Council of Canadians
CWA Canada
Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN)
Leadnow
Ligue des droits et Libertés du Québec
MiningWatch Canada
Montreal Chapter, Council of Canadians
National Farmers Union
OpenMedia
Pacific Institute
People’s Climate Movement- Toronto
Progress Champions
Réseau Québécois sur L’intégration Continentale (RQIC)
Trade Justice Network
Trade Justice PEI
Unifor
Génération Nationale
Union Paysanne
Chilean organizations:
Antimafia -Chile
Asamblea Invisible
Asociacion Mutual del Transporte
Chile Mejor sin TPP
Colegio de Bibliotecarios de Chile AG
Comisión Justicia y Paz
Comunidad Ecuménica Martin Luther King
Defensa de los Ríos
Derechos Digitales
Fenpruss
Fundacion Chile Sustentable
Fundacion Constituyente XXI
Movimiento Tod@s a La Moneda
ONG Políticas Farmacéuticas
Observatorio Ciudadano
Partido Pirata de Chile
Red de Acción en Plaguicidas y sus Alternativas RAP-Chile
Revolución Democrática
Werken Rojo
Red de Educacion Popular Entre Mujeres de America Latina y el Caribe REPEM
Colombian organizations:
Misión Salud
Fundación IFARMA
Mesa de Organizaciones con Trabajo en VIH Colombia
Centro de Información de Medicamentos de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Comité de Veeduría y Cooperación en Salud
Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Trabajadores del Estado y los Servicios Públicos.
Conferencia Episcopal de Colombia
Indonesian organizations:
Solidaritas Perempuan Indonesia
Japanese organizations:
Advocacy and Monitoring Network on Sustainable Development (AMnet)
All Japan Farmers Union
All Tokachi Farmers’ Union
Consumers Union of Japan
Declaration of private Medical and Dental Practitioners (Hodanren)
Farmer’s Exchange Association in OKITAMA District
Food Policy Center Vision21
Food Safety Citizen’s Watch
Forum for Peace, Human Rights and Environment
Hokkaido Farmers Union of Japan
Japan Confederation of Railway Workers’ Unions (JRU)
Japan Federation of Democratic Medical Institutions
Mamademo
National Coalition for Joint Action to Stop the Enforcement of TPP
National Coalition of Workers, Farmers and Consumers for Safe Food and Japan Health
National Committee for the Dialogue on TPP between Citizens and the Government
Nouminren (Japan Family Farmers Movement)
Pacific Asia Resource Center(PARC)
People’s Action against TPP
Stop TPP Action in Kansai
Stop TPP!! Civil Action
The Federation of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Workers Union
The Lawsuit for an Injunction against the TPP Negotiations, and against its Unconstitutionality
Theoria
Tohto Consumers Co-opterative Society
TPP Osaka Network for citizens
Malaysian organizations:
Consumers Association of Penang
Malaysian Council for Tobacco Control (MCTC)
Penang Research Center in Socio Economy (PReCISE)
Positive Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group (MTAAG+)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia
Third World Network
Mexican organizations:
Asociacion Nacional de Empresas Comercializadoras de Productores del Campo (ANEC)
Bia´lii, Asesoría e Investigación, A.C .
Centro de Derechos Humanos Fray Francisco de Vitoria OP, A.C.
Centro de Promoción y Educación Profesional “Vasco de Quiorga”, A. C.
Convergencia de Organizaciones Sociales México Mejor Sin TPP/TLCs
Greenpeace México, A.C.
Partido de la Revolución Democrática
R3D – Red en Defensa de los Derechos Digitales
Sindicato de Telefonistas de la Republica Mexicana STRM
New Zealand organizations:
ActionStation
Appropriate Technology for Living Assn
FIRST Union
Hebron Christian Fellowship
It’s Our Future
Mana Movement
Mana Te Hiku
Mana Te Tai Tokerau
Maritime Union of New Zealand
Nerehana Whanau Trust
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi
New Zealand Nurses Organisation
New Zealand Tertiary Education Union
NZ Public Service Association
Peace Movement Aotearoa
Public Health Association of New Zealand
Rail and Maritime Transport Union
Tainui hapu
Te Runanga-a-Iwi o Ngati Kahu
Waipuna Marae
Peruvian organizations:
Acción Internacional para la Salud – Perú
Alames-Peru Perú
Asociación Aurora Vivar Perú
Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos (APRODEH) Perú
Asociación PROSA Perú
Central Autónoma de Trabajadores del Perú
Central Unitaria de Trabajadores del Peru
Coordinación Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDDHH)
Colegio de Abogados de Lima
DESCO Centro de Estudios y Promoción del Desarrollo
ICW Perú
Justicia en Salud
Plataforma Peruanos contra el TPP y TISA
Red Interquorum Cusco
Red Peruana de Pacientes y Usuarios (RPPU)
Red Peruana por una Globalización con Equidad (RedGE)
Red Uniendo Manos Perú
Si, Da Vida
Sindicato de Trabajadores Rimac – Sintrarimac
Sindicato Nacional de Químico Farmacéuticos de DIRESAS, DISAS,
Institutos y Hospitales del Ministerio de Salud Gobiernos Regionales y
Otras Entidades del Sector Salud (SINQUIFADDIHS)
Phillipine organizations:
PKKK/National Rural Women Coalition
Republic of Korea organizations:
Association of Korean Medicine Doctors for Health Rights(AKDH)
Association of Humanism
Association of Physicans for Humanism
Dentist association for Health society
Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU)
IPLeft
Knowledge Commune
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU)
Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
MIN-BYUN(Korean Lawyers for Democratic Society)
Open Net Korea
The Korean Federation of Medical Groups for Health Rights
Thailand organizations:
International Accountability Project
USA organizations:
Americans for Democratic Action
Citizens Trade Campaign
Communications Workers of America
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Fair World Project
Green America
Greenpeace
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Holy Cross International Justice Office
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Institute for Policy Studies – Global Economy Project
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
Jobs With Justice
Just Foreign Policy
LWC Policy Consulting Inc.
Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
National Family Farm Coalition
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
People Demanding Action
Pride at Work
Public Citizen
Sierra Club
United Church of Christ Justice and Witness Ministries
United Mine Workers of America
United Steelworkers (USW)
Vietnamese organizations:
Vietnamese Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS (VNP+)
