Background

Prior to Cancun, representatives of trade unions, social movements, non-government organizations and trade activists and government and UN representatives came together in Bangkok to discuss the Cancun agenda and formulate strategy and actions in response. Trade analysts, some of them based in Geneva, reported on the state of negotiations and the stakes in Cancun while trade representatives from various governments, from the European Union to Vietnam, presented their positions and analysis.

The latter part of the event was a smaller meeting of trade campaigners, movements and trade activists where strategies for Cancun were discussed. This proved to be useful both in the run up to and in Cancun itself as the different Southeast and East Asian delegations were able to meet and support one another with information and analysis.

The collapse then of the 5th Ministerial of the World Trade Organization in Cancun, Mexico was a victory for social movements and trade activists campaigning against an expansion of the WTO’s power and, as it was, as the Economist says, It “dealt a body blow to the already short on credibility organization.” But how exactly does the collapse of the talks in Cancun impact the region?

Reactions and analysis have varied but one thing clear is that there is a need for an assessment and stocktaking and a renewed discussion on the direction of strategies for the trade campaigns in the region.

Furthermore, recent developments indicate that the 6th Ministerial of the WTO will be held either later this year or early next year in Hong Kong. This makes the Regional Strategy meeting even more urgent and timely.

Program

The two-day meeting aims to assess the current conjuncture, take stock of what the collapse of the Cancun ministerial really meant and its implications on the region. It will deal with questions of the future of the WTO, multilateralism, bilateral trade agreements, regional groupings, and the rise of a new bloc of Southern countries.

The meeting also aims to contribute to the building of coalitions, strengthen the regional network, and to produce coherent strategies and actions in the region for the WTO and the region’s Free Trade Agreements.

Participants

Participants invited will come from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and East Timor. (See complete list of invited organizations)
This meeting is open to all those interested in joining the discussions on regional strategies. However, participants not included in the list of invited organizations shall be expected to fund and organize their own travel and accommodation in Bangkok. The meeting has limited funds and as such, can only support the listed organizations.

Steering Committee

Although Focus on the Global South will host the meeting, we are working with a regional steering group to draft an agenda that will be participatory, open and address issues that are relevant to the movements and different national campaigns around the region.

The steering group members are:
ATTAC Japan – Yoko Akimoto
Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions – Elizabeth Tang
Institute of Global Justice, Indonesia – Bonnie Setiawan
Thai Action of Globalization – Kingkorn Narintarakul

Venue

The meeting will be held in the Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. Bangkok was chosen, not only for being the hub of the region, but also because it is home to a very diverse and vibrant movement.