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WTO's Doha Round Will Not Solve the Global Food Crisis

Civil Society Calls for Real Solutions

On June 3rd, 237 major NGOs, farmer organizations, trade unions and social movements from nearly 50 countries delivered a strong snub to WTO Director-General, Pascal Lamy, in his push to conclude the Doha Round as a solution to the global food crisis.

As the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) convenes a High-Level Conference on food security, and the Organization of Economic Cooperation (OECD) holds its annual meeting, the groups including The Oakland Institute, ActionAid International, Africa Trade Network, Asian Peasant Coalition, and the Coordinadora Latinoamericana de Organizaciones del Campo (Latin American Coordination of Rural Movements, CLOC), sent a letter to Lamy as well as their Trade and Agriculture Ministers saying that the answer to skyrocketing prices of basic staples "does not lie in deeper deregulation of food production and trade." The message was also delivered to the leaders of the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), OECD, the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, and the Director-General of the FAO.

"We believe the Doha Round as is currently envisioned will further intensify the crisis by making food prices more volatile, increasing developing countries' dependence on imports, and strengthening the power of multinational agribusiness in food and agricultural markets," the groups said. They call for:
1. Governments and communities to have a range of tools at their disposal to build resilient food and agricultural systems that are ready for the challenges that lie ahead.
2. The volatility of agricultural prices must be addressed through national policies and global actions to avert food crises and to ensure small producers a reliable and steady income.
3. Governments should establish safety nets and public distribution systems to prevent widespread hunger.
4. A reform of the food aid system.

The letter and list of signatories is available online at: http://www.oaklandinstitute.org. For more information contact Anuradha Mittal (510) 469-5228 or Deborah James (+1-202-441-6917).

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