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Date Added to
Site: 10th March 2004 |
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Short Summary
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| Title |
International Gender and Trade Network: WTO Fifth
Ministerial Meeting, Cancun, Mexico, September 10-14th, 2003 (Position
Papers on Four WTO Issues) |
| Author |
International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) |
| Publication
Date |
September 2003 |
| Publisher |
International Gender and Trade Network (IGTN) |
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Short Summary |
Trade policy continues to overlook the work of
social reproduction, or 'the invisible, unpaid and undervalued work
required to sustain the human family and the human community', which
is done predominantly by women. There are four areas that fall under
the jurisdiction of the WTO that are critical to social reproduction
which, this report argues, should be removed from the WTOs jurisdiction:
agriculture, services, intellectual property and investment. Firstly,
control over agriculture by states rather than the WTO would ensure
that small-scale and subsistence farmers have control over farming
and food supply, a particularly important resource for women as carers
of the family. Secondly, as social services continue to be privatised
in many southern countries, the burden of care work is disproportionately
borne by women. Removing intellectual property rights from the WTO
would ensure access to affordable medicine and respect for local women's
knowledge as plant and seed breeders. Finally, removing or harmonising
controls on investment and spending limits the abilities of developing
countries to respond to domestic needs and crises. The removal of
these issues from the jurisdiction of the WTO is critical if women's
unpaid contributions to trade and the economy are to be properly addressed
and supported. |
| Complete Document |
 View
PostScript Document (pdf) |
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