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<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=1>Human Rights
Reader 150<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=5> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3><STRONG>FREE TRADE AGREEMENTS, MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS, AND HUMAN
RIGHTS: WORKING AT CROSS-PURPOSES?</STRONG></FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </P>
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face="Times New Roman"></FONT> </P>
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Who will live and who will die</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman">
has already been decided </FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman">
by the economic structures</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"> brought
about by globalization.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman">
(P. John)</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=5> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>1. These days,
bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) are totally bypassing the World Trade
Organization (WTO). This is because rich countries think that multilateralism is
for weak players and is based on long-winded processes with decisions that are
typically based on the lowest common denominator arrived at with a
one-country-one-vote system. So these rich countries (or the EU) seek their own
way through these (often imposed) bilateral FTAs that bypass the WTO. Therefore,
WTO critics are, in a way, partly misled when they demonstrate (only) against
the WTO in the streets.<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
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style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt"><o:p><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">2. But, as experience has
shown, in FTAs t</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">he cost:deception ratio has
been high. FTAs pursued by hegemonic powers, despite being nefarious, find
developing countries to be complacent, “behaving </SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt">like animals being
blissfully led to their slaughter”. (J. Bhagwati).
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><U><o:p><SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
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<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>3. We cannot overlook the proven fact that trade (as much as foreign aid)
is just an opportunity (often missed) and certainly not a guarantee. This is
true, not only from an economic development perspective, but particularly from
the perspective of human rights (HR). (G. Kent) <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Unfortunately, in the case of aid, if one
aid program misses its opportunity to deliver what it promised (whatever its
expected impact was supposed to be), the next one is as sure to come along as
day follows night; unhealthy donor competition ensures that. This is
dramatically seen in current-day aid directed at ‘helping’ poor countries
achieve the MDGs.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><U><o:p><SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></SPAN></o:p></U></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3>4. Few people know the MDGs actually
comprise only two (of 30!) paragraphs of the full Millennium Declaration --which
calls very strongly for democracy and human rights as <U>the</U> route to
achieving the stated millennium goals! Actually, <SPAN
style="DISPLAY: none; mso-hide: all">RR<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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style="DISPLAY: none; mso-hide: all"><o:p><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=3><SPAN
style="DISPLAY: none; mso-hide: all">HR</SPAN>despite the fact that paragraphs
25 and 26 of the Millennium Declaration specifically call to apply a HR-based
approach, the ongoing Millennium-Development-Goals-drive has become a global
action program without such an orientation.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>5. Moreover, when one looks at budgets, at management bodies and at
related things that need to go with a full-fledged program, one finds that, at
the global level, there is practically nothing there on HR. MDG-directed
programs are mainly advocating better-work-at-the-national-level. Paradoxically,
this assumes capacity and political determination at the national level… when
the problems we are trying to solve occur precisely because of shortfalls in
technical and political capacity at the national level. [It is not, as so often
touted, a lack of political will; most of the cases, it is a deliberate
political laissez-faire decision of the national leadership in power].
</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>6. Still as of today, there really is no <U>global</U> MDG-directed
program that we can hold accountable. Come to think of it, there never were any
solid global commitments made by any international actors against which we can
hold them accountable for. So far, a Millennium Development Program at the
global level is an illusion. (G. Kent)</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>7. Furthermore, the Hunger Task Force Report of the Millennium Project
(220 pages) also totally neglects human (people’s) rights and more specifically
the right to health and to adequate food and nutrition. (So much for Jeffrey
Sachs being one of ’us’…).</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>8. To add insult to injury, global targets cannot simply be imposed on
each and every country, independently of their specific situations. The
quantitative MDG targets must be translated into nationally agreed targets that
balance desire and reality. One is left to wonder whether we should not call for
a ‘customization of MDGs’ setting customized targets, as well as specific goals
<U>and</U> processes that ultimately respect, protect and fulfill HR. (U.
Jonsson)</FONT></P>
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face="Times New Roman" size=3> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>9. As can be seen, much needs to change for trade, aid and the setting of
development goals to work synergistically with HR goals. We all need to
contribute our own share to progressively make this a reality.</FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><U><o:p><SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3> </FONT></SPAN></o:p></U></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=5><B><FONT size=3>Note:</FONT></B>
</FONT><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Not being facetious, if we provide
sandwiches for all who are hungry in the world on the first day of 2015, will we
have fulfilled the MDG of ending hunger by 2015? (G. Kent)</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><U><o:p><SPAN
style="TEXT-DECORATION: none"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=5> </FONT></SPAN></o:p></U></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=1>Claudio
Schuftan, <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Ho Chi Minh
City</st1:City></st1:place><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><A href="mailto:claudio@hcmc.netnam,vn"><SPAN lang=ES-MX
style="mso-ansi-language: ES-MX"><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=1>claudio@hcmc.netnam,vn</FONT></SPAN></A></SPAN><SPAN lang=ES-MX
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; TEXT-INDENT: -0.5in"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=1><SPAN lang=ES-MX
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX"></SPAN><SPAN
lang=ES-MX
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-MX">_____<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoBodyText3 style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT size=1><SPAN lang=ES-MX
style="mso-ansi-language: ES-MX">Adapted from D+C, Vol. 33, No.5, May 2006;
</SPAN><SPAN lang=PT-BR style="mso-ansi-language: PT-BR">Carlos Fuentes, La
Silla del Aguila, Santillana Ediciones, Madrid, 2005 and </SPAN><SPAN lang=ES-MX
style="mso-ansi-language: ES-MX">F+D, <SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Vol.43, No.1, March
2006.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></FONT></P></FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>