africa: AFRICAN WOMEN JOIN WOMEN OF THE WORLD TO TAKE ON the WTO

AFRICAN WOMEN JOIN WOMEN OF THE WORLD TO TAKE ON
THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION

A call to action

In preparation for the next ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), to be held in Cancún, Mexico, September 10 to 14, 2003, African women and women all over the planet are either readying their proposals for presentation at the Peoples' Forum for Alternatives to the WTO in Cancún, or they are planning to stage demonstrations and other actions in their respective countries.

On August 26, 2003 during this Women's Month, the Gender & Trade Network in Africa will Host a Roundtable and launch of their campaign on the World Trade Organisation at 45 Commissioner Street #2606 Johannesburg at 11h00.

The WTO, set up in 1995 to regulate international trade, operates on the basis of anti-democratic relations thereby becoming a weapon against poor women, countries and sustainable development. In secret preliminary mini-meetings, a small group of rich countries decide on laws and rules favouring their own interests; they then impose them on developing countries-more often than not with those countries' leaders' consent. There is no room for women and civil society to intervene, even when matters are compromising citizens present and future.

As pointed out in the recent call by the Gender & Trade Network in Africa the WTO, and Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA's) proposed by the European Commission "must be derailed" At the 5th Ministerial of the WTO, countries find themselves in a context of persistent economic terrorism. The trend is towards the unipolar control of a world where the market leads to the private accumulation of wealth and not to looking after peoples' needs. Economic relations are thus dehumanized.

As women we are affected differentially by the anti-democratic, discriminatory measures that strengthen inequality and unjust situations. We have endured such circumstances for centuries in patriarchal societies. We are forced to join the job market under increasingly unfavourable conditions. Our unpaid workload is becoming more and more burdensome as we take over task, related to the provision of education and health of children, the elderly and sick people that used to be and should be the government's responsibility. This is just one example. Poverty is on the rise generally and we women continue to take first place in statistics on the world's poor (70%). Violence against us is increasing because of our deteriorating economic conditions and the commercialization of our bodies.

Faced with this bleak panorama, women are more and more determined to join forces on the African Continent and worldwide to express our rejection of a model that excludes our rights and also to internationalize our hopes and battles. Perhaps one of the World March of Women's most significant contributions was to have strengthened the spaces for worldwide exchange between women.

This is what prompts us to search for new paths; it also fires our imaginations. In Cancún, we will hold an international forum called WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN TRADE AGREEMENTS on September 8 and 9, 2003. Speakers will come from all continents and we will be able to share our experiences, struggles and actions against unfair trade legislation and also achieve a common position on the WTO.

Given that the increase in poverty contributes to greater violence against women, as part of the Peoples' Forum activities on the International Day of Mourning for economic, military and gender wars, on September 11, in Cancún, we will perform a stage play. The play, denouncing the serial murders of women in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, will symbolize our rejection of this type of violence all over the world. Other cultural activities specifically by women include performances by a group of women rockers and a singer. A photo exhibit using plotters will be presented at the International Women's Forum, and other activities will showcase the status of women, our struggles and gains.

Not all women on the planet can be in Cancún of course, but ALL of us will participate in activities and demonstrations in our countries organized by the women's movement and the social movement at large. We will mobilize to "derail the WTO," piece together our own alternatives and demand from our governments and world leaders that they stop economic, military and gender attacks. Actions by women anywhere in the world will lend more credibility and strength to the voices raised by their sister militants in Cancún.

Together we will succeed in changing the rules of the game; we will build a fairer and more equitable world where peoples will not serve the market, instead the market will be a means to improve our status, with full recognition for our economic, social, political, cultural, sexual and reproductive rights.

In closing we want to remind our collaborators that, in addition to actions planned for the International Day of Mourning for economic, military and gender wars that will be held everywhere on September 11, an International Day of Action has been planned with all the international social networks in Cancún and everywhere else to derail the WTO on September 13.

LET'S ALL BE THERE!

For more information on activities in Cancún and elsewhere, visit the following Web pages:

www.igtn.org www.cancun2003.org and www.movsoc.org

Mohau Pheko - South Africa