HyltonBy Donna Ortega, News Editor
MONTREAL, CANADA:
AS preparations continue for the Third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, Canada, this week, Jamaican civil society groups are yet to announce a formal position on the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).
Two local groups, the National Consumers League (NCL) and the Small Businesses Association of Jamaica (SBAJ, last week admitted that their organisations were only now getting involved in the process.
Sharing last Wednesday in a U.S. State Department "Dialogue" broadcast (formerly "Worldnet") on the Summit of the Americas, Free Trade Area of the Americas and related issues in Kingston, NCL president Joyce Campbell and SBAJ president Andrea Graham, were participating in their first public forum to gather information on the implications for their members of hemispheric integration and the FTAA.
Christopher Wilson, director for Central America and the Caribbean at the office of the United States Trade Representative, speaking from Washington, DC, told them that it was essential to the United States for civil society to have a role in the FTAA process.
"It is very important to solicit concerns and ideas of various elements of civil society and incorporate them," he said.
Ms. Campbell and Miss Graham, in response to follow-up questions at the end of the broadcast, both agreed that not enough regard was being given to groups such as theirs in the negotiating process.
Ms. Campbell suggested that there was a veil of secrecy concerning the talks and that it was not clear who was leading the various negotiations on Jamaica's part.
However, representatives from the public sector said they were aware that the Minister of Foreign Trade, Anthony Hylton, had been working "very hard" to ensure that other groups had access and most umbrella organisations are being represented. They were of the view that, "We are far better off than other countries", in comparison with Latin American counterparts, for example.
Since the First Summit in 1994, increased participation by civil society has been encouraged with such organisations being recognised a greater role in the Summits process and opportunity to influence the policy making process of various countries.
The Declaration on April 7 from the Sixth Meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, of Ministers of Trade of the Hemisphere on the Free Trade of the Americas, endorsed a Canadian proposal to release draft negotiating texts, reaffirmed a commitment to the principle of transparency in the FTAA process and recognised the need for increasing participation of the different sectors of civil society in the hemispheric initiative.
They urged civil society to continue to make its contributions in a constructive manner on trade-related issues of relevance to the FTAA.
US envoy to the OAS, Luis Lauredo, noted in his recent overview of the forthcoming Quebec City Summit, that progress had been made. He said, however, that "we must be aware and constantly remind ourselves that the ultimate civil society is the democratically-elected leaders of the hemisphere. The Summit of the Americas is a gathering of these 34 leaders."
In the US, he said, contrary to charges raised by many opponents of the Summit and of the FTAA process that the negotiations were being conducted in secret, "we have been actively seeking the input of civil society and organisations have had ample opportunities to give input in the Summit process."
Canada has stated its own view that the Summits of the Americas process must remain and be seen to be relevant and responsive to the real concerns of the citizens of the hemisphere. To this end, the Canadian government has stressed that the 2001 Summit should have a clear focus on people and define priorities within a coherent political, economic and social agenda.
This agenda should be articulated in a Declaration and Plan of Action that are explicit and make a fundamental commitment to creating conditions to sustain democracy and promote prosperity and social equity to the benefit of all citizens of the Americas.
