ACTION ALERT
STOP THE GATS!!

Right now, New Zealand trade negotiators are at a 3-week cluster of negotiating meetings in Geneva on the WTO's trade in services agreement (GATS). This is a pivotal gathering, where trade negotiators from around the world are negotiating to increase the number of service sectors that countries open to trade liberalization under GATS.

Second round offers of service commitments in the GATS negotiations are due in May and countries are under increasing pressure to expose more services, including essential services such as water, energy, postal, public transport, health and education.

New Zealand has been identified as one of the key 'GATS pushers' at the Geneva meetings. Our government's negotiators have formed an alliance with 14 other countries, with the purpose of pressuring other WTO members, including developing countries, to increase their service commitments under GATS. The other countries in the alliance are the US, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Korea, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Taiwan. This alliance is influenced by service industry cartels, like the US Coalition of Service Industries and transnational service corporations, such as Suez, Halliburton, FedEx and American Express.

Send a message to the Trade Minister and the New Zealand GATS negotiators in Geneva today urging that essential services should not be included in GATS!

Now is the time to send a message to the Trade Minister to let the Government know that the New Zealand community is aware of these negotiations. The Government should not sign away any essential services, nor pressure developing countries to make service commitments in essential services.

To further pressure the Government, copy the message below to the New Zealand negotiators in Geneva.

The round of service negotiations ends on February 25, so send the message as soon as possible to:
Jim.Sutton@beehive.govt.nz
CC: WTO negotiators at the New Zealand Permanent Mission to the WTO
mission.nz@itu.ch

A sample message follows.

20 February 2005

The Hon Jim Sutton
Minister for Trade
Parliament Buildings
WELLINGTON

Dear Minister Sutton

New Zealand's position at the February GATS meetings in Geneva

I am concerned about New Zealand's role at the current round of GATS negotiations in Geneva.
The New Zealand government should not seek to increase our commitments in essential services in the GATS negotiations. Nor should the New Zealand government urge other WTO members to undertake more substantial GATS commitments. In particular, New Zealand should not pressure or make requests of developing countries to open their services to trade liberalization through GATS.

I am very concerned about the aggressive push to open up water and waste management services for the benefit of water corporations, which are eager to charge high tariffs and provide questionable service. As you know, there is a growing campaign in New Zealand and globally, demanding that water services be exempt from GATS negotiations. Continuing to put pressure on WTO member countries to expose this sector to the private sector will reduce the ability of governments to regulate for equitable and affordable access to water services and to regulate for environmental protection in this sector.
Similarly, using the GATS to expose education, telecommunications, energy, health or postal services to the market interests of transnational corporations jeopardizes the ability of local firms and public bodies to provide essential services on an equitable basis.

I urge you not to join with other countries in pressuring WTO members, especially developing countries, to increase their service commitments under GATS, and to support calls for the termination of this agreement so that policies relating to services can be determined democratically through elected national, regional and local governments and in a manner consistent with the Treaty of Waitangi.

I also urge you to publish New Zealand's draft second-round offer before May to allow for adequate public and parliamentary discussion before the offer is lodged at the WTO.

Yours sincerely

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