One of the core activities of SOMO is doing research on the process of
trade liberalisation via the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the
consequences of this process for the Southern countries. In this
research, the main question for SOMO is: how can trade and investment
agreements be drawn up in a way that does justice to the development
needs of the South?
SOMO works together with civil society organisations from the
Netherlands, Europe and the South to make out a case for those
countries, organisations and people who do not stand to gain from
liberalisation of the world market.SOMO is a member of the Coalition
for Honest Trade in the Netherlands.
Besides extensive research on decision making in the WTO in general, in
recent years SOMO has focused its attention mainly on the WTO agreement
on trade in services (the GATS) and
investment treaties.
News WTO
19-03-2009
Many political leaders of the G-20 have been calling for the conclusion of the ‘Doha Round’ negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a solution to the financial crisis. However, they seem unaware of the implications of liberalisation and deregulation as negotiated in the agreement, especially in the financial sector.
01-12-2009
During the WTO-conference taking place this week in Geneve representatives of the global network Our World Is Not for Sale (OWINFS) from four continents showed how the trade liberalisation model still promoted by the WTO has devastated communities across the world and how it has dramatically worsened the exploitation of women, food shortages, unemployment, and the financial crisis.
24-11-2009
Has the WTO's services agreement contributed to the crisis or is it a tool which can help create a more stable environment for international financial services? Myriam Vander Stichele, TNI Fellow and senior researcher at the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations, and Sergio Marchi, senior fellow at the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, discuss this topic with Keith Rockwell, WTO Spokesperson.
