Our memo to DG of WTO

Swadeshi Jagaran Manch
"Dharamakshetra, Sector-8, R.K. Puram, New Delhi
Ph. 011-26184595, Web: www.swadeshionline.in
09 February 2017
To
Mr. Roberto Azevedo
Director General,
World Trade Organisation
Dear Sir,
Swadeshi Jagran Manch has been continuously and consistently raising various issues pertaining to multilateral,
regional and bilateral trade agreements that are directly affecting livelihoods and other basic rights of our citizens
including IPRs that often times deny basic rights to dignified livelihoods and healthcare etc. On behalf of People
of India, we reiterate our concerns in the realm of international trade, livelihood security and development.
As you are kindly aware, that in the Peace Clause negotiated on the food security/stock piling front in the
Agreement on Agriculture, India has secured something that is only tenuous in the past meetings, with conditionalities
that are not conducive to us and are difficult to implement. Moreover, the WTO has not been able to ensure that
the cleverly disguised, large and increasing subsidies that are given by several developed countries (mainly OECD)
to their farm sector can be controlled and regulated in a manner that free trade indeed does not get distorted. The
WTO has failed massively on this front, and this meant that our farmers (and other farmers in the developing
world) get priced out on various commodities, whereas our meagre support and subsidies get challenged again
and again by these very countries.
WTO needs to facilitate a permanent solution on this front. Everything that has been agreed to in Nairobi
ministerial needs to be implemented. Older development based issues from the Doha round of negotiations,
needed to be addressed first. A permanent solution to the issue of public stock holding of food grains for food
security purposes, repeatedly demanded by India, is yet to be achieved as negotiations continue. Your kind support
for the cause of protecting livelihood of our farmers is solicited in this regard.
We take this opportunity to request you to facilitate ensuring Special Safeguard Mechanism that may protect
our farmers from import surges of agricultural products. We understand that our government has been working
hard on this front.
While the Doha Development agenda has not seen any progress unfortunately, it is a matter of immense
concern that negotiations on other agricultural sectors (like fisheries) as well as new agreements on investment
and e-commerce are being pushed at the WTO which were to be taken up only after Doha Development Agenda
finally resolved. Proposed agreement on investment is likely to result in our rural communities being affected by
resource grabbing in various forms, which are crucial livelihood resources for the communities.
This letter is to urge you to help us save livelihoods and other basic rights of our citizens and not allow
discussions on new agreements until long pending issues with regard to farm livelihoods are addressed and
resolved first.
Kindly do prioritise the matters of a permanent solution for our food security issues, Special Safeguard
Mechanism in agricultural imports and the Doha Development Agenda. These are non-negotiable key matters
from the point of view of India that need to be addressed before anything else.
Thanking you
Yours Sincerely
Ashwani Mahajan
9212209090
National Co-convenor
Swadeshi Jagran Manch