trade

Moratorium needed on Pacific trade talks, warn Pacific Civil Society Organisations

05 Aug 10

Civil society groups from the Pacific including churches, trade unions, gender groups,indigenous rights groups and advocacy groups launched a statement calling for a moratorium on negotiations for a new Pacific-wide free trade agreement known as PACER-Plus. The statement, launched in Port Vila, Vanuatu, to coincide with the annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting, called on Leaders to put the developmental priorities of the Pacific ahead of political timelines.

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ISLANDS REVOLT OVER PACER

17 Feb 10

Countries say no negotiation until PACER adviser appointed; PIFS moves to counter disloyalty, dilly-dallying, lack of transparency allegations

Media - Pacific Trade Justice Speaking Tour Nov 2009

25 Nov 09

In November 2009, two leading campaigners for trade justice in the Pacific visited Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney to speak about the implications of PACER-Plus on Pacific Island economies and communities. See here for media coverage of the tour.

AID/WATCH Newsletter No.35

27 Oct 09

This edition (October 2009) focuses on the Pacific Islands. It features articles on the traditional economy in Vanuatu, customary land in Melanesia, land reform in Timor Leste, climate change adaptation funding, PACER Plus, and aid for trade.

click here to read the newsletter - 1.1 MB

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Pacific Trade Fact Sheets

23 Jul 10

This series of fact sheets, produced by the Australian Civil Society Network on Pacific Trade, provides information and analysis on a range of issues related to PACER Plus.

Offering a fair deal? (July 2010) - 159.23 KB

Supporting livelihoods? (July 2010) - 280.09 KB

Improving Pacific governance? (July 2010) - 235.16 KB

PACER-Plus trade agreement in the Pacific (Updated Nov 2009) - 28.31 KB

Trading away women's rights? (July 2009) - 69.32 KB

Health Services (July 2009) - 27.4 KB

PACER-Plus trade agreement in the Pacific (July 2009) - 27.59 KB

PICTA free trade agreement (July 2009) - 31.87 KB

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PACER-Plus Resources

03 Aug 10

PACER Plus is a proposed free trade agreement between Australia, New Zealand and 14 Pacific Island countries, which will cover trade in goods, services and investment. PACER Plus will have major impacts on Pacific Island economies and communities, including significant losses in government revenue, undermining of public services, business closures and job losses. To find out more about PACER Plus and its potential implications on Pacific Islands, see below.

AID/WATCH Aid for trade and PACER-Plus fact sheet (Nov 2009) - 108.93 KB

AID/WATCH submission PACER Plus (Aug 2009) - 102.47 KB

Speaking Truth to Power (July 2009) - 390.12 KB

Pacific_Joint_Statement_2009_FTMM (June 2009) - 99.01 KB

MakingWavesPANGReport (2008) - 475.08 KB

A Peoples Guide to PACER ( Aug 2004) - 348.24 KB

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Pacific Islands Trade: a year's worth of bad outcomes

03 Aug 10

Despite being launched only a year ago by Pacific leaders, the negotiations on the Pacific trade agreement known as PACER-Plus are slipping away from the Islands. The bureaucratic forces and power politics of the region's bigger neighbours are already shaping the agenda and outcomes of negotiations in a direction different to the developmental aspirations of the Pacific.

Brazil's poverty makes its aid donations both natural and surprising

25 Jul 10

21 July 2010 - An increasingly assertive Brazil is now one of the world's biggest providers of help to poor countries.

Pacific trade agreement puts profit before people': Say health experts

22 Jul 10

A proposed new free trade agreement in the Pacific, PACER-Plus, threatens the health of Pacific islanders by placing the interests of business over and above good health policies - according to a group of health professionals, academics and trade campaigners meeting in Sydney yesterday.

Pacific globalisation NGO explains opposition to PACER Plus

02 Jul 10

When the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meet in Vanuatu in August, they would be expected to spend a fair amount of time discussing the region's progress towards a free trade agreement.