This document is the product of a collective effort by a group of Central American and U.S. women and men. It is part of a comprehensive public-education campaign on the
U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) being carried out by Central American and U.S. organizations in the Bloque Popular Centraomericano and the Hemispheric Social Alliance.
Last month, GRAIN issued an open letter to Pascal Lamy, the chief of trade policy at the European Commission. In it, we disputed Mr Lamy's public relations efforts aimed at trying to convince the world that the EU champions the rights of Third World farmers to save seeds.
During his visit to five ASEAN countries including Malaysia in January 2002, the Prime Minister of Japan, H.E. Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, proposed the “Initiative for Japan-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Partnership”, to which the then Prime Minister of Malaysia, H.E. Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad gave his full support.
During his official visit to Japan in November 2001, the Thai Prime Minister, H.E. Dr. Thaksin Shinawatra, proposed to Japanese Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Junichiro Koizumi, that Thailand and Japan should explore together the possibility of establishing a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
In these issues papers, authors are invited to examine a subject of importance in the developing international intellectual property regime and highlight key issues they see arising. The topics have been chosen following consultations with negotiators from developing countries, and respond to their concerns.
