Peoples movements and civil society organizations representing various groups and constituencies from all over Asia Pacific are calling on TPP-member governments to not sign the deal on February 4 in New Zealand.
More than 100 regional and national organizations from the region have signed a letter explaining that the TPP was not created in the peoples interest, and thus should not be signed.
“Careful analysis of the text revealed that the TPP will violate a number of fundamental human rights and would negatively impact people’s access to quality and affordable health care, further endanger the environment, and violate national sovereignty,” the letter says.
Not all of the organizations that endorsed the letter are from TPP-member countries which are United States, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. However, they still believe that “the sheer size of the deal which covers 40% of the global economy would have knock-on effects on the whole region. The TPP also has high potential to be the standard that all future trade deals will follow.”
The TPP will put 25.5% of the world’s total trade volume under the control of corporations through rules on intellectual property rights, state-owned companies, government procurement, and investment protection.
More than just a trade deal, the TPP is an important component of the US rebalancing in Asia Pacific. According to President Barack Obama during the aftermath of the release of the TPP text, “…the TPP means that America will write the rules of the road in the 21st century…And if we don’t pass this agreement — if America doesn’t write those rules — then countries like China will. And that would only threaten American jobs and workers and undermine American leadership around the world.”[1]
The endorsing organizations also expressed their support and solidarity to groups in TPP countries who lobbied their leaders and went out to protest in the streets against the dangerous deal.###
Please follow this link Do Not Sign the TPP (endorsers) for the full letter with the list of endorsers as of February 3, 2016.
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