GREEN PAPER 3: Freedoms
That Are Abolished
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The opposition to the FTAA began as soon as the agreement was proposed in 1994 and has grown tremendously in the past few years. Unions, community groups, environmentalists, indigenous people, and anti-capitalists are all working to stop the FTAA. However, the FTAA is not an isolated incident, and as the architects of other free trade agreements, the international financial institutions, multinational corporations, and governments have all felt the resistance from people, and so will the negotiators of the FTAA. Below are some of the organizations that are in the forefront of the effort to stop the FTAA. This list is far from complete and grows longer every day.
Action for the Community and Ecology in the Regions of Central America (ACERCA) -has been campaigning against the FTAA and educating people about its potential impact for two years. Taking direction from community groups throughout Central America, ACERCA recognizes that the FTAA cannot be reformed.
Alliance for Global Justice (AGJ) - is committed to social change and economic justice. The AGJ supports strong grassroots organizing through shared political analysis, mobilizing direct actions, expanded communication, and skill sharing.
Alliance for Responsible Trade (ART) - is a US coalition of religious, human rights, labor, environmental, and other civil society groups, was to strategize viable and democratic alternatives to the FTAA. ART is active in the Hemispheric Social Alliance (HSA) which has drafted a working document entitled Alternatives for the Americas, to offer a model for a more human and sustainable hemispheric agreement.
The Anti-capitalist Convergence (CLAC) - is organizing a Carnival Against Capitalism to take place in Quebec City this April during the Summit of the Americas. Coordinating with groups throughout the Hemisphere, CLAC aims to build a long term movement with people from the North and South to defeat the capitalist globalization agenda and to create alternatives that promote peace, justice, and democracy for all people.
Common Frontiers - a multi-sector working group engaged in research, analysis, and action. They provide a forum to discuss issues and coordinate campaigns with the goal of constructing alternatives to the economic integration of the Americas, as proposed by the FTAA.
Inter-American Regional Organization of Workers (ORIT) - proposed a Labor Forum for the FTAA negotiating process, and is also mobilizing to educate workers about the need for alternatives to the neoliberal development model. ORIT was one of the conveners of the first People's Summit in Santiago, Chile and represents the major labor contingent in the HSA.
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch - was formed to promote government and corporate accountability during the formation of international trade agreements. They conduct research, publish educational materials, and promote policy changes through public education programs and relationships with policy makers.
La Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Commercio (RMALC) - has been educating the Mexican public about the effects of free trade since the start of NAFTA negotiations in 1991. They are working with civil society groups throughout Mexico, the US, and Canada to create the space necessary to discuss alternatives to free trade.
SalAMI - is a direct action network that grew out of the struggle to defeat the MAI. Currently, SalAMI is organizing a direct action campaign to release the text of the FTAA and working with unions, student groups, and other NGOs to coordinate a Convergence Table during the Summit of the Americas meeting in Quebec City.
United for a Fair Economy (UFE) - provides training in media work, economic literacy education and resources to individuals and groups who work to reduce the wealth gap. UFE promotes education and creative tactics in the economic justice movement.