Forwarded Message:
From: Bob Olsen <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 18:10:18 -0500
Subject: Health & Gobalization
To: [log in to unmask]


 This is a forwarded message.  For more information, contact
the
 author of this message: [log in to unmask] (Karen Spiess)

 Good luck,  Bob Olsen, Toronto....................

Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 11:35:33 -0500
To: [log in to unmask]
From: [log in to unmask] (Karen Spiess)
Subject: CPHA Resolution #16


Mr. Olsen,

As requested, the following is a copy of the 1997 CPHA
Resolution #16,
Promoting Health in an Era of Global Free Trade.


 CANADIAN PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION      July 9, 1997.

 1997 RESOLUTION NO.16: PROMOTING HEALTH IN AN ERA OF GLOBAL
FREE TRADE

 WHEREAS a healthy and prosperous society is one in which
wealth is
 produced in an ecologically sustainable manner, and
equitably
 distributed among its citizens,

 WHEREAS free trade agreements have diminished the prospects
of
 widespread health and prosperity in several ways: by
concentrating the
 accumulation of capital and power in the hands of fewer
individuals and
 transnational corporations;1-3 by fostering increased
resource
 consumption and further stressing the environment;4 and by
diminishing
 the ability of national governments to attain their social
goals as they
 compete for global capital investment5 by reducing social
spending,
 forcing wage rates downwards, weakening environmental and
labour
 legislation, and relying on regressive consumption taxes,6

 WHEREAS, if national governments are to regain their
ability to finance
 redistributive social programs and protect environments7
there will have
 to be international regulatory mechanisms for exerting some
control over
 transnational capital flow and capital accumulation,

 WHEREAS, although the World Trade Organization (WTO) has
enforcement
 mechanisms to discipline signatory nations that fail to
abide by
 liberalized trade agreements, the United Nations agencies
that oversee
 "social clause" charters such as those concerning
protection of the
 environment, the rights of the child, and the international
labour code,
 must rely on moral suasion to influence signatory nations
to build such
 clauses into domestic policy,

 WHEREAS OXFAM and other non-governmental organizations have
launched a
 campaign to include social clauses in WTO trade agreements,
in order to
 use the enforcement mechanisms of the WTO to regulate
global capital for
 human welfare improvement and environmental protection8,

 WHEREAS the Canadian Public Health Association is committed
to
 advocating policies that will enhance the social, economic
and
 environmental conditions affecting the health of Canadians
and the
 global community,

 WHEREAS the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)
 is currently developing a Multilateral Agreement on
Investment (MAI)
 that will constrain governments' ability to regulate
investment to
 achieve and protect citizens' social, economic,
environmental, health
 and other national interests,

 WHEREAS presentation of the MAI to OECD member states for
ratification
 can be expected in the very near future, and

 WHEREAS adoption of the MAI by OECD member states would
significantly
 undercut the campaign to incorporate social clauses within
the World
 Trade Organization trade agreements and would work contrary
to the
 CPHA's national and international commitment and support
for public
 participation, empowerment, and the principles of healthy
public policy,

 THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Canadian Public Health
Association
 endorse the campaign to incorporate social clauses within
the World
 Trade Organization (WTO) trade agreements,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the CPHA communicate with
public health
 and other public interest organizations nationally and
internationally,
 and particularly those organizations in economically
developing
 countries, to convey our concerns and intentions with
respect to this
 issue, and to participate with these organizations in the
creation of a
 networked global health lobby for the social clause
campaign,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the CPHA meet with members
of the
 Canadian trade delegation to the WTO to inform them of this
resolution
 and to establish a dialogue with the delegation,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the CPHA strike and provide
the
 resources for a working group to prepare a position paper
that analyses
 the international policy mechanisms needed to ensure that
the results of
 the social clause inclusion in WTO trade agreements will
meet the policy
 goals of equity, ecological sustainability, and
empowerment,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the mechanisms articulated
in the
 position paper be advocated for support by the Canadian
trade delegation
 at the 1998 WTO governing conference,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the CPHA bring these
concerns to the
 attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) and seek
to have them
 addressed by the Executive Board of WHO and at the next
World Health
 Assembly,

 AND FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED THAT the CPHA expand its work in
relation to
 the incorporation of social clauses in the WTO trade
agreements to
 include monitoring of the progress of Multilateral
Agreement on
 Investment (MAI) and the position of the Government of
Canada, and
 inclusion of an analysis of the MAI and other multilateral
investment
 agreements within its action plan for CPHA.

 Approved by the members of the Canadian Public Health
Association at
 the Annual General Meeting in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on July
9, 1997.

 REFERENCES:

 1. OXFAM. "World Trade Organization: OXFAM Policy Briefing
for the WTO
    Ministerial Conference"
    http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/boyd/wto.html.

 2. Voluntary Services Overseas.  "Free Trade: For Whom?".
    http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/boyd/wto.html.

 3. Burbach, R., Nunez, O. and Kagarlitsky, B.
Globalization and its
    Discontents.  London: Polity Press, 1997.

 4. Canadian Public Health Association.  Human and Ecosystem
Health.
    Ottawa: CPHA, 1992.

 5. Bergsten, C. Fred.  Competitive Liberalization and
Global Free
    Trade: A Vision for the Early 21st Century.
    APEC Working Paper 96-15, 1996.

 6. Courchene, T. and Stewart, A.  Financing social policy:
    observations and challenges.  In Hunsley, T. (ed)
Social Policy
    in the Global Economy.  Kingston: Queen's University
Press, 1992.

 7. Pierson, C. Beyond the Welfare State?  London: Polity
Press, 1994.

 8. OXFAM, 1996.


 Karen Spiess  e-mail address: [log in to unmask]
 Assistant to the Assistant Executive Director
 Canadian Public Health Association
 1565 Carling Avenue, Suite 400
 Ottawa, Ontario  K1Z 8R1
 Tel: (613)725-3769 ext. 183   Fax: (613)725-9826
 Web Site: www.cpha.ca
 ................................................



  ***************************************************
  From new transmitters came the old stupidities.
  Wisdom was passed on from mouth to mouth.
            -Bertolt Brecht
  ***************************************************

Dennis Raphael, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Acting Director,
Masters of Health Science Program in Health Promotion
Department of Public Health Sciences
Graduate Department of Community Health
University of Toronto
McMurrich Building, Room 101
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA M5S 1A8