G-77 Meeting in Havana Rejects Linking Trade to Labor and Environmental Standards

The G-77 group of 133 developing countries held its summit in Havana, Cuba, on April 10-14. The group’s final declaration took a measured approach toward globalization, calling it “a process which can be uneven and unpredictable,” but which “presents opportunities as well as risks and challenges.” If globalization is “properly harnessed and managed,” the declaration continued, “the foundations for enduring and equitable growth at the international and national levels can be laid.”

That said, the G-77 ministers called for improved market access for developing country exports, stating that “preservation and full implementation of special and differential treatment for developing countries should be firmly entrenched in the multilateral trading system.” They also rejected any attempts to link trade to labor or environmental standards, or “the use of environmental standards as a new form of protectionism.”

The G-77 declarations are likely to feed the frustrations of NGOs and union organizations that seek to diminish the role of unfettered globalization in favor of more sustainable and equitable forms of development. Deciding on the correct forum for these concerns is a question that many international organizations, especially those within the United Nations system, will be debating in the months ahead. In the absence of a transparent and participative forum, the more rejectionist direct action groups will hold sway within the social activist camp.