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Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)

FTAA Civil Society

• 2003 FTAA Ministerial Meeting: Americas Trade and Sustainable Development Forum
  The Center for International Sustainable Development Law prepared a report - at the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade- on the Americas Trade and Sustainable Development Forum (ATSDF), a civil society event that took place on the margins of the 8th FTAA Ministerial Meeting in Miami (November 2003).

• FTAA Report on Multistakeholder Consultation
  The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT), hosted a multistakeholder consultation on Canada and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), which was held in Ottawa on February 27, 2003. This daylong event provided a forum for open and focused discussion on key issues related to the ongoing FTAA negotiations. Over 40 organisations from the business sector, academia, labour unions, environmental groups, and other stakeholders were in attendance. To learn more...

• 2002 FTAA Ministerial Meeting
  The Government of Ecuador hosted the seventh FTAA Ministerial Meeting in Quito on November 1, 2002. Trade Ministers from the 34 FTAA member countries met to review the progress achieved to date and to give guidance to negotiators for the final phase of the negotiations. The following events were held in Quito in parallel with the official meetings.

• 2002 FTAA Ministerial Meeting: Report on Civil Society Events and Activities
  Annette Hester, Director of the University of Calgary's Latin American Research Center, prepared a report -at the request of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade- on the civil society events and activities that took place on the margins of the recent FTAA Ministerial Meeting.

• The seventh Americas Business Forum (ABF) took place October 29-31, 2002, and provided an opportunity for to business representatives to formulate proposals or approaches reflecting the interests of the private sector. To read the conclusions of the ABF 2002, please visit the following website: http://www.sice.oas.org/ftaa/Quito/forum/papers/ecom_e.asp

• A civil society forum "Towards Sustainability in the Americas" organised by the Ecuadorian Centre for Environmental Law (CEDA) was held on October 29-30, 2002. The discussions focussed on key issues related to sustainable development within the framework of the FTAA and covered five broad topics: investment; intellectual property rights and biodiversity; market access; sustainability assessments; as well as civil society participation and transparency. To read the recommendations stemming from this forum, which were presented to FTAA Trade Ministers, follow this link.

• On October 28-30, 2002 the Hemispheric Social Alliance, an inter-American coalition of NGOs, organised a three-day Hemispheric Meeting of Reflection and Exchange "Another America is Possible". Discussions fell under three core themes (Development, Society and Politics), including: investment and tariffs; agriculture; employment; environment; indigenous peoples; gender; public policies; human rights; and sovereignty. The recommendations stemming from this meeting, which were presented to FTAA Trade Ministers, can be accessed at the following website (available in Spanish only): http://www.movimientos.org/noalca/show_text.php3?key=1153

• North America Regional Seminar on the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA): Merida, Mexico, July 18, 2002.
  The Mexican Government hosted a regional seminar entitled "FTAA Opportunities and Challenges for North America", in Merida, on July 18, 2002. There was three panels on "Market Access/Agriculture', 'Services/Investment' and 'Transparency & Civil Society Participation in the FTAA processes'; each one was followed by an exchange among all participants attending the seminar. To learn more about the Seminar, read this summary.

• Round Table With Non-Governmental Experts
  On April 15, 2002, the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade organized a day of discussion to take stock of progress over the past year with regard to the Summit of the Americas process.
  See the Report for the details.

• Information about the FTAA Civil Society Committee
  Reports, Canada's Proposal, Frequently Asked Questions...

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