DAY ONE: September 10th, 2003

Day 1 of the WTO is now complete and I find myself sitting here struggling to take it all in. I am dealing with the dichotomy of being both an activist on the outside in developing the world that I wish to be a part of and being a delegate on the inside where I am supposed to have a voice. I came here to Cancun with a purpose. That purpose was to voice opposition to the policies and practices of the WTO. I may be unable to impact the negotiations, but I am able to tell Canadians that whether I am on the inside or on the outside, I reach out to those around me and talk about why I am here and what kind of world we will have when each and every one us understands the true intentions of the WTO.

We spoke to farm workers from Mexico, Europe, and Canada. I had a conversation with a local man about how he is forced to work for the tourism industry here in Cancun, as there is really nothing else for him to do. I have had a conversation with a taxi driver who told us that we should pick up the fences that blocked us off from the WTO meeting centre and march it the 10km to their front door to tell them exactly how we felt. I even had to come all the way to Cancun to have a conversation with a Pork Farmer who lives 10 minutes away from where I grew up in South Western Ontario to talk about the state of our agricultural systems and the need for a strong and thriving local agricultural system. The list and conversations continues.

I have not spoken to the Canadian government for they do not want to hear what we have to say. There is no dialogue and any words of dissent are merely ignored as delegates continue to discuss the issues that they deem as important.

Today I joined a march of farm workers from around the world. Organized by the Via Campesina movement. 20,000 farmers and supporters took to the streets to send a loud message: we do not agree with the agreement on agriculture being negotiated behind closed doors by the WTO. We know what this agreement will do for small farmers worldwide. Farmers around the world have a right to decide how to farm. The 1000s of farmers we marched with today know that their lifestyles will be threatened with a new WTO agreement on agriculture and their struggles – which are already beyond what many of us could comprehend - will only be exasperated. The energy, the feelings of support, and the motivation that were at the demo today will resonate with me for years to come.

Now, I know that many of you will have heard, already, the tragic news of the death of a Korean man at the demonstrations this afternoon. I am only starting to process the events and I am really at a loss for words. Although I did not see the act first hand, I was metres away and witnessed the ambulance pulling him away. The events went as such: a Korean activist climbed the fence, putting a knife to his chest. He then plunged the knife into his heart and fell to the ground. He was immediately surrounded by both his comrades and the media and was escorted thereafter to an ambulance. We received word later in the afternoon that he did in fact die from his self-inflicted wounds. I say that his wounds were self-inflicted only in the sense that he did physically commit the bodily harm himself. However, I believe his death was at the hands of the WTO.

Many of us will find it very hard to believe or understand the desperation that one must feel to commit the most fatal of all acts. Many of us will probably have to convince ourselves that he must have been crazy to do such a thing. I cannot say that I understand... but I am trying to keep an open mind. What do you do when you cannot make a living to feed your family? What do you do when the only life that you know is being robbed and stolen from you? I do not fully comprehend the act but it saddens me so deeply. Do we really live in a world where anyone feels this ultimate desperation? If there is one person who feels this, in my eyes it is too many. There are others – many of whom would not be able to consider the act that this one Korean man committed – who resonate deeply with the feelings of desperation and the feeling that there is nothing that they can do to change to system of inequality that confronts them head on every day of their lives. I find myself mourning this evening, mourning for all the lives that are lost every day at the hands of desperation, at the hands of inequality. Our Korean brothers' loss of life is a tragedy. It is a tragedy that will be difficult to accept, will be difficult to understand. But it is a tragedy.

It is hard for me to go on and write about many of the other events that I have witnessed here in Cancun. There are so many stories to tell. Walking around inside the perimeter is a pretty demoralizing experience. There are fences everywhere you turn and there are security guards literally every 10 steps. There are soldiers with rifles at nearly every corner. You must go through metal detectors at every building you enter.

While inside the security perimeter, I asked myself on several occasions: “Does this not say it all?” Anything that warrants this type of security must have the intentions of the worlds wealthiest in mind. There are no peasants at the table. There are none of the world’s poor expressing their views. These measures are to protect the wealthiest minority from the majority who want to have their voices heard. These people do not want to hurt those meeting at the WTO. These people want to save their communities. They want to make sure that they can raise their children in a world of peace; that they can live their lives in a way that they choose, not in a way that is dictated to them by men in suits who meet behind close doors to negotiate a way of life that will indeed impact us all.

I have so many stories to share but I think that I will end this note here. I know that I have not covered at all my journeys up until Cancun, which will need an entire e-mail unto them. Travelling with hundreds of Mexicans and internationals in a caravan of busses for 3 days. I promise that this e-mail will come... I have much of it written already by hand but am lacking a few extra hours in the day to get everything done.

Please read and watch the media with an open mind. The celebration – the spirit of the people – rarely gets shown. The march today was an uplifting, celebratory moment of international solidarity. Another world is possible...we will achieve it by keeping up the struggle!

Thanks everyone,
Lindsay
Cancun, Mexico
September 10th, 2003

DAY TWO: September 11, 2003

Isolation is the key to denial. This is the theme of my experiences in day Two of the WTO meetings here in Cancun. I spent my first full day feeling locked inside a cage understanding every word spoken around me but speaking a language that no one else can understand; and I do not mean speaking English in a Spanish-speaking nation.

Under the haze and beating heat of the Cancun Hurricane season, delegates once again hid themselves 10km away from the dissent of the people. I felt isolated and alone. I knew that my friends and colleagues were outside sending their messages of hope and dissent. I could not hear them. I did not know what, if anything, was happening. I hoped they were safe but had no way to verify this.

The barricade has been moved inwards, a strategic move on behalf of the Mexican police. The fence that was torn down by demonstrators yesterday has been moved inwards 100 or so feet and cemented closed. The message is clear: there will be no breaking through the three fence deep barricade today. But there is another message hidden in this move: by moving the fences inward 100 feet, one is blocking off any possible means of escape if the police decide to block off entry once demonstrators move in. An easy mass arrest scenario has been set. I can only hope that when or if this happens that my companieros will be safe

The Korean contingent, along with the support of the international activist communities, held a vigil throughout the day for the loss of the life of Mr Leigh. A mid-50s Korean farm labour activist, president of his union, he killed himself yesterday in protest to the WTO. His act was intended to depict the real image that the WTO kills farmers. The vigils brought together activists of all genres as they stood together to mourn Mr. Leigh and all of those who have died in the face of poverty, inequity and despair. They mourned for everyone who has died at the hands of war and disease. They sought hope in these deaths through the inspiration to continue to develop much-needed alternatives.

Inside the WTO meetings there was very little mention of Mr. Leigh. One could hear whispers but no one dared confront the issue openly. I noticed a brief two-line sentence released by the Mexican government claiming a great regret at the death of the Korean Activist. Negotiations went on as scheduled. In asking several Canadian industry representatives what they felt about the actions, many scuttled away uncomfortable and not knowing how to respond or what to say. Better to not say anything at all.

The discussions at the Canadian briefings continue to go in circles. In every briefing the same people talk making the same points to the same people about the same issues. We [the lobby group delegates] have developed a bit of a reputation for ourselves at these events. On several occasions we get the nice condescending tap on the shoulder thanking us for being there and for voicing our opinions. From others, we get a much more poignant comment telling us how eloquent and articulate our thoughts are, as if they are surprised.

The Canadian government representatives continue to skirt the issues that we raise. In a direct criticism of the inability of the Canadian delegation to reflect the concerns and requests of the Environmental community, the response I received was: “We do environmental assessments of our trade negotiations ” The underlying message being “This makes us good environmental citizens.” What is not mentioned however is that there is no mechanism by which the Canadian delegation can integrate issues that may potentially arise in an environmental assessment into the negotiations themselves! In response to comments regarding fair trade, climate change, agriculture, and GMOs we received the token comment: “These negotiations are complex issues.” My favourite quote of the day was from Mr. Pettigrew himself when, in response to a request for a process to achieve gender parity at the microphones – in a room with an approximate ratio of 5:1 males to females – said: “You just have to get to the microphone first.”

Now, all this being said, negotiations are proceeding. Canada remains committed to its stance surrounding the three pillars of negotiations,

1. Elimination of export subsidies
2. Reduced domestic support
3. Market Access

Ahhhh! It hurts me to even write those words. “Market Access” is truly the crux of the Canadian negotiating stance. All industry stakeholders are pushing hard on this point, basically arguing that they must have easy access to vulnerable foreign markets in developing countries. This becomes slightly more complicated when one starts to examine what Canada might offer up in exchange for this as negotiations become tight to achieve movement on the issue of market access.

As we all suspected, Cancun is very much centred around agricultural negotiations, but the discussions seem to be caught in a vortex of circular discussions. In the words of Canada’s agricultural minister Lyle Vanclief, countries are maintaining their stances on a majority of key issues and there has been little movement or successions. There remains hope that this will change, but no major – and functionally no minor – steps forward have truly been achieved. There is much work to do in the final two days if any agreement is going to come out of Cancun. We might just be gearing up for the failure that many of us are crossing our fingers for.

Tomorrow I get my first taste of lobbying. I am meeting with Mr. Dick Ballhorn and Steve McClullan, Canada’s top environment negotiators here in Cancun. This is largely for intelligence gathering. We want to know what is on the table here in Cancun. Will the few token environmental protections be offered up in exchange for market access? The WTO is already an un-environmental organization, but will the environment be totally traded away in Cancun? I will also be meeting with a contingent of Brazilian NGOs to discuss the hard line that Canada is taking in pressuring Brazil to back away from the stance of the G21, a group of developing countries aligning themselves in resistance to the current text on the agreement on agriculture. All in all, an exciting day in the works!

With love and peace
Lindsay
Cancun, September 11, 2003

DAYS THREE & FOUR: September 12th & 12th, 2003

The Days seem long here in Cancun, the week seems endless. We are supposed to be nearing an end here in Cancun and as people gradually start to trickle out the final negotiations are heating up. The last few days have been full of energy, excitement, disappointment, increased security, marginalization, oppression, a few bruises, a torn down fence, no gas, no arrests, and negotiations both inside and outside the perimeter. My days have been full, trying to find the balance between action, debate, and meetings. Things change in a split second here in Cancun and I can not promise that everything you read here will be up to date when you read it. Negotiations are tense. A draft text was released mid afternoon yesterday and the resounding voice is that this is not good enough.

I found myself, the other day in an informal discussion with some friends from a Developing Country Government Delegation who voiced extreme frustration with the lack of transparency and openness going on inside. Laces [Less Developed Countries] have said a resounding NO to new issues put forward in the Singapore Issues, an area that our dear friend Mr. Pettigrew is facilitating. Canada is pushing a strong agenda in this area and Minister Pettigrew has been criticized for using his position and failing to keep neutrality. This backed by the words of our friends in the south and also in the outcome of the new text. The text itself is a bit conniving. They could argue the stance that issues have not been introduced here in Cancun but the wording of the text, upon closer examination states quite explicitly that new issues will be unbundled and dealt with individually with Investment first on the agenda. The trick…these issues will not start negotiations until the conclusion of the Agricultural modalities (ie. Once an agreement has been put forward on the agricultural text). Canada has used its power here in Cancun and is right behind the US and the European Community in bullying LDCs to agree to their agenda.

I had the opportunity to confront Pettigrew himself on his lack of transparency the other day, a bit of a highlight in my afternoon. He seemed quite put off and tried to ignore my comment by claiming he’d like to know where my sources were. Sierra Youth Coalition has been a very vocal dissenting voice here in Cancun. The Canadian NGO and government delegations know who we are and are watching our every move. I have been pulled aside and unduly searched on numerous occasions. The Mexican authorities have been following us and preventing our access in many situations. We have been a part of inside actions several times every day. An action on medicare, and action on the WTO and Farmers, and yes even a banner drop!! After a little tussle with the WTO security we were able to drop a large banner off the pedestrian bridge with claimed “the WTO kills Democracy, Farmers, and Nature.” We ripped copies of the draft text over the banner shouting “dump the draft, down with the WTO.” We escaped with a few bruises and a big win with media covering the event. Hey I just did an action with Vadana Shiva…I’m still in awe. We have managed to get into the local news 3 days in a row now. Pictures will be coming shortly. In short, their has been a strong dissenting voice here in Cancun…and more opposition to come. Rumour has it that Bush is in town…not sure if I believe it yet…time will tell.

I am not going to cover the outside actions extensively here although what a powerful moment it was when that fence came down! Starhawk and others have put out such amazing analyses of those events that I feel I would just be duplicating their stories with not nearly as much grace. I have included Starhawk’s update below. [This update is at the very end of this message.]

We continue the fight here in Cancun. Tensions are rising. LDC’s are telling us to keep us the work, they need to hear our support and our voice. Negotiations are struggling. We might very well win here in Cancun, but let us not hold our breath. There is still much work to do and there are still many strings that our governments will be trying to pull to connive a signing here in Cancun. Sorry this is so short, I need a few more hours in the day to do all that I have to here in Cancun. There will be a more detailed update later today. I felt all of your support yesterday on the international day of action against the WTO…our message is being heard around the world. We will win.

Breaking News from Cancun!!! - September 14th

I cannot believe that I am writing these words but the discussions have broken off...countries have walked out...it is over!!! There are celebrations in the streets, celebrations in the conference centre, everyone walking around with a smile on their faces. Now some of you may be asking why. Is it not bad that these discussions have failed? I can tell each and everyone of you that the discussions that have gone on here have not been a debate, it has not been a negotiation and the WTO has proven itself as an organization that is not capable of balancing the powers of countries within. The US the EU and yes Canada used its positions of powers to release a text that said no to sustainable development, it said no to food security, it said no to Developing countries. And those countries said NO to the WTO.

This afternoon at around 3pm, Kenya walked out of the Green Rooms claiming the green room negotiations were over. the G21 released a statement shortly thereafter stating that discussions have collapsed. The collapse was by and large due to a stalemate in negotiations around Singapore issues. These new issues, including investment and government procurement, were resisted by 80 developing nations who said NO NEW ISSUES IN CANCUN. Our own minister, Pettigrew, pushed Canada’s own agenda forward, as an apparent neutral facilitator. From the discussions that I was able to have with a Kenyan Government Delegate it was clear that Pettigrew was not in fact neutral and the text that was released yesterday afternoon proved this to be true. It was a strong agenda, it was a wealthy countries agenda and it ignored all the concerns of developing countries around the world.

With 2 out of 3 meetings ending in failure with the WTO, the organization is in a need to go into intensive self reflection. It is my belief and the belief of many of those around me that the WTO has proven itself incapable and inefficient as an international body. What happened in Seattle, they bullying that occurred to get an agreement out of Doha, and the conclusion of Cancun all lead to the same conclusion....it is over for the WTO.

The struggle is not over though, we must join forces now even more then ever We need to show the world that alternatives to the WTO are available and they will lead to a world that will benefit communities across the globe, a world that will not destroy its ecosystems in the name of profit and a world where people will each have the ability to determine their own future. That is the world that we fought for here in Cancun. That is the world that I believe we will achieve!!

From Cancun, Lindsay 5:40pm