| Oaxacan Leader Speaks Against the Free Trade Area of the Americas | | Print | |
| Written by Administrator | |||
| Thursday, 11 September 2003 00:00 | |||
 Aldo Gonzalez is a member of the Zapotec people, representing rural corn farmers from his grassroots organization. Small producer farmers in the Mexican state of Oaxaca have been devastated by the economic measures brought on by NAFTA. Because they can no longer make a living on their ancestral lands, almost half of the small producer farmers in Oaxaca have immigrated north in an effort to survive. Aldo has been at the forefront in Mexico in the battle against GM (Genetically Modified) maize (corn) contamination - which was first documented in the Sierra Juarez by University of California Berkeley researchers 2 years ago. He is a well-respected leader of an important movement for food and cultural sovereignty in Mexico - the place of origin for maize. Aldo will speak about how GM corn, through the opening of the Mexican economy under NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in 1994 and other U.S. promoted neoliberal policies, has and will continue to threaten Mexican food security and indigenous cultures. He will specifically address the dangers the proposed FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas) poses to small farmers, consumers and indigenous people throughout the hemisphere and offer viable community-based alternatives. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is a proposed trade agreement that would extend the disaster of NAFTA throughout the hemisphere. The FTAA would link the entire western hemisphere in a huge trading block, with serious implications for generations to come, yet US Trade Representative conducts secret negotiating sessions and refuses to open a public debate on this decisive issue. The government refuses to hold public hearings or any democratic forums for discussion for community input, so we're taking the initiative! The FTAA: -Threatens worker rights -Threatens the environment -Undermines democracy Come learn about: -How free trade affects your community -How free trade affects developing countries -How free trade affects women -How we can create a better world
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