The ministers' meeting of the WTO in Cancun, Mexico took place from 10-14 September 2003 and failed to reach an agreement.
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) promotes free trade for the gain of private interests, over and above our health and the environment. Greenpeace is opposed to the globalisation that is increasing corporate power, evidenced by the agenda of the WTO.
The failure of the meeting was expected, and as a result, Greenpeace is now urging governments to create an alternative trade system, where trade will be fair and not biased in favour of rich countries.
The possibility for developing a free-trade reality was reinforced by the resistance shown at this year's conference. Developing countries and hundreds of non-governmental organisations like Greenpeace, stood against the USA and the EU, opposing the imposition of trade laws which do not work towards sustainable development. Why you should care about the WTO>
Greenpeace is in favour of a system that has human well-being and eco-systems as its priorities. The WTO this year continually stalled on these issues, which are crucial to global sustainable development.
We are therefore calling on governments to re-assess the rules of the current international trade system so that sustainable development accross the world can be achieved.
Throughout the WTO conference, Greenpeace took part in direct actions to highlight the inadequecies of the WTO.
In the lead-up to the meeting, activists stopped a train carrying GM contaminated maize into Mexico. The USA is currently dumping this GM maize onto developing countries, while at the same time it has banned some GM crops from being grown in the US, because of contamination fears.
During the meeting, Greenpeace prevented a shipment of genetically modified maize from entering Mexico. The activists, from Argentina and Mexico, attached themselves to the anchor chain of a 40,000 tonne shipment of American GM contaminated maize destined for the port of Veracruz. More about the shipment action>
Meanwhile in South East Asia, Greenpeace activists condemned Monsanto, a multi-national company responsible for the spread of genetic contamination through the introduction of genetically modified crops in the Philippines. More from South East Asia>
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Find out more: Why you should worry about the WTO
