back

"Fortress Forum" needs to broaden dialogue
29.01.2001

Davos 2001 - the Fortress Forum - needs to broaden dialogue over the future shape of the global economy, say labour leaders. Nine labour leaders have been attending the World Economic Forum and they protested over the weekend to WEF President Klaus Schwab at over-the-top policing that has kept away even peaceful protesters."We have been at Davos to insist on a global input for 150 million trade unionists and the Forum agenda is getting more realistic," said the labour leaders.

"We believe in the widest dialogue but what message does the Forum send out when it is ringed by armed police, water cannons, security helicopters and wire barricades?"

"Many critics will draw the comparison between the Fortress Forum and the People’s Forum in Porto Alegre."

Union leaders have urged the Forum to broaden the range of the 2,000 participants (mainly from business and government) to include a bigger input from civil society including trade unions and non-governmental organisations.

Union leaders at Davos also urged the world’s largest corporations to start a global dialogue with unions.

They welcomed plans by a WEF sponsored Task Force to issue an annual scorecard on progress by governments, business and others to narrow the wealth and health divides and to improve human and trade union rights.

"Globalisation is losing the consent of many people and an impartial, annual review of progress could help restore some confidence," say the labour leaders.

In a range of side meetings with the heads of international institutions labour leaders have:

• re-affirmed their commitment to the United Nations’ Global Compact to Kofi Annan,
• discussed the trade unions contribution to the UN High Commission for Human Rights’ major conference on racism in Durban in September with Mary Robinson.

Informal dialogue between unions and some key international organisations like the International Monetary Fund has improved, say the labour leaders.

"The glaring exception remains the World Trade Organisation which refuses to let workers have a direct voice or accept the need to consider labour rights when it re-shapes global trading patterns," they said.

"Another fortress conference in Qatar will do little to dispel great global distrust at the way the WTO goes about its business."

Press contact: Noel Howell (mobile) ++41 79 446 2703