March 20, 2023: DFAT has called for submissions for the Government’s Southeast Asia strategy 2040.

Despite the long-term time frame of the strategy, there is no reference so far to inequality in the region or to human rights, labour rights or environmental standards.

Tuesday, March 14, 2023: The People’s Vaccine Alliance issued a letter by 204 eminent global figures on March 11, the third anniversary of the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO), calling for governments to act in four ways:

March 7, 2023: In November 2022, the Trade Minister confirmed Labor’s policy to exclude Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) in new agreements and to review it in existing agreements. The policy was first adopted under the Gillard government in 2011 in response to community campaigning by AFTINET and others when the Philip Morris tobacco company sued the Australian government over our plain packaging law.

Monday March 6, 2023 : Over 400 US labor and civil society organisations have written to President Biden outlining their priorities for the pending <a href="http://aftinet.org.au/cms/Indo-pacific-economic-framework#overlay-contex... Economic Framework</a> (IPEF) trade agreement. <a href="https://www.citizenstrade.org/ctc/blog/2023/03/02/403-labor-and-civil-so... letter</a> comes shortly before the Office of the US Trade Representative is expected to introduce US proposals for IPEF&rsquo;s labor, environment and digital trade chapters during a key negotiating round being held in Bali, Indonesia, on March 13-19.

Media Release  February 27, 2023

World Health Organisation (WHO) member governments will meet in Geneva this evening AEDT to start debating a draft Pandemic Treaty intended to learn from the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic and develop better strategies for future pandemics, to be completed in 2024.

Leading public health, fair trade, church, human rights and aid and development organisations have written to the Ministers responsible for Health, Foreign Affairs and Trade asking them not to repeat the “catastrophic moral failure” of inequitable global access to COVID vaccines, treatments and tests. The letter is attached. Quotes from organisation leaders are below.

Thursday February 16, 2023: More than 100 academics have urged the UK government to leave the controversial 50-member Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which includes Investor-State Dispute settlement (ISDS), a secret court system that enables fossil fuel companies to sue governments for huge sums over policies that could affect future profits.

February 8, 2023: The World Health Organization (WHO)’s first or ‘zero-draft’ for a treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response would commit Member States to support temporary waivers of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules for 20-year monopolies on pandemic related products. This would enable developing countries to scale up manufacturing of cheaper products, and increase the availability of affordable pandemic-related products.

February 6, 2022:This revision of the ASEAN agreement (AANZFTA) was begun under the Morrison coalition government and Labor Trade Minister Farrell announced on November 14 that in-principle agreement has been reached on most issues. The text will not be released until after it is finalised. The RCEP and CPTPP texts are being used as models. The provisions on corporate rights to sue governments (Investor-State Dispute Settlement or ISDS) arrangements are still being reviewed.

January 30, 2023: The previous Coalition government initiated a scoping negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with the UAE, comprising the following emirates: Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al-Quwain, and Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah, and with the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia and Qatar. AFTINET made a submission to the previous government in April 2022 arguing that  both negotiations should not proceed because of gross violation of human rights and labour rights in these countries.