Hundreds of people gathered in Hyderabad, India, between 22 and 26 July 2017, in opposition to the 19th round of negotiations of the 16-nation Free Trade Agreement (FTA) called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
Over 500 negotiators met in secret from 24 to 28 July to deregulate laws to further open up markets in agriculture, services and manufacturing. Stricter Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) provisions that will constrain access to medicines and seeds, investment provisions that will allow corporations to sue governments, and further liberalisation of e-commerce that threatens informal sector are also on the agenda.
Several civil society organisations joined forces to organise a peoples’ convention including public gatherings, press conferences and workshops to protest and exchange information.
On 24 July, a rally was organised by the Peoples’ Resistance Forum Against FTAs and RCEP in Hyderabad, where over 700 people came out against RCEP. A press conference was held on the same day where professors, researchers, policy analysts and civil society representatives spoke to the press.
On 25 July, a statement was issued from the Peoples’ Summit which expressed the sentiment that such a convergence of movements presented the beginnings of a new coalition from the ground up.
Reject RCEP and Free Trade Agreements! Spread the word!
Below is a compilation of photos, videos, tweets and news articles from the Peoples’ Summit, in chronologic order.
Read about RCEP and how it can affect food and farmers in Asia and the Pacific
Learn more about RCEP and read its leaked documents
— source grain.org 2017-08-10