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Globalisation: New Rulers of the World
Seven Solutions

Put people first - World Trade Organisation 'liberalisation' agreements such as GATS and TRIPS have been a disaster for most of the world's population. The WTO should be abolished, and a democratic body established by and with the approval of all members of the United Nations General Assembly.

Restore national control over development - Countries must be allowed to determine their own development paths, free from the ideological interference of the IMF and World Bank. Countries must be allowed to make performance requirements of multinationals investing in their territories.

John Pilger, Juyu Jubaidah and her grandson Mohammed

End protectionism in the world's richest countries - The tariff barriers which block developing country exports to the markets of the rich world must be removed, and targeted support provided to workers in industrialised countries who are affected by the change. There needs to be fundamental reform of agricultural systems, with the aim of making food supply fairer to farmers in the Third World, as well as safer and more sustainable. In particular, European and US governments must end the agricultural subsidies which give their farmers an unfair advantage over producers in the developing world.

Give priority to the poor - The rules of globalisation should make more provision for the special needs of the world's poorest countries. The European Union's first step in promising duty-free access to exports from the 48 least developed countries should be extended to more countries and matched by all rich nations.

Make multinationals accountable - The legal notion that companies have the same human rights as people should be abandoned. Companies have globalised, but the rules regulating their activities haven't. UN agreements contain sound rules on workers' rights, human rights, consumer protection, indigenous peoples and the environment. But there is no means for consistent enforcement of these standards. There should be a new international mechanism to regulate the activities of all multinationals across the world, with government enforcement supported by independent monitoring to ensure that they abide by it. 

Build democratic space for genuine debate - All decisions at the IMF and World Bank are taken on the basis of 'one dollar one vote', which guarantees the world's richest countries an inbuilt majority. A genuine debate must exclude the assumption that these institutions, like their sponsor, the US Treasury, have an authentic interest in reducing poverty. They have no such interest; on the contrary, their policies demonstrably increase poverty.

Regulate capital markets - Financial markets must be regulated to ensure that they are stripped of their ideological power.

More
GLOBAL IMPACT
What are the worldwide effects of globalisation on countries, their people and the environment?
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CORPORATE MUSCLE
Larger than many host nations, multinational corporations are often in a powerful position to dictate terms and can be rife with corruption.
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TAKE ACTION
Information on what you can do to make a difference.
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SEVEN SOLUTIONS
And here are 7 solutions to the globalisation problem.
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ARTICLES
Read Globalisation articles by John Pilger.
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