NO RCEP Regional Week of Action

WHAT:
National, regional and global civil societies, women's organizations, farmers groups, trade unions and grassroots organizations are coming together to rise and mobilize against RCEP. Join us for NO RCEP Regional Week of Action, together we'll raise our voices and call an absolute end to this unfair mega free trade agreement, which would affect the livelihood of 50% of world's population, prioritize power to large corporations, and increase inequality between the rich and the poor and between men and women.

HOW:
- Post photos that shows your opposition to the RCEP with hashtag #NoRCEP on Facebook and Twitter. Take a photo of yourself and/or a group holding up sign[s] with messages to our government to not sign away our rights to corporations.
- Tweet your country’s head of government, Minister of Trade or head of your government’s negotiations team.
- Check here for sample tweets and Twitter handles of government leaders http://bit.ly/2dfBr2e
- Follow APWLD’s Twitter account @apwld as we share information on the dangers of RCEP
- Change your Facebook and Twitter banner with the No RCEP Week of Action banner
- Download A Take Action Toolkit for the NO RCEP Week of Action here http://bit.ly/2dNAEpg
- Organize your own local activity or join one near you.

Don’t forget to submit your photos, videos, statements, planned activities and actions with us on the event page. Use the hashtag #NoRCEP so we can track and share them!

WHY:
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is currently negotiated by the 10 ASEAN countries along with India, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia & New Zealand. It is expected to impact the lives of 3.5 billion people living in these 16 countries. It has been negotiated in secret, so while certain corporate and business groups have been invited to the negotiations by government officials, ordinary people who will be most adversely impacted have had no say whatsoever.

This trade agreement will severely curtail people’s rights and freedoms. It will give wealthy governments and large corporations the authority to reach across borders to impose constraints on a vast range of domestic non-trade policies. It will also cement corporate power and rights over national public interests law and the duty of governments to govern in the interests of their people. Land grabbing will increase, fueling further militarization and conflicts. Women will also be denied of their rights as traditional keeper of seeds and knowledge of their community.

This week of action is taking place ahead of the 15th Round of Negotiation of the RCEP taking place in Tianjin, China where once again, civil societies and people's movements will be shut out of the negotiation.

WHEN:
10-16 October 2016

WHERE:
Online and everywhere
Send us any events/activities that you are planning where you are.

Chiang Mai, Thailand: 12 October 2016
Feminist Dialogue Seminar - The Impact of Free Trade Agreements on Women’s Rights
2nd floor meeting room, Women's Studies Building, Department of Women’s Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University
1 – 4 PM
https://www.facebook.com/events/1804997639779402/

For regular updates on the RCEP, check out: http://bilaterals.org/?-rcep-218-&lang=en

And for further reading on RCEP:

Asia Pacific Research Network: http://aprnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/RCEP-BRIEFER-PAGES-no-bleed-with-text-boxes.pdf

Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development: http://apwld.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/rcep-for-upload.pdf

GRAINS: https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5498-new-leaked-chapter-of-asia-trade-deal-shows-rcep-will-undercut-farmers-control-over-seeds