*{Greens, labour and globalization: boost or barrier? [http://www.weforum.org/site/knowledgenavigator.nsf/Content/Greens%2C%20labour%20and%20globalization%3A%20boost%20or%20barrier%3F?open&topic_id=300250000&theme_id=300] 27.01.2000 Annual Meeting 2000} Introducing the session, moderator Daniel C. Esty, Director of the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, USA, pointed to what he called "the pretty serious challenge" in understanding how trade and the values of humanity intersect following the abortive negotiations in Seattle. Much of the subsequent discussion was dominated by different perceptions of this central problem, along with some reflections on the Seattle meeting which was generally felt to have been badly organized both by the host nation and also by the World Trade Organization (WTO). There was a broad consensus that the negotiations should begin again as a matter of urgency. Alec Erwin, Minister of Trade and Industry of South Africa, called for a greater sensitivity towards history and to the broad impact of decisions taken on free trade. "We must talk, but as well as negotiating we better learn to listen," he said, to agreement from several speakers. Of central concern to the meeting were free trade and its impact on labour standards and the environment. For Guy de Jonquières, World Trade Editor, Financial Times, United Kingdom, environmental issues such as genetically modified produce and biotechnology are major concerns, while labour standards are, in his view, a side issue. Juan Somavia, Director-General of the International Labour Office, Geneva, conceded that the relationship between labour standards and free trade is very difficult, but he believes this should be perceived through the eyes of the people who would be affected, and not in a generalized way. In response to a concern raised by a participant from the developing world, he pointed out that core labour standards, which had been agreed to by all developing countries, referred not to pay but to rights such as freedom of association, collective bargaining and freedom from forced labour. At present, he said, the perception is that the benefits of globalization do not reach enough people. The strongest critic of the free trade negotiations was Brent Blackwelder, President of Friends of the Earth, USA. He said that they are anti-democratic and that environmental standards are moving towards "the lowest common denominator". He called for a more humble attitude on the part of trade organizations towards health and environmental expertise. His view was supported by a contribution from the floor suggesting that one crucial question needs to be answered: will the new rules be imposed by a few or will they emerge from mass grass-roots opinion? A structural problem was identified by Moisés Naim, Editor of Foreign Policy, USA, who believes that the WTO has become a "dumping ground" for environmental issues which have no other home. The world community needs to organize itself to handle these increasingly complex matters which are growing faster than they can currently be absorbed by the available institutions. Esty agreed that a global environmental commission is needed, but he felt that the environmentalists had lost out in Seattle as they had joined forces with the trade protectionists. He believes that if the concerns of the environmentalists were taken seriously, they would themselves become free traders. *{Contributors: Bergsten C. Fred Blackwelder Brent Blanco Mendoza Herminio Erwin Alec Esty Daniel C. Naim Moisés Somavia Juan}