Ei-iE

EI recently attended an Expert Meeting on Universal Access to Services organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 14-16 November in Geneva.

Note prepared by Education International for the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)'s "Expert Meeting on Universal Access to Services" held in Geneva, Switzerland, 14-16 November 2006.

In this issue, EI explains how the continuing deadlock of the Doha Round of WTO talks is prompting the shift in focus to bilateral and regional agreements, and warns of the potential impact this might have on education services.

Speaking at the EI/CUT Round Table Meeting in St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Ralph Gonsalves challenged teacher union leaders to familiarise themselves with the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas and its affects upon the free movement of teachers within the region.

In this issue, you will find reports of EI’s lobby meetings in Geneva during the G-6 meeting in July. To download TradEducation, please clickhere .

Education International welcomes the attention G8 leaders have given to education as one of the most effective tools to combat poverty and promote economic and democratic development. However, it is concerned about the emphasis put on the role of the private sector.

MOSCOW -- In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin held at the Kremlin on 6 July, EI General Secretary Fred van Leeuwen urged leaders of the G8 nations not to abdicate their responsibility to invest in quality public education.

The latest issue of EI's newsletter on GATS has just be published. In this issue, we talk about the failure of the informal WTO ministerial meeting to break the current deadlock, EI meetings with WTO delegations in Geneva, new GATS rules on domestic regulation and EI's reservations about these rules.

Time is running out on WTO trade talks after ministers gathering in Geneva at the end of June failed to reach a crucial agreement on tariff and subsidy reductions for agricultural and industrial goods.

EI affiliates the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) and the Fédération des syndicats de l’enseignement (FSE) invite teachers and principals across the country to walk around in their schools and carry out an audit of fundraising and advertising activities, as part of a National Fundraising Count Day on May 29.

EI affiliate, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF)'s recent study involving elementary and secondary publicly funded schools across Canada has uncovered some startling revelations on the extent of advertising presence and marketing deals in schools in order to offset chronic underfunding of education systems in every province and territory.

The new issue of EI's bulletin on GATS and the WTO, TradEducation, has just been published. In this issue, we talk about the New Zealand government spearheading an effort to open up their private higher education "market", EI's meeting with key WTO negotiators and rules on domestic regulations.

EI held a series of meetings with the officials and negotiators of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as services negotiations resumed in Geneva this week. Monique Fouilhoux, EI’s education and employment co-ordinator, was joined by representatives of affiliates from Australia, Canada, and Denmark.

In the global economy where neo-liberal values of privatisation and market competition are dominant, it is crucial for those committed to public education to reaffirm the principle that education, including higher, technical, and professional education, is a right and not a merchandise.

EI affiliate the KTU is urging the government to cease negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Korea and the United States, fearing that it may make public services, including education, subject to private ownership.

The latest issue of TradEducation News, Education International’s publication to help affiliates understand the implication of GATS talks on public education, is now available in PDF format.

The EuroManif demonstration in Strasbourg yesterday saw up to 30,000 trade unionists vent fears that the proposed Services Directive could undermine European jobs and social standards.

A campaign has been launched by the European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) to exclude education from the proposed Directive on services in the internal EU market, first presented by the European Commission in Jan 2004.