Balam Nah Forest Declaration on the WTO
(Balam Nah, which means "temple of the jaguar" in Maya, is the original name of Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico, where forest groups met on June 11, 2003

We, the forest communities of the Mayan region and representatives of local, national and international non-governmental organizations, stand for the preservation of forests and indigenous communities. We oppose the model of global trade promoted by the World Trade Organization (WTO) which causes the destruction of our traditional livelihoods and native forests. Because decisions to be made by trade ministers from 10-14 September in Cancun could determine the future of forests, we call for all concerned citizens of the world to join us in demanding that another world is possible.

We share these concerns:

Rich countries are seeking to end the global south's ability to control its own economic activities by using the WTO to deregulate foreign investment. New rights for foreign investors in WTO will benefit transnational corporations at the expense of the poor, and make native forests more accessible to foreign logging companies.
In the economic dogma of the WTO, forests are seen only as wood and genetic resources to exploit. For us, life is not a good which can be bought or sold. The WTO system legalizes and encourages biopiracy by allowing private corporations to patent and "own" our genetic resources, not only threatening our rights to use these resources, but replacing our natural forests & crops with transgenic organisms.
The WTO seeks liberalization of trade policies that govern forests, placing at risk many practices that conserve forests and protect communities. Under this model all that will regulate the consumption of our forests is the free market constructs of supply and demand. This will accelerate the destruction of our natural forests and the world's ecosystems, replacing these valuable resources with plantations devoid of biodiversity.
Efforts undertaken in the Mayan forests of Quintana Roo, and in places throughout Mexico and the world, to promote responsible & sustainable management of forest resources are resulting in the conservation of biodiversity, the preservation of the indigenous culture and traditional farming communities, and the rights of local people to control their territories and resources. Increasing WTO's control over forests threatens all of our efforts to conserve our land, resources and culture.
The WTO itself is an anti-democratic body, allowing little participation from those whom its decisions will most affect. The legal regime of the WTO conflicts with the existing constitutions of many nations, states, and communities. Adopting WTO rules threatens our national, state and community sovereignty. Trade ministers are making rules without consulting those who will be most impacted by their decisions: people who work in and support the forestry sector.
We propose:

Communities and nations must be able to defend and protect their forests and the multiple functions that they provide.
The WTO should in no way impede nations from choosing the means by which they decide to protect their forests, or from complying with international agreements governing the environment, human rights, and the rights of workers and indigenous peoples.
The WTO should not authorize and legitimate the patenting of life.
Our governments, and their trade representatives, must not advance any trade negotiations without transparency and prior-informed consent of the communities to be affected.
Forest advocates from the north and south must build strong and lasting relationships to derail the machinery of corporate globalization, as dictated by the WTO.
The current model of international trade must be replaced by one of fair trade that values environmental and human rights concerns, including biodiversity and cultural integrity.
We invite all forest communities, the groups that support them, and all citizens interested in the conservation of the forests to spread this declaration widely and make plans to travel to the WTO meeting in Cancun September 9-14, 2003.

OEPFZM) (Organización de Ejidos Productores Forestales de la Zona Maya, S.C.
UCIZONI (Union de Comunidades Indigenas en la Zona Norte del Istmo)
UNORCA (Union Nacional de Organizaciones Regionales Campesinas)
Red MOCAF (Mexican Campesino Forest Producers' Network)
RMALC (Red Mexicana de Acción Frente al Libre Comercio)
International Indian Treaty Council
International Forum on Globalization
Yaxche', Árbol de la Vida, A.C
Friends of the Earth, Costa Rica
American Lands Alliance
Pacific Environment

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