The International Trade Conference [EarthX]

[Oceanor]

The International Trade Conference

The International Trade Conference has been put in place to discuss the future of world trade, and the design of the Global Trade Organization going into the future. Three things will be under discussion at this conference:

• Requirements: The Conference will discuss what requirements, whether economic, military, or other, must be met before members can join the GTO.
• Tenets: The Conference will discuss what the GTO will represent, and what benefits membership will hold.
• Piracy: The Conference will discuss both what the GTO will do about piracy and how to deal with the problem of piracy in a larger picture, especially in regards to Big Carencia.

Discussion will be held through leaders discussing their ideas, and votes must be held for anything to end up in the GTO. The Conference will end once all of the above three things have been either decide upon or have been put to another date for discussion. So, without further adieu, let the International Trade Conference begin!

[Oceanor]

High Chancellor Audric Charpentier of Oceanor steps up to the podium. He is ready. Taking a deep breath, he begins. "For so long has global trade been unregulated. This has allowed for the rise of such horrible things as piracy, sweatshops, child labour, and a whole slew of other things that should not exist in our modern world. So I come here today to ask the international community to do the one thing that they find hardest: agree." He looks around the room.

"I have a vision. It is quite a grand vision. My vision is of a world without such terrible things as piracy and sweatshops, and I have a plan to do it. With the GTO, I wish to make strict requirements for entering the GTO. First, a nation must have an HDI of at least 0.9. Secondly, they must have adequate workers' rights, for example, Minimum Wage and age limits. Finally, they must be a democracy. All these combined will hopefully encourage nations that do not meet those requirements to strive for them to gain access to the GTO.

As for the benefits of the GTO, I do not have quite as large a vision for them. One thing that is important to me would be that access to important waterways such as the Panama and Suez canal be restricted unless you are in the GTO. This is important, as it would come at a huge cost to some manufacturing nations that do not meet the HDI standards of the GTO. Another benefit, although I will touch on this more later, would be the Joint Task Force. As for the tenets, the GTO should stand for Democracy, Human Rights, Workers Rights, and the fight against Piracy. It is on these tenets that I have based my vision off of, and I will fight to make sure that all of those translate into the final GTO."

With that, he took a dark glance at the representatives from Big Carencia, who had insisted on being present at the conference despite the backlash. "And now for another matter, but one just as pressing. Piracy is a crime and one that should have been left behind decades ago. And yet, there are still nations who insist on not only harbouring it but sponsoring it as well. No longer. The GTO should have a Joint Task Force, one that has contributions from all member nations and whose purpose is defending GTO vessels from any harm, including piracy. This, I assume, is a much more unanimous opinion than my other statements."

His face brightens. "So, I have said what I needed to say, and I look forward to discussing the future of trade and the GTO with all of you. I can only hope that we will be of like mind, but I also know that that is a pipe dream. Thank you all for your time, and I will open the floor for discussion".

With that, he steps down from the podium, and the International Trade Conference begins.