From The Campaign Trail

APEC has started. Government and business leaders will tackle investment liberalisation, multilateral trading systems, barriers to competition and climate change. These and other APEC issues affect the lives of literally billions. And there is a problem with that. These billions have little voice within APEC. There is room only for business leaders, but apparently no room for women's groups, environmentalists, human rights activists, labour organisations, indigenous peoples, peasants associations,to name but a few – as though no-one but business should have a role in making economic decisions. The exclusiveness of APEC breeds resentment. Inclusiveness must lead to more considered decision making, greater sensitivity to the impact of APEC decisions on those billions of lives, and more credibility for APEC. See http://www.apec.org