On 4 November 2019 leaders of 15 countries in the Asia Pacific region announced the conclusion of the text-based negotiations for the 20 chapters of the Regional Comprehensive economic Partnership (RCEP).
In the Declaration from the Summit, governments stated their intention to sign the RCEP in Vietnam in early 2020.
Representatives of workers, farmers, women, indigenous peoples, environment, public health and patient groups, and other civil society organisations have repeatedly and consistently expressed our concerns about the negative effects that RCEP will have on people’s livelihoods, jobs, access to medicines, public services and the climate crisis and on economic development, democracy and national sovereignty.
We have also condemned the refusal to release negotiating texts of the agreement to allow the 3 billion people who will be affected by the RCEP to evaluate its impacts from our contexts, locations and perspectives.
Since the 4 November announcement, governments have, collectively and individually, provided their own accounts of what the agreement says and how it will affect our countries and people. But they are keeping the text itself secret.
We note that many parties to the RCEP had released the un-scrubbed text of the Trans- Pacific Partnership Agreement prior to signing and that the draft text of the free trade agreement between Japan and the European Union was released before the negotiations entirely concluded.
We demand the immediate release of the agreed RCEP text for independent evaluation and scrutiny by the people, our elected representatives, and relevant public bodies.
Failure to do so will continue the affront to democracy and deepen public skepticism about claims regarding the value and positive impacts of RCEP.
The undersigned organisations:
Regional/international organisations
Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law & Development (APWLD)
Asia Pacific Research Network Focus on the Global South GRAIN
IBON Foundation LDC Watch
People’s Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS)
National organisations (RCEP member countries)
ActionAid Australia | Australia |
All UP Academic Employees Union-Manila Chapter | Philippines |
AM-net(Advocacy and Monitoring Network on Sustainable Development) | Japan |
AMWU NSW Branch | Australia |
Australian Arts Trust | Australia |
Australian Council of Trade Unions | Australia |
Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network | Australia |
Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union | Australia |
Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation | Australia |
Cambodian Grassroots Cross-sector Network | Cambodia |
Civil Liberties Australia | Australia |
Community Partners International | Myanmar |
Community Partners International (CPI) | Myanmar |
Consumers’ Association of Penang | Malaysia |
CPSU SPSF Group | Australia |
Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+) | India |
Electrical Trades Union of Australia | Australia |
Finance Sector Union of Australia | Australia |
FIRST Union | New Zealand |
Forum For Trade Justice | India |
Foundation for AIDS Rights | Thailand |
Foundation for Women | Thailand |
Friends of the Earth Australia | Australia |
FTA Watch | Thailand |
FTUWKC | Cambodia |
Gene Ethics | Australia |
Greenpeace Aotearoa New Zealand | New Zealand |
Greenpeace Australia Pacific | Australia |
Health Law and Ethics Center, Faculty of Law, Thammasat University | Thailand |
Indian Coordination Committee of Farmers Movements (ICCFM) | India |
Indonesia AIDS Coalition | Indonesia |
Indonesia for Global Justice (IGJ) | Indonesia |
IPLeft | Republic of Korea |
ITPC – South Asia | India |
ItsOurFuture | New Zealand |
Japan Family Farmers Movement (Nouminren) | Japan |
Kalipunan ng mga Kilusang Masa (KALIPUNAN or Coalition of Social Movements) | Philippines |
Kesatuan Nelayan Tradisional Indonesia (KNTI/Indonesia Tradisional Fisherfolk Union | Indonesia |
KIARA (People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice) | Indonesia |
Knowledge Commune | South Korea |
Korean Pharmacists for Democratic Society | South Korea |
Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet | South Korea |
KRuHA (People’s Coalition for the Right to Water) | Indonesia |
Lawyers Collective | India |
Maritime Union of Australia, Victoria Branch | Australia |
MyWATCH | Malaysia |
National Union of Bank Employees | Malaysia |
New South Wales Nurses and Midwives Association | Australia |
New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) | New Zealand |
New Zealand Tertiary Education Union | New Zealand |
NZCTU | New Zealand |
Oxfam New Zealand | New Zealand |
Pacific Asia Resource Center (PARC) | Japan |
Pax Christi Australia | Australia |
People Over Profit Network | Philippines |
People’s Action against TPP | Japan |
People’s Health Movement Australia | Australia |
People’s Health Movement, Korea | South Korea |
People’s Health Institute | Republic of Korea (South Korea) |
Philippines Australia Solidarity Association | Australia |
PHM Philippines | Philippines |
PNG Youth Alliance on HIV/AIDS | Papua New Guinea |
Positive Malaysian Treatment Access & Advocacy Group (MTAAG+) | Malaysia |
Public Health Association of Australia | Australia |
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Friends of the Earth Malaysia) | Malaysia |
SEARCH Foundation | Australia |
Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa (SENTRO) | Philippines |
Sisters of Charity | Australia |
Social Action for Community and Development | Cambodia |
Society for Rural education and development | India |
Solidaritas Perempuan (Women’s Solidarity for Human Rights) | Indonesia |
South Coast Labour Council | Australia |
Sustainable Agriculture Foundation (Thailand) | Thailand |
Sutherland Shire Environment Centre | Australia |
The Australia Institute | Australia |
The Grail in Australia Global Justice Network | Australia |
The Music Trust | Australia |
TPP Osaka Network for Citizens | Japan |
Trade Justice Pilipinas | Philippines |
UnionsWA | Australia |
Vietnam Network of People living with HIV (VNP+) | Vietnam |
WomanHealth Philippines | Philippines |
Women’s Network for Unity | Cambodia |
Worker’s Information Center (WIC) | Cambodia |
World March of Women – Pilipinas | Philippines |
Youth Resource Development Program (YRDP) | Cambodia |
Download >>>Open letter demanding the release of the RCEP text