John Morrison Reflects on Changing Trade Policy and Practice

The subject of trade and human rights is not a new one. Twenty years ago the ‘Battle in Seattle’ protests formed a backdrop to a breakdown in WTO negotiations. Twenty years on, at an event in London to mark the 10th anniversary of the Institute for Human Rights and Business, IHRB CEO John reflected on the long-view of international trade and what needs to change in trade policy and practice to best protect, respect and promote the rights of all people. His speech is available below.

Opening Remarks of John Morrison
Chief Executive, Institute for Human Rights and Business
Next Generation Trade event
3rd December 2019, London

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Welcome to Next Generation Trade: Building a principled, people-centred global economy.

We’re gathering in London at a time when trade is once again a political issue, both here in the UK and in countries around the world.

Our venue today is no co-incidence. This building is one of the oldest surviving dock warehouses in London. It was originally built to store sugar and related commodities (e.g. coffee, rum, molasses) arriving from the West Indies and was in use from 1802 right up until 1980. It was built at the time of the transatlantic slave trade, to store the sugar from the West Indian plantations where enslaved men, women and children worked, and there is plenty on display throughout the museum about the transportation of commodities. There will be an opportunity to look through the galleries after the reception this evening.

The aim of our discussions is to take the long view and to ask what needs to change in trade policy and practice to best protect, respect and promote the rights of all people. It has been 20 years since many of us started asking hard questions about the beneficial nature of trade in human rights terms – as well as the unintended consequences as well. Parallel work on investment and human rights – scrutiny of stabilisation clauses in Bilateral Investment Treaties for example, or arbitration mechanisms that often privilege investor rights over the rights of individuals and communities were also raised during that time and continue to be debated today. Investment will undoubtedly be mentioned by speakers today, but the primary focus today is on trade itself and the impacts trade has on some of the unique issues of our time.

That is why our agenda for this event does not focus on the technical aspects of trade directly but instead asks how trade relates to issues of inclusion, work, climate, technology and how trade continues to be politicised between North and South, East and West and what is the role that governments, business and civil society play in this agenda. We ask these questions not just for the 7 Billion people alive today, but also for generations to come – Next Generation Trade.

Where do concepts such as Inter-Generational Justice, Climate Justice and the Just Transition sit within our policy-making at every level and what needs to shift for trade to fit frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals? How too can trade be more accountable to the people it purports to serve, and how can both government and business be accountable for their impacts – through frameworks such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights?

We have some tremendous speakers with us today to help us navigate these questions. London seems a timely place to have them as the UK is currently asking what kind of trading nation it wants to be for generations to come. Our upcoming election is dominated by the Brexit question and also leaked papers, challenges and denials about what would be on the table for UK-US trade negotiations. Whether the National Health Service is in or out of scope, it does raise questions about where public procurement sits in terms of trade.

But today is a global conversation focused on existential questions facing all nations – crucial issues such as Climate Change. If Climate is off the table in trade negotiations, then what happens to Carbon advantage that one nation might have over another, in particular if one of those nations is not bound by international norms such as the Paris Agreement? Has Carbon now become a commodity as material to discussions about free trade as Pharmaceuticals or hard or soft commodities?

Is Data too a commodity in its own right? Big Data processed by increasingly powerful algorithms can be more valuable to business than the coal, oil, gas or metals in the ground, or the value of more traditional products. From facial recognition technology through to the privacy of ordinary citizens, data is a commodity where many human rights issues come into focus.

Undoubtedly US-China, Europe-UK, and the new NAFTA will be cited, but critical too is the question, of how to address the absence of global agreements on social and environmental impacts of trade impacting on the most vulnerable countries in different regions.

Will the bilateral and multilateral trade negotiations include chapters on carbon and data and is that what we should be aiming for? Will they give adequate attention to potential adverse impacts relating to gender, the rights of indigenous peoples, minorities or others who may lack political voice or influence? Can free and open trade deliver the jobs that society expects, particularly at a time of increasing automation – when some industries, such as mining or manufacturing, provide far fewer blue-collar jobs? If traditional businesses no longer bring the jobs of the past, what form of social contract will exist between workers and trade moving forward? Does the danger increase, that global trade will increasingly benefit the global few and not the many? How will transitions between regions – the wealthy world and the developing world – be managed, as jobs inevitably shift to far-flung corners of the earth?

I look forward to our discussions on these and other important questions. There are many of my colleagues here, so if you see “IHRB” on a badge, do not hesitate in giving feedback, asking questions or just smiling. We’re pleased that you’ve all joined us for this conversation as we at IHRB are proud to mark our 10th anniversary during 2019.

Thank you.