As the US administration battle for votes to approve the Central American Free Trade agreement in Congress, the New York Times quotes Fundación Solon as it catalogues the growing opposition to free trade across Latin America and highlights the likely negative impact of free trade agreements on Bolivia's pharmaceutical industry.   more »

The multinational water company, Suez has formally initiated legal action against the Bolivian state saying that Bolivia has infringed investment accords signed between the French and Bolivian governments. Their legal action comes noticeably days before they are contractually obliged to pay $15 million dollars in guarantees as the legal entity that continues to run La Paz and El Alto's municipal water utility. The threat follows several months of negotiations in which Suez has refused to agree to a full audit of its investments.   more »

More than 160 civil society organizations from around the world sent a letter to WTO ambassadors in Geneva Thursday expressing their deep concerns regarding the current round of negotiations on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), which is part of the 'single undertaking' under the July 2004 Framework.   more »

The so-called "water war" that took place in 2000, when the people of Cochabamba kicked out the privatised water company Bechtel, has become famous in the annals of the alternative globalisation movement. What is less well known in the story is the central role of women in the struggle against water privatisation.   more »

In 1996 Bolivia was forced to privatise its water utility in La Paz and El Alto as part of an agreement tied to debt relief. Ten years later, the residents of El Alto kicked out the French multinational Suez for failing to deliver and for increasing rates beyond the reach of many. Yet despite the failure of Suez, institutions like the IMF continue to put pressure on Bolivia to allow private involvement in delivering water. Residents of El Alto are demanding a company that is public and socially accountable.   more »