New website launched to promote debate on Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations
Sunday 30 May 2010
PRESS RELEASE: Immediate
NEW WEBSITE LAUNCHED TO PROMOTE DEBATE ON TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP
NEGOTIATIONS
A new website, "Trans-Pacific Partnership Digest", has been launched to provide a comprehensive data base of material on the negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement involving New Zealand and seven other countries (the US, Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam). The second round of negotiations will take place in San Francisco next week.
The website resource is part of a larger research project to identify and critically evaluate the potential implications of the agreement. It is led by Professor Jane Kelsey and has been supported by a grant from the School of Law at the University of Auckland.
"Whatever one¹s views about the TPP, there has been far too little informed public debate about the rationale, potential content and ramifications", said Professor Kelsey.
"This website aims to make information and opinion from all perspectives easily accessible to politicians, journalists, academics and students, activists, community groups, the business sector and interested people generally, and to stimulate critical debate."
The Digest is located at http://p4tpp.dyndns.org/. It contains:
– Highlights from the latest stories and reports on the TPP
– All electronic news items related to the TPP negotiations, updated automatically
– Documents prepared by governments, business, activists catalogued on a country and sectoral basis
– Submissions made to TPP-related inquiries in various countries;
– Legal text of existing FTAs among the countries involved in the TPPA negotiations; and
– links to a range of government, business, academic and activist websites.
Readers can also access the initial discussion notes prepared for an academic colloquium on the TPP held at the Law School of the University of Auckland in June 2009. These notes form the basis for an edited book of essays on the implications of a TPPA for New Zealand and Australia that will be published by Bridget Williams Books, Wellington in November 2010.
New material for posting, suggestions for new links and improvements to the website and reports of difficulties with access are welcomed.
For more information about the TPP project contact Professor Jane Kelsey at j.kelsey@auckland.ac.nz or 021 765 055 (please note Dr Kelsey is currently in Hong Kong, a 4 hours time difference)
For more information about the website contact Joseph Nunweek at joseph.nunweek@gmail.com
