Public Seminar Report: Multi-Fibre Agreement
MFA
PHASE-OUT: Who gains? Who loses?
London
27th October 2004
About this report
Part of the ETI Forum series, this document reports on the key issues presented and discussed at the ETI seminar MFA Phase-out: who gains, who loses?, held at the St. Giles Hotel in London on 27 October 2004. This report aims to serve both as an aide memoire for those who attended the event, and as a stand-alone briefing for others with an interest in the implications of the phase-out of the Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA).
The report is structured thematically, since we believe this is the most
effective way to communicate the issues to a wider audience. This means
that it does not identify the particular presentation or workshop in which
particular points were raised. However, if you are interested in the specific
viewpoints of any of the speakers, please contact adil@eti.org.uk
for full presentation slides or notes.
Background and purpose of the seminar
The final stage of the phase-out of the MFA on 1 January 2005 is predicted to have significant economic and social consequences, including substantial job losses in some key garment producing countries in the developing world. But despite growing concern and debate, awareness of the real implications remains limited, as does concerted and effective action to mitigate potential negative impacts.
This ETI seminar was organised to raise awareness and encourage action from ETI members and other EU and US companies. Specifically, it aimed to:
- Raise awareness of the MFA phase out and its potential impact on workers;
- Take forward thinking on how different players can help prevent disaster for workers and the industry in vulnerable countries; and
- Provide participants with a chance to hear others’ perspectives on the issue.
Key issues raised at this seminar, in particular any strategies and actions identified, will be fed into the on-going work of the MFA Alliance, an international multi-stakeholder alliance which has been established to create common understanding and identify possible courses of action to tackle the fall-out from the phase-out, and explore the potential for a co-ordinated approach to address the issues.
ETI is grateful for the contributions of the following speakers:
- Maya Forstater (Research Associate, AccountAbility), who presented key findings from the first phase of the research commissioned by the MFA Alliance on the implications of the MFA phase-out. Maya was a member of the team responsible for conducting this research.
- Neil Kearney (General Secretary, ITGLWF), who has campaigned extensively on this issue on behalf of garment workers worldwide.
- Balachandran Gowthaman (Oxfam International), who has conducted research on the implications of the MFA phase out on the Sri Lankan garment industry and workers.
Download
Full Report
[PDF, 114kb]
(Advance Flyer)
MFA Forum
The MFA Forum, a collection of multilateral and national public institutions, labour and civil society organisations, businesses and multi-stakeholder initiatives, came together in March 2004 to explore the potential for collaborative and coordinated actions in the run-up to and after the end of quotas under the ATC.
Follow this link for more
about the MFA Forum including links to the Forum's web pages, and to
download documents about the MFA phase-out.
See also:
ETI Activities: Other Activities: MFA Forum.
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