CONTACT: Dale Wiehoff, Vice-President for Communications, IATP

Ph. 206-262-0188 (Seattle); 206-478-6368

After December 5, 1999, 612-870-3401 Fax: 612-870-4846 (Minneapolis)

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade policy (IATP) is pleased to announce the opening of WTOWatch.org -- the online global information center on the WTO, trade and sustainable development.

"As an electronic resource, WTOWatch.org marks a new era in trade negotiations where the public has access to the trade agenda and the positions and inconsistencies of their governments' respective positions," says Dale Wiehoff, IATP's Vice-President for Communications. "Providing 24 hour coverage of the WTO Ministerial via the Internet gives citizens a chance to hear and respond to decisions that affect their lives and the lives of their children."

What you will find at WTOWatch.org:

+ An up-to-date calendar of activities during the 3rd Ministerial and beyond

+ A vast collection of documents, articles and reports on trade and sustainable development

+ Live and archived multimedia to see and hear what is taking place

+ A press center to assist the media in covering the trade debates

+ Links to other trade web sites around the world

+ Fast Facts to help you understand complicated trade issues

+ A search engine to help you quickly locate the information you want

"The future of the world may very well be altered during the WTO negotiations," notes IATP president Mark Ritchie. "The process of decision making and the potential for international democracy and substantive impacts -- on farmers, consumers, health, the environment, and the economy -- all will be affected by the choices our government and those of the rest of the world make in Seattle." Whether you are a trade policy specialist, a reporter covering the WTO and the 3rd Ministerial, or a citizen interested in learning more about global trade, you will find the information you want at WTOWatch.org. We invite you to make WTOWatch.org your home on the Internet for trade, WTO, and sustainable development issues.

WTOWatch.org is hosted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, a policy research institute looking at the links between local and global policy in the areas of production agriculture, natural resource conservation, and rural community development. IATP, with a staff of thirty, has played a key role in planning and organizing a wide-range of public education events in Seattle as part of the overall Ministerial meeting.

http://www.wtowatch.org