Trans-Pacific Partnership Must Safeguard Human Rights
The TPP, potentially the world’s largest free trade agreement,...would harmonize regulatory standards, including those related to the environment, labor, and intellectual property. As the 12 negotiating countries...discuss the agreement, it is crucial that they prioritize human rights. TPP proponents believe the agreement could create more jobs...The Peterson Institute estimates the TPP would produce $78 billion per year in revenue for the U.S. Yet,...the Center for Economic and Policy Research counters that these gains would disproportionately accrue to the wealthy...and the U.S. economy would see wage losses for all but the top 10% of workers. Regardless, a multitude of human-rights issues arise in the TPP framework. Two of these are particularly troubling: a lack of access to life-saving medical care due to proposed intellectual property provisions, and the failure to address Vietnam’s ongoing human-rights violations.