Social justice should be integral to Global South: CUTS International
Social justice should be an inherent part of competition laws in the developing world, said Pradeep S. Mehta, Secretary General of CUTS International.
Mehta was speaking at the CUTS-WTO-UNCTAD event in Geneva to commemorate the World Competition Day by focusing on socially sensitive sectors in the context of the crises currently facing the world.
Held in the WTO premises, the event had speakers from four leading organisations: WTO represented by Anthony Taubman; UNCTAD by Teresa Moreira, BRICS Competition Law Centre by Alexey Ivanov and South Centre by Vitor Pinto.
While panelists agreed that the world is still reeling from the shock of covid-19, the impacts of climate change, armed conflicts and geopolitical churning have hit the poor and vulnerable the hardest.
In fact, the current situation of geopolitical churning has introduced uncertainty into decision-making.
These crises have had a negative impact on the global supply chain, orchestrated job losses and exacerbated food shortages, driving up the cost of living in many parts of the world. Indeed, the current geopolitical situation is hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest.
In response to these challenges, the panelists called for prioritization of socially sensitive sectors.
Panelists stressed the need to prioritize socially sensitive sectors, given that competition authorities are expected to deal with competition issues in a variety of sectors. The four most socially sensitive areas were identified as pharmaceuticals, food and agriculture, the gig economy, and climate change and sustainability.
