Campaigning for Trade Justice

In June 2003 over 500 MPs, including our local M.P. for Twickenham Vincent Cable, were lobbied by tens of thousands of campaigners across the country. And all in the name of trade justice.

The Scale Up for Trade Justice 24 hour marathon lobby was the biggest of its kind and drew together new and experienced campaigners, young and old.

This September Trade Ministers from many countries, including the UK, are gathering for the next World Trade Organisation meeting in Cancun, Mexico. At the same time campaigners are pressing for trade justice – but not just free trade – with the rules weighted to benefit poor people and help the environment.

The UK Government is being asked by campaigners from Tearfund and the Trade Justice Movement to take a lead in international trade negotiations to:

• Stop forcing poor countries to open their markets; and champion their right to manage their own economies

• Regulate big business and their investments to ensure people and the environment come before profits

• Stop rich countries promoting the interests of big business through trade interventions that harm the poor and the environment

• Ensure trade policy is made in a fair, transparent and democratic way.

The Government has said it will not sign up to any trade proposal that it does not believe to be in the interests of developing countries. But the UK Government should listen to what developing countries are saying. Surely the Government should not sign up to any trade proposal that developing countries do not believe to be in their interests?

What you can do

You can take action now and join the campaign for trade justice in the world!

• you can buy Fairtrade items as part of your normal shopping

• take the 2 x 2 Fairtrade pledge to spend at least £2.00 a month on fairly-traded products for the next two years

• visit a Fairtrade event...see the diary section for what's happening locally

• consider becoming a Traidcraft or Tearcraft representative - contact us to find out more

• get involved with Tearfund's national campaign by signing up to receive regular updates and resources, including a quarterly magazine and CD-Rom

• find out what others are doing in the UK and elsewhere, by visiting the websites on the Links page