Trade week of action begins against international debt

Idea Exchange
October 12, 2007

Trade week of action begins against international debt
This week, October 14-21, marks the 2007 Trade Week of Action which is being promoted by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance. The Center of Concern invites you to join with people of faith across the globe in calling for just trade policies.

According to the organizers' website:

The Trade Week of Action will be a time for churches and other groups all over the world to speak out and call for trade justice. People will be taking action on the issues that matter for each person’s communities and regions, but whether we are campaigning on EPAs or CAFTA, on farming or the garment industry, demonstrating in front of the World Bank or holding a fair trade meal in a church hall, we will be acting in solidarity with millions of others around the globe...
For decades, rich countries and institutions have pushed poor countries to open their markets, privatize essential services, and divert development efforts away from local producers. The profits of large corporations, supermarkets, transport companies and advertisers have increased and the power to control trade has been increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few. At the same time, millions of people – from small farmers to individual consumers, have become increasingly disempowered and impoverished.
That’s why we are calling for trade justice. Trade justice is about recognizing the right that farmers have to feed their families and send their children to school. It is about allowing domestic industries to develop; it is about access to essential services like water and healthcare, and it is about the right to fair wages and dignified work. Trade justice is about people and their basic human rights.
Join us – learn about the issues, find out what’s being planned in your area, and work with others in taking action! Many people are organizing their actions during the week around trade and the right to food, but everyone is encouraged to focus on an issue that makes sense in their own context.
Together we can tell the world that enforced free trade is inflicting misery on millions of poor people, and that there are alternatives.

The resources offered are not only useful for the upcoming week, but provide many tools and ideas for bringing greater awareness of trade justice to your church and community. If you are looking for an action in the U.S., the Center of Concern recommends calling your legislators to express your concerns over the pending U.S.-Peru Free Trade Agreement!

Trade Week of Action: http://www.tradeweek.org/
Interfaith Letter to Congress on the U.S.-Peru FTA: http://tradejusticeusa.org/pdf/peru-letter-10-07.pdf

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