Trade Justice
Of the three elements of the Make Poverty History Campaign, Trade Justice is proving to be by far the most difficult one to crack.
It is easy enough to convince rich countries to throw aid money at the developing world, but it is harder to get a consensus on the issue of trade. Whilst it is obviously vital that the UK and other developed countries provide aid to those most in need, the results are not sustainable. People in Africa and elsewhere do not want to depend on foreign aid forever. They want the chance to provide for their families, to receive an education and to work their way out of poverty. One of the most significant barriers to this is the hugely unfair trading system that currently exists in our world. This must be tackled and must be changed if we are to see change in our world and have any chance of making poverty history.
This page will include information on initiatives aiming to make trade justice a reality.
- Making Trade Fairer
DFID guide to eliminating world poverty
BLACK GOLD HITS CINEMAS ACROSS THE UK - FROM JUNE 8th
Co-op News promotes Black Gold Movie
- Co-op news promotes Black Gold Movie (PDF, 553 Kb)
copy of article from the Co-op news promoting the launch of the film Black Gold
Support Fairtrade Fortnight (26 Feb - 11 March 2007)
I would like to urge all of my constituents to join me by getting involved in Fairtrade fortnight in whatever way possible. Fairtrade products ensure a fair price for farmers and producers in the developing world. With over 2000 products now carrying the fairtrade symbol it is easier than ever to make positive choices about what we eat and drink. Fairtrade brands of tea, coffee, chocolate, bananas, sugar and many other everyday products are now available at most supermarkets.
The fairtrade mark is an independent consumer label which appears on products as an independent guarantee that disadvantaged producers in the developing world are getting a better deal. So look out for the fairtrade mark on your next trip to the shops and do what you can to make a difference to the lives of developing-world farmers.
- Fairtrade Fortnight - how to get involved
Please keep checking back for updates on how you can get involved.
Why trade really matters in the fight against world poverty
There are a lot of ifs and buts on the way to a fairer world. But, if trade took off for the poorest countries…
and if rich nations played fair with poor ones, by allowing them a decent foothold in Western markets…
and if the governments of developing countries ploughed the new revenues back into health and education, back into good governance and improving their infrastructures…
and if they were able to open their markets in their own time…
then many people who are presently poor would no longer be…
and the world would take a giant step towards ending poverty.
Please take a look at this recent publication from DFID explaining the important role trade plays in helping poor countries to develop and work their way out of poverty.
Black Gold movie to challenge the global coffee trade - January 2007
Andy Reed, MP for Loughborough, hosted an event with the Co-operative Party to promote the film Black Gold. The film investigates the global market for coffee and the impact that falling coffee prices are having on coffee farmers in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee.
'24 Hours for Trade Justice' - June 2003
Following the collapse of the WTO round in Cancun I have been meeting Ministers and the Development NGOs to discuss where we go from here.
The collapse of the talks is in one sense a disaster for the poorest people in the world. Properly regulated improved trading conditions could lift hundreds of millions of the poorest people out of poverty. However, it could also be argued that in the long run the newly found resolve of the poorest 21 to fight the developed nations could yield significant progress. We will have to wait and see.
Click on the link below to view some of the briefings I have received on the issue so far...