Trade Justice
Global Week of Action for Trade Justice April 10-16
Global Week of Action for Trade Justice
April 10 – 16 Trade Justice
Trade can contribute to economic growth and development, just as globalisation of communications can contribute to cultural exchange and enrich lives. But over the last decade international trade agreements have been strengthened in ways that can also have negative impacts on the daily lives of people all over the world. Firstly, trade agreements have been expanded in scope, and have moved from dealing mainly with trade in goods and reduction of tariffs (taxes on imports) to include areas such as trade in services and rules about intellectual property rights. This means that trade law now reaches into many areas of health, cultural and other social policy. Secondly, trade agreements have developed much stronger dispute processes through which governments can challenge the law or policy of other governments, on the grounds that they are barriers to trade. The dispute findings are enforced by strong penalties in the form of trade sanctions. This strengthening of trade law has made it far stronger than international human rights law, which has no enforcement process other than naming and shaming. This broadening and strengthening means that aspects of international trade agreements can undermine social justice goals and human rights as defined in United Nations Conventions which many governments, including the Australian government, have adopted. Global Week of Action
The idea for the Global Week of Action was generated at the International Trade Campaign Conference in Delhi, November 2003 with a call to action for trade justice. During that Conference, graphic pictures emerged of the injustice being experienced by the poor, especially in developing countries. Sarath from Sri Lanka, spoke of how in his country, water sources were about to be privatised, so that even if a village had a well, its inhabitants would still have to pay for their water because the springs from which the well water came had been privatised. This in a country where 80% of the population live on less than $1 a day.
The Global Week of Action invites all movements and campaigns active on international trade to take action within their own areas in order to produce a global impact. The aim is to challenge the free trade myth and to put forward alternatives by delivering the biggest global mobilisation ever seen.
The Message is
NO to the rich and powerful imposing unjust trade agreements, indiscriminate liberalisation and privatisation on the poor.
YES to everyone’s right to food, a livelihood, water, health and education. Endorse the Global Week of Action
www.april2005.org Global Week of Action for Trade Justice
April 10 – 16
Events Saturday April 9 Sisters of Charity Advocacy Network Meeting
NSW SCAN Meeting will mark the Global Week of Action with
Prayer, Reflection, Information and Action on Trade Justice Time: 10 am to 12.15 pm
Venue: St Vincent’s College, Rockwall Crescent, Potts Point NSW
RSVP: by April 6 Monday April 11 Parish Social Justice Meeting
Mona Vale Parish SJ Meeting will mark the Global Week of Action with
Prayer, Reflection, Information and Action on Trade Justice Time: 7.30 to 9.30 pm
Venue: Sacred Heart Parish, 1 Keenan St, Mona Vale
RSVP: by April 8 Tuesday April 12 Book Launch
The launch of Australian Catholic Social Justice Council’s publication:
Trade Justice by Sr Suzette Clark & Dr Patricia Ranald Time: 12 noon to 1pm
Venue: Pitt Street Uniting Church, 264 Pitt Street, Sydney
Speakers: Bishop Patrick Power
Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese and Deputy Chair of the ACSJC
Sharan Burrow
National President of Australian Council of Trade Unions and
President of International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
Representative from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (TBC) Tuesday April 12 Public Rally: Don’t trade away Sydney Water
Over 1.1 billion people in developing countries lack access to safe drinking water and many areas of Australia remain drought-stricken. Global water corporations see access to water as a source of profits and are lobbying governments to include water services in the WTO’s trade in services agreement (GATS). Time: 1.00 to 2.00 pm
Venue: Sydney Water Head Office, 115–123 Bathurst St, Sydney CBD Monday April 11 to Friday April 15 Oxfam Fair Trade Coffee
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad will give away cups of coffee.
The aim of the week is to encourage people to use fair trade coffee in the workplace. Time: 12 noon
Venue: Hyde Park, near the Archibald Fountain Postcard Campaign
A postcard has been produced for the Global Week of Action on the right to water and the WTO’s trade in services agreement (GATS).
The postcard highlights the threat in developing countries and in Australia
of listing water in the GATS.
The postcard is addressed to Trade Minister Mark Vaile and calls on the Trade Minister not to include water services or any other essential services in Australia’s offers in the GATS negotiations and not to make requests about essential services to developing countries. The postcard will be distributed nationally in coffee shops, theatres and other venues from 1 April. An electronic version is being developed, and will be distributed. Saturday April 16 Sisters of Charity Advocacy Network Meeting
Vic. SCAN Meeting will mark the Global Week of Action with
Prayer, Reflection, Information and Action on Trade Justice Time: 10 am to 12.15 pm
Venue: 15 Rosebank Ave, Strathmore, Victoria
RSVP: by April 13 RSVP / For more information:
Suzette Clark rsc
Phone/Fax 02 9954 1788
Email suzettec@acsjc.org.au Prayer Let us pray: We believe in God the Creator,
loving parent of all who live.
We believe in Jesus Christ,
dying so that all may live.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
sanctifier of all life. God, inspired by your love for us and your Word to us
and empowered by your Holy Spirit
we resolve, through our words and action
to respect and uphold the dignity
of every person with whom we share this planet. May your kingdom come
and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
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