Trade Justice and the New Superpower

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday May 07, 2003 15:46 by Ian McDonald - Comhlamh/ Trade Justice Ireland ian at theplateau dot com 086 605 9122

May 14 will see the first action of the newly formed coalition Trade Justice Ireland. People from across the country will lobby their TDs demanding trade justice for the developing world. This is an article that will appear in an upcoming issue of Comhlamh's Focus magazine.

Trade Justice and the New Superpower
Ian McDonald for Focus Magazine

It was at the European Social Forum, last November in Florence, that plans for an international day of action against war were formed. The resulting anti-war demonstrations of February 15 were so unprecedented, both in their international scope, and in the sheer numbers of people on the streets, as to lead the New York Times to wonder if perhaps we are witnessing the emergence of a new superpower - the people of the world.

But anti-war campaigners were only a single strand of the 60 000 participants in the European Social Forum. Even as plans were being made for February 15th, trade justice activists were exploring similar possibilities of international actions around the issues of trade justice.

In contrast to the horrors of war, the injustices that run through the rules of international trade may appear abstract. Yet every day, poor countries lose $1.6 billion due to unfairness inherent in the rules of international trade. This is greater than the combined income of the 1.2 billion people who, in the same day, struggle to survive on less than $1. And of them, 19,000 children will lose that struggle, succumbing to hunger and the diseases of poverty.

On May 14, the various Irish groups campaigning on trade issues invite you to join in public lobby of the Dail. We will meet at the Dail, and collectively lobby our TDs. Under the banner of the newly formed Trade Justice Ireland coalition, we will present our elected representatives with four simple questions about clear injustices:

1. Why do trade rules allow the economies of third world countries to be undermined both by unfair barriers to products from poor countries, and by unfair practices of export subsidies and dumping?
2. The new trade agreements that Ireland is currently involved in negotiating are unlikely to benefit developing countries. Poor countries do not have the negotiating capacity to protect their interests in new areas, and their concerns with existing agreement are being ignored. Why is there still a push to create even more trade rules?
3. Why, in Ireland and within Europe, is there so little transparency and democracy in the negotiation of trade rules?
4.Why do the rules of international trade, negotiated and enforced through the World Trade Organization, take precedence over all other international agreements on human rights, labour rights, and the environment, and why are the negative effects of trade on social, gender and workers' issues still being ignored by trade agreements?

"We need you, in Europe to hold your governments accountable for their role in trade policy,” I was told repeatedly by delegates from developing countries speaking at the ESF. “We need you to help create a space where it is possible for our governments to resist the injustice of the agenda being forced upon us".

On May 14, we have the opportunity to do just this. By presenting the above questions to our TDs – not to debate, but simply to express concern - we can ensure that the Irish government will attend future trade negotiations knowing that the people of Ireland are in solidarity with the people of the developing world.

Everyone with an interest in a just and equitable world is encouraged to come out, regardless of experience, age, or politics.

A truly just and equitable trading system will be achieved only when enough people across the world demand it of our governments. Such a victory would be a crucial step in establishing the people of the world as the one true superpower.

For more information, contact, Comhlamh, Oxfam, Trocaire, Congress Solidarity Committee (ICTU), ActionAid, or any of the other groups involved. See www.tradejusticeireland.org), or call 01 661 0949.