Make Trade Fair

Wealthy countries dominate the international body that determines global trade rules, the World Trade Organization, and write the rules of international trade to better serve their interests. Under these rules, poor countries lose opportunities to engage in trade to their advantage. The wealthy countries operate double standards and force poor countries to keep to the rules, thereby denying poor people the opportunity to work their own way out of poverty.

Consider the following facts:

• If Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America increased their exports by one percent, 128 million people would move out of poverty.
• For every dollar of wealth generated in the world, low-income countries receive around three cents.
• For every dollar given to low-income countries in aid, they lose two dollars to rich countries because of unfair trade barriers against their exports.

What can you do? Sign the Big Noise petition: go to www.maketradefair.com.

For more information, visit OxFam America's Fair Trade news and publications. Also check out this resource from Global Exchange, and this introduction, prepared for an October 2004 Oxfam at Brown meeting.