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Trade Justice 2005
Unjust trade rules, backed by rich country governments, keep millions of people in poverty around the world and harm our environment. The UK Government says warm words about making world trade justice fair, but its policies still harm both people and planet.
How can we persuade those in power to turn rhetoric into action?
The Vote for Trade Justice campaign demonstrates the level of public concern about the way trade is deepening global injustice and poverty.
Campaigning
in 2005
The public ballot on Brighton beach in 2004, prefaced the Labour Party conference and ensured that trade justice issues are heard in 2005, when the UK hosts the G8 summit of industrialised nations and holds the presidency of the EU.
In April 2005, 25,000 people converged on Whitehall and Westminster in London to demand the UK Government "Wake up to Trade Justice". They were joined by 10 million others in 80 different countries worldwide who participated in the Global Week of Action to challenge the free trade myth and demand trade justice.
While the Government is signalling that tackling world poverty is top of their international agenda in 2005, the Global Week of Action event in London put public pressure for delivery by the UK on trade in particular.
Wake Up To Trade Justice: 25,000 people protested in London to demand the UK Government wakes up to trade justice.
15 - 16 April 2005
Find out more
Our
key demands
- The EU should unilaterally end agricultural export subsidies now
- The EU should support changes to trade rules to enshrine the right of developing countries to protect their domestic agricultural sectors on the grounds of food security, livelihood security and sustainable rural development. As a first step at the WTO, the EU should ensure developing countries are able to self-select products on these grounds to be exempt from any further liberalisation
- The UK Government to demand that the IMF and World Bank stop imposing trade conditions on poor countries
- The EU to withdraw its demand that water is included in GATS
- The UK Government (and EU) should oppose any restrictions on the ability of governments to regulate foreign investment in accordance with their development and environmental needs
- The EU to ensure that global trade policies and practices do not undercut internationally agreed social and environmental standards, in particular core labour standards and as a first step to ensure that the ILO is granted full observer status at the WTO
- The UK Government (and EU) to enact legislation to ensure that companies are held accountable for their social and environmental impacts at home and abroad
- The EU to withdraw
the following demands from its Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
negotiating mandate:
- reciprocal trade liberalisation
- negotiations on competition policy, investment and public procurement
Note: Where the target is stated as EU our aim is to have the UK push for this change.
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