Franciscans step up fair trade campaign after Cancun

Franciscans International (FI) is intensifying its faith-based campaign for international trade policies that respect human rights "especially the needs of people living in poverty" in light of failed World Trade Organisation talks this week in Cancun. "What happened in Cancun is a wake-up call to people to take notice that this is a problem with serious, profound ramifications,: said Fr John Quigley OFM, director of the FI office in Geneva. The organisation joined the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance's 'Trade for People Campaign' at the end of last year, but Fr Quigley said efforts to change international rules of trade have taken now taken on new urgency after what happened in Cancun. "It is clear that there need to be changes and concessions, mostly by the wealthy countries from the North," said Fr Quigley who is a member of the Ecumenical Advocacy Committee. The campaign calls for trade rules that ensure the regulation of Transnational corporations, the right to food for all people, and equitable access to water, education, health care, and information. The 'Trade for People Campaign' petition is available in English, Spanish, French, and German at www.e-alliance.ch/tradepetition.jsp Franciscans International is an NGO with general consultative status at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. It is a founding member of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a Geneva-based network for international cooperation in advocacy on HIV/AIDS and global trade. Source: FI