AFTINET has joined with community groups around the world to plan a program of events for the Global Week of Action for Trade Justice from 10 - 16 April 2005.In this week, thousands of people globally will take action to say that free trade is not working and to call on governments and the international financial institutions to stop forcing economic liberalisation on the world's poor.
The demands of the week are:
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.
The events planned for the Global Week of Action are:
* Lunchtime book launch of Trade Justice, 12pm Tuesday 12 April, Pitt Street Uniting Church, Sydney
* Public rally Trading Away Sydney Water, 1pm Tuesday 12 April, Sydney Water Head Office, 115-123 Bathurst
Street, Sydney
* Postcard campaign on the right to water and WTO trade in services (GATS)
* Oxfam fair trade coffee: 12pm 11 - 15 April, Hyde Park, Sydney
More information about these events is below.
Please join us at these events to continue the campaign for trade justice and to set out alternatives for people-centred development. Please circulate this information to your networks!
1. Lunchtime book launch of Trade Justice: 12pm Tuesday 12 April, Pitt Street Uniting Church
Please join us for the book launch of the publication Trade Justice, written by Sister Suzette Clark of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council and Dr Patricia Ranald of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre and convenor of AFTINET.
Where: Pitt Street Uniting Church, 264 Pitt Street, Sydney CBD
When: 12pm - 1pm, Tuesday 12 April 2005
Speakers:
* Bishop Patrick Power, Auxiliary Bishop of Canberra and Goulburn Archdiocese and Deputy Chair of Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
* Sharan Burrow, National President of Australian Council of Trade Unions and President of International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. The book, Trade Justice, is part of the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council series of publications on social justice issues. It analyses the global trade system from the critical perspectives of social justice, human rights and Christian values. It shows how current trade agreements are influenced by the most powerful economies and transnational corporations at the expense of the majority of the world's people in developing countries.
The book argues for changes to Australia's trade policy and the global trade system to achieve trade justice goals.
2. Public rally Don't trade away Sydney Water! 1:00 Tuesday 12 April, Sydney Water Head Office
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). To include water in the GATS would treat water as a traded good. It would be a step towards privatisation of Sydney Water and would reduce the ability of governments around the world to regulate to ensure water services are affordable and environmentally sustainable
In May 2005, the Government will list the services it wants to include in the second roundâ of the GATS negotiations and negotiations will continue over the next 18 months.
Join us for a public rally at Sydney Water to say Don't trade our water away!
Where: Sydney Water Head Office, 115 - 123 Bathurst St, Sydney CBD
When: 1:00pm - 2:00pm, Tuesday 12 April 2005
Speakers:
Sharan Burrow, National President of Australian Council of Trade Unions and President of International Confederation of Trade Unions
* Sally McManus, Branch Executive President of Australian Services Union
* Dr Patricia Ranald, Principal Policy Officer of Public Interest Advocacy Centre and Convenor of AFTINET
* Robert McLean, President of Water Committee of Management, Australian Services Union
This rally will be the culmination of a petition campaign to the Federal and NSW Government by the Australian Services Union, AFTINET and others.
3. Postcard campaign on the right to water and WTO trade in services (GATS)
AFTINET has produced a postcard for the Global Week of Action on the right to water and the WTOâs 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, care of AFTINET, 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. We will collect signed cards and present them to Mark Vaile later in the year. The postcard will be distributed nationally in coffee shops, theatres and other venues from 1 April. We will send a postcard to all AFTINET members.
If you want to order copies of the postcard to distribute amongst your networks, please contact Jemma Bailey on 9299 7833 or at jbailey@piac.asn.au.
Please sign a card and send it back to us by 30 May. Please tell your friends and encourage them to do so too. Join with people around the world to tell governments to keep water and other essential services OUT of trade agreements. Water is a human right, not a traded good.
You can also visit our website: AFTINET to send an electronic version of the postcard.
Thanks to Avant Card, the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council, the Conference of Leaders of Religious Institutes NSW and the Sisters of Charity for their generous support.
4. Oxfam fair trade coffee: 12pm 11 - 15 April, Hyde Park
Oxfam Community Aid Abroad will give away cups of coffee - piccolino latte - in Hyde Park, near the Archibald Fountain, to mark the Global Week of Action from 12pm each day from 11 - 15 April.
The coffee, from different countries each with their own distinctive flavour, will feature both ground and instant varieties.
The aim of the week is to encourage city workers to use fair trade coffee in the workplace. Each coffee is easily obtainable directly from the roaster via their website and most are obtainable through the Oxfam shop located in Centrepoint.
For a list of roasters and retailers in Sydney please go to Oxfam/Fair Trade.
All are invited to join us at Hyde Park anytime during the week. If you'd like to help hand out the coffee to passersby please contact Margaret Di Nicola at margaretd@caa.org.au or 8204 3902.
To find out more, to help in organising for the Global Week of Action or to organise an event of your own, please contact Jemma Bailey on 9299 7833 or at jbailey@piac.asn.au.
To find out more about the Global Week of Action, please visit Global Week of Action
By Jemma Bailey posted 6 April 05
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