“Towards Trade Justice”, an evening of speakers (and Q&A) with:
*Richard Harries (Bishop of Oxford)
*Muhammad Imran (Islamic Relief)
*Pushpanath Krishnamurthy (OXFAM)
*Mark Curtis (Director of World Development Movement)
Wednesday 13th April, 7:30pm-9:30pm – Oxford Town Hall
“The World's Water: should it be privatised?”
*Robin Robison (Quaker Peace & Social Witness www.quaker.org.uk) - "The IMF and World Bank: effects of water privitization in Nicaragua"
*Lucy Pearce (World Development Movement www.wdm.org.uk) - “Dirty Aid, Dirty Water: How Britain’s development aid is being siphoned off for big business and what you can do to stop it!”
*Mark Ladbroke (Unison www.unison.org.uk) - “A union perspective on water privatization”
Chair: Dr Bronwyn Morgan (www.consume.bbk.ac.uk/research/morgan.html) - University of Oxford researcher on access to water, social protest and global citizenship
* * * * *
What are the aims of the week?
*Challenge the free trade myth. The myth, perpetuated by the rich and powerful states that free trade and privatisation is the only answer to global poverty. Governments and key decision-makers across the world have swallowed this myth. Poor countries everywhere are being forced to open their markets to foreign companies and cheap, often subsidised imports; to stop helping vulnerable producers and to privatise essential services. The results are devastating. The myth needs to be exploded once and for all.
Challenge and influence the agendas of the G8, IMF, WTO, World Bank and governments of North and South. Tell them that we reject their trade policies which harm the poor.
Propose alternatives to the current system. We need a radical change in direction if there is to be any hope of ending poverty. Poor countries must be able to choose their own economic policies, including trade policies, that work to reduce poverty.
*Show the scale of the global movement. Demonstrate our solidarity and internationalism and to show the strength of the peoples’ resistance and rejection of enforced liberalisation and privatisation.
*Build the movement through co-ordinated campaigning. Support, strengthen and build national trade campaigns and movements.
for further information, see: http://www.april2005.org/background.html
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