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What's
New?
World Alliance of Reformed Churches "ACCRA CONFESSION: Covenant
for Justice in the Economy and the Earth"
From the 2004 24th General Assembly of WARC
in Accra, Ghana
Extend
NAFTA? No! Say MESA U.S., Canada and Mexico Churches
From
the U.S. letter...
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing to you as U.S. Church representatives of MESA,
a tri-national trade justice coalition of religious organizations
in the United States, Mexico and Canada. As you meet together with
Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Prime Minister Stephen Harper
of Canada in August, we urge you and your fellow leaders to replace
NAFTA with economic and trade relationships based on justice, and
to reject the proposal to intensify NAFTA through the Security and
Prosperity Partnership (SPP).
Debunking Five Myths About the Korea-U.S. Free Trade
Agreement (KORUS FTA) 
By Christine Ahn
Trade representatives from the United States and South Korea
are racing against the clock to sign the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement
under the “fast track” deadline. With $72 billion dollars
traded annually between the two countries, the KorUS FTA would become
the second largest trade deal after the North America Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). While such a trade deal would normally sail through the halls
of the U.S. Congress and the Korean National Assembly, times have changed
since the first free-trade regimes rolled into Washington, D.C., and
Seoul.
Critics
of unfettered trade have had over a decade of evidence revealing how
NAFTA has devastated... [Download
the Fact Sheet from the Oakland Institute]
Something Positive! Bolivian
President Evo Morales's "A People's Trade Agreement"
Read this platform for achieving "a true integration among peoples
that transcends the commercial and economic arenas, recognizing the
differences of each country, and at the same time prioritizing the protection
of internal production and national companies. A treaty which holds,
above all, the well being of the people and a respect for their history
and cultures."
The parallels to the Interfaith
Principles of Trade and Investment
are many.
A People's Trade Agreement
in English
[version
Español]
Food Sovereignty: What is it and how does it happen?
[Find out here]
Thirst: Private Water or Water for All?
Borrow or order the
award-winning film, Thirst. [Learn more
about water and thirst, the theme of the 2006 One Great Hour of Sharing]
Making
the Connections: An Interfaith Perspective on U.S. Domestic Agricultural
Policy and International Trade
Written
by Presbyterian Hunger Program and Center of Concern intern, David Pedulla,
an Emerson National Hunger Fellow, August 2005
David
uses the principles of the Interfaith Working Group on Trade and Investment
to raise ethical questions that we, as people of faith, should be asking
in the process leading up to the reauthorization of the Farm Bill in
2007, especially regarding the intersection of U.S. farm policy and
international trade issues.
"Debates
surrounding the 2007 Farm Bill, the piece of legislation outlining U.S.
food and agricultural policy, have already begun and the livelihoods
of many people, both domestically and internationally, depend on the
outcome of these debates." Read
full analysis
David
has also created adult study guides that help us understand agricultural
and trade issues as they relate to faith principles. You can download
them from the Resources page and study them on your own or together
with people in your congregation.
 Trade
Week of Action
Join us in
a host of actions calling for just trading relations—from fasts
and agape meals, church services and hunger tribunals to petitions,
street theater, marches, exhibitions and displays and many other
creative and colorful ways of getting our messages heard and seen.
Everything
you need can be found on the Trade Week of Action Web site, developed
by the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, a partner organization of the
PC(USA):
-
-
-
-
campaign
tools
(such as posters, banners, T-shirt designs, bulletin covers and
logos)
-
-
Joining
Hands Against Hunger, Globalization and Fair Trade
From La Oroya, Peru comes a wonderful article from
the National Catholic Reporter. "Looking Ahead: Church groups
seek new models of solidarity" Read
the article
Globalization Glossary Read/print
the glossary...
Thanks to the Tennessee Industrial Renewal Network (TIRN)
and the Development Group for Alternative Policies.
The
"Just Trade Consultation"
held in Stony Point was the recent foundation for much of our ecumenical
work on issues of trade justice. |
MESA
came out of this meeting and is a common table where Canadian,
US and Mexican churches can network to amplify the churches' witness
regarding trade justice in the Americas.
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Rev.
Dr. M. Douglas Meeks, Chancellor Professor of Theology and Wesleyan
Studies at Vanderbilt University, presents paper on 'The Economy
of Grace'.
Photo: Victoria Richardson |
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WHY
JUST TRADE?
Revenge
of the Acronyms: WTO, NAFTA, CAFTA and FTAA
Can
Acronyms Cause Hunger and Poverty?
Yes,
they can.
International
trade is an important way that the United States engages with the world.
However, even ardent supporters of international trade have begun to
admit that trade can produce both "winners" and "losers."
Recent
international trade policies, designed and enforced by unelected bankers,
CEOs and consultants, have caused tremendous damage to the environment
and to people--especially in poorer communities and countries. Not surprisingly,
those affected most by international trade are women and children. More
free trade as currently practiced will only increase the damage. Accordingly,
faith groups and organizations in the U.S. and around the world are
intent on stopping or dramatically modifying these agreements and practices.
Given
the many negative impacts of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has taken a strong stance
against free trade agreements. See the Free Trade
Area of the Americas (FTAA) and Central
America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) pages for full coverage.
Please
use this Web site as a way to further educate yourselves and your congregations
about these critical issues. Together we can act with faith in God's
order to create positive alternatives and stop policies that harm people.
Feel free to peruse
the resources available: RESOURCES
And explore how
to get engaged: ACTION
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Uncertain
future: After Cambodia loses its textile quota privilege,
women, who constitute the majority of garment workers, may be
the first victims.
(Photo: Ming Tse Chong/Oxfam Hong Kong/WAC)
Read
the article
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The
PC(USA)'s Stand on Just Trade
The
PC(USA) supports efforts to strive toward international
cooperation based on fair trade, respect for diversity,
and common concerns for a peaceful, just, and sustainable
world.
The
PC(USA) opposes multinational actions and trade agreements
that elevate rights of corporations over the right of governments
and indigenous peoples to pass and enforce laws that preserve
the public good and protect their citizens, economies, and
environments.
[Excerpt;
215th General Assembly (2003); See FTAA
page for more]
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