12.07.2015 Views

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

From Poverty to Power Green, Oxfam 2008 - weman

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

THE INTERNATIONAL TRADING SYSTEMTRADE RULESAt 7.30am every morning, the streets of the Bangladeshi capital ofDhaka light up as a Technicolor tide of young women in vivid sarisemerge from the slums en route <strong>to</strong> the thousands of moulderingfac<strong>to</strong>ries that line the streets of the city. The women remain there untilwell in<strong>to</strong> the night, cutting and stitching clothes for export. On theother side of the world, in the southern Brazilian <strong>to</strong>wn of Sapiranga,the smell of glue hangs over the streets, emerging from the many shoefac<strong>to</strong>ries, ranging from giant modern plants <strong>to</strong> backstreet workshops,that churn out millions of pairs of shoes for shipment <strong>to</strong> the malls andhigh streets of North America and Europe.Shopping is an exercise in globalisation. Buying food, clothes,shoes, or electronics binds consumers and some of the world’s poorestworkers in<strong>to</strong> a single global web of trade and investment. Internationaltrade has a key role <strong>to</strong> play in the fight against poverty and inequality,promising benefits <strong>to</strong> both producers and consumers. It can createjobs and wealth that offer a lifeline <strong>to</strong> poor families and communities,and provide cheaper goods and services.However, the system is rife with rigged rules and double standards,which sabotage the potential benefits. Four key obstacles must beaddressed for trade <strong>to</strong> fulfil its potential:318

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!