Traditionally, the end of the year is a great time of celebration in Ireland. In the hustle and bustle of parties, buying gifts and spending time with our nearest and dearest, the Christmas feeling really starts to kick in. And the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Irish campaign also has something to celebrate. Already, 2005 has been a fantastic year of mobilisation and action on the issues of aid and debt. In July, 20,000 people filled the streets of Dublin to call for a fairer deal for the poorest countries.
But it’s not over yet.
This month there is one last opportunity to really make 2005 a year to celebrate – for everyone. In December, in Hong Kong, world leaders will meet at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks to decide on new trade rules, which will directly impact on the lives of poor people all around the world.
In Ireland, the gifts we buy at this time of the year directly link us to global trading networks, making us part of a world where everyone is interconnected. Being part of a globalised world not only allows us to buy beautiful gifts from every corner of the world, it also gives us the power to influence how trade works. And it’s easier than we think. While the challenges of world poverty and the complexity of international trade can be daunting, taking simple actions with the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY campaign enables us to act in solidarity with millions of like-minded people across the world to change how trade works, for the better.
As it stands, the rules of international trade are stacked in favour of the most powerful countries and corporations. On the one hand, these rules allow rich countries to pay their farmers and companies subsidies to export food, destroying the livelihoods of poor farmers all over the world. On the other hand, poverty eradication, gender equality, human rights and environmental protection come a very poor second to the goal of eliminating trade barriers.
In Sunyani in Ghana, Agatha Yumbia struggles to support her elderly mother and extended family by selling chickens. But her business simply can’t compete with the cheap frozen chickens imported from Holland and Canada.
Ironically, while Agatha’s government is forbidden from giving her any financial assistance to raise her chickens, the imported chicken is heavily subsidised. Agatha and millions of others need trade justice that enables poorer countries to take advantage of global trade, rather than being made victims of unfair trade rules that are forced upon them. And in Ireland, we can do something to help.
So this year, as we sort through that stack of Christmas cards to friends near and far and to relatives we haven’t seen in years we can add one extra card – the Christmas Card with a difference. Included in the paper edition of Hot Press, the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY Christmas Card to our Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern calls on him to help make trade rules fairer when he attends the WTO meeting later this month.
In the crucial weeks before the WTO talks, thousands of people will send this card to the Irish government, joining millions of other campaigners taking action across the globe to make trade rules fairer.
When we all look back over 2005, let us be proud to have been part of an amazing year of action. Let us have responded to Nelson Mandela’s challenge to campaigners worldwide at the start of this year. “Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great. You can be that great generation.”
Send your card or e-card today. Help make trade rules fairer.
[Cards are also available from retail outlets of Nude cafes and The Body Shop]