Trade Justice Ireland to Lobby TDs on May 14th

"On May 14, the various Irish groups campaigning on trade issues invite you to join in a public lobby of the Dail. We will meet at the Dail, and collectively lobby our TDs. Under the banner of the newly formed Trade Justice Ireland coalition, we will present our elected representatives with four simple questions about clear injustices:

"1. Why do trade rules allow the economies of third world countries to be undermined both by unfair barriers to products from poor countries, and by unfair practices of export subsidies and dumping?

"2. The new trade agreements that Ireland is currently involved in negotiating are unlikely to benefit developing countries. Poor countries do not have the negotiating capacity to protect their interests in new areas, and their concerns with existing agreement are being ignored. Why is there still a push to create even more trade rules?

"3. Why, in Ireland and within Europe, is there so little transparency and democracy in the negotiation of trade rules?

"4.Why do the rules of international trade, negotiated and enforced through the World Trade Organization, take precedence over all other international agreements on human rights, labour rights, and the environment, and why are the negative effects of trade on social, gender and workers' issues still being ignored by trade agreements?".

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Trade Justice Ireland / Comhlamh / Oxfam Ireland / Trocaire / ActionAid Ireland

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