Make Your City a Fair Trade Zone
June 2000
This project involves working with your local and state governments to
adopt policies and resolutions that support fair trade, human rights,
environmental sustainability and economic justice. Just as fair trade
activists have been fighting the expansion of corporate free trade
policies in Congress, we also need to pressure our local elected
officials to adopt policies and practices that will help create a more
equitable and sustainable world.
In 1998 many people got involved in the successful effort to shed light on
the Multilateral Agreement on Investment by creating "MAI Free Zones." The
San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution after
local activists spelled out how the MAI would tie the hands of local
officials to regulate corporations and promote human rights. A number of
cities across the country have already passed resolutions against free trade
institutions such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and are well on
their way to making their cities Fair Trade Zones.
Our movement against corporate globalization won a huge victory in
Seattle when massive protests catapulted the WTO into the center stage of
public debate. The WTO's attempt to expand its reach in such areas as
government procurement, services, agriculture, forestry, healthcare,
education and e-commerce was met with intense opposition as
approximately 40,000 people from all walks of life demonstrated in the
streets. On the final day of negotiations the "talks" finally
dissolved as delegates from developing countries refused to go forward
with a Millenium Round of negotiations, stating that they too were
left out of the decision making process dominated by industrialized
countries. With the tides turning against corporate free trade, now is
our time to effect real change!
Fair Trade Zone Packet
You can help educate our communities and public officials about
the threat free trade policies pose to democracy, economic
development, workers rights, and our environment while building
support for fair trade alternatives. In this Fair Trade Zone Packet
you'll find:
