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

Also available
in PDF (82 kb)
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: