In many countries, citizen access to essential services as well as a fundamental function of government is to ensure and protect this access. Traditionally, this has meant that governments have provided the services themselves. While we often don't think of essential services as primarily profit-making operations, many essential services such as health care and schools have proved highly profitable when privatized and freed from public interest regulation. For corporations, health care and education represent a combined $5.5 trillion market worldwide, and the new trade agreements like the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) would increase their access to that market, without building in protections for consumers, workers or the environment.

Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch has extremely useful letters and information for state and local officials against the GATS. Get your state or county out of the WTO today!

2. SHAPE THE PUBLIC MEDIA DEBATE:

Write a Letter to the Editor or an article in your local newspaper, or pitch them on a local story related to the global economy. Make sure that others in your local community - who might be interested in participating - know about your local organizing efforts.

4. EDUCATE YOURSELF!

Global Exchange hosts an online store of incredibly interesting and informative books and videos available on a wide variety of global justice and human rights topics.

Of particular importance is the authoritative book on the WTO, Whose Trade Organization?: A Comprehensive Guide to the WTO by Lori Wallach and Patrick Woodall of Public Citizen, available on the Global Exchange online store.

5. EDUCATE YOUR COMMUNITY

GX hosts a Speaker's Bureau of local and global speakers who regularly tour the US. We will be bringing speakers from countries who have faced corporate globalization and will inspire us to organize to resist! Contact speakers@globalexchange.org.

6. Join your local state Fair Trade coalition:

The Citizen's Trade Campaign groups together diverse coalitions of Fair Trade activists in state coalitions. Find the one near you, so you can volunteer, make calls, and get active!

7. SUPPORT GLOBAL EXCHANGE:

Become a member of Global Exchange or make a donation. Our campaign will not be possible without the generous support of concerned people like you!

8. TRAVEL AND LEARN ABOUT RESISTANCE TO CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION:

Global Exchange organizes Reality Tours to Argentina, Bolivia, South Africa, Venezuela, Mexico, and other countries where you can learn about the potential impacts of the WTO, and what organizations are doing on the ground to prevent it. Meet with farmers, women's groups, churches, human rights advocates, unions, and environmental organizations - and come back inspired to WIN the fight against corporate globalization!

9. PROMOTE ALTERNATIVES TO THE WTO:

As we work to dismantle the institutions of global corporate rule, what do we replace them with? The International Forum on Globalization, a forum of world leaders has developed a key compilation of alternative proposals called Alternatives to Economic Globalization: Another World Is Possible, available on the IFG website.

10. CONNECT WITH THE MOVEMENT:

Join Forces with the movement for global justice! Sign on to our moderated Global Justice listserve to stay connected.