European Leaders 'Lock and Chain' Africa into Poverty
Oxfam Ireland Press Release
19 April 2007
Irish Coalition Campaigns against Unjust Trade Deals for Developing Countries
Effigies of European leaders, including An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Prime Minister Blair and Chancellor Merkel will today, 19 April, wrap chains and a padlock around Africa to highlight the impact of unfair trade agreements on the world's poorest countries.
Organised by Trade Matters, an Irish coalition including Christian Aid, ICTU, Oxfam and Trocaire, the group is calling on Europe to stop forcing unfair trade deals that risk locking poor countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific into poverty.
With the message "Europe, Don't Lock Africa into Poverty' the coalition is specifically calling on Germany, the current holder of the EU Presidency, and the Irish Government as a member state, to use their influence to ensure that so-called Economic Partnership Agreements, due to be completed this year, do not go ahead in their current form.
This action outside the German Embassy in Dublin, is part of a worldwide mobilization on April 19, in which thousands of campaigners, workers, farmers and activists across Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific will take part in coordinated campaigns outside German embassies to call for a stop to unfair trade deals between Europe and the developing world.
"The proposed agreements will not help development - they will make people poorer. Europe is being a bully by insisting on a 2007 deadline. As they stand these deals threaten to undermine poverty reduction and destroy lives across continents" said Temwa Gondwe from the Malawi Economic Justice Network, who travelled to Dublin to participate in the action.
The Irish coalition insists that current free trade deals along the lines proposed by Europe will destroy livelihoods and undermine future economic growth.
"Europe is demanding that poor countries radically open their markets and make new commitments in areas such as investment. This will destroy livelihoods, undermine future economic growth, and deprive countries of the space to regulate to protect people and the environment. This is categorically not the way to help developing countries out of poverty." added Niamh Garvey of Christian Aid.
For more information or interviews, please contact:
ROI: Paul Dunphy, Media and Communications Executive, (353) 0879058075
Niamh Garvey, Policy Officer, Christian Aid Ireland on 087 7713571 Michael O'Brien, Advocacy Officer, Trocaire on 01 505 3254
Note to Editors:
- Trade Matters coalition members include: Christian Aid, Comhlámh, Friends of the Earth, Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Oxfam Ireland and Trócaire
- The coalition is insisting that:
- The deadline of end 2007 must not be enforced, if countries are not ready to sign.
- Any trade deal between Europe and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries must be non-reciprocal, provide at least equivalent to existing market access and have respect for core ILO labour standards.
- Any trade deal must exclude commitments on services, investment or other trade-related issues and have simplified rules of origin.
- The EU must commit to continue existing trade preferences until alternative arrangements are put in place and also guarantee extra aid to help with adjustment costs, new infrastructure, and other trade related investments.
- Worldwide actions are taking place in more than twenty international cities, including Dublin, Berlin, Dakar, London and Bridgetown, varying from handovers of symbolic keys and padlocks with the message, "Europe, Don't Lock Africa into Poverty" to stunts where campaigners pose in beds calling on Europe to "Wake Up" to the concerns of developing countries.
- Photos from the worldwide actions are available on www.epa2007.org, where a full list of participating countries, groups and campaign actions can be found
Related on Oxfamireland.org:
Oxfam Ireland is an independent member of Oxfam International- a group of thirteen non-governmental agencies dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world.
Media Resources
