Oxfam Ireland urges the government not to undermine our overseas aid programme with unfair trade
Oxfam Ireland Press Release
10 December 2007
Oxfam Ireland today urged the Irish government to ensure that Europe's trade deals support and do not hinder the fight against poverty in Africa.
Europe is currently negotiating new trade agreements named Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with 76 African, Caribbean and Pacific states to replace existing trade preferences for these countries. Europe is seeking to open up these markets to European exports and seeking extensive committments from the ACP countries on a range of other areas including liberalisation of services. A number of agreements have already been initially by some developing countries.
Today, in the Irish Times Oxfam Ireland's chief executive and other leading members of Ireland's development sector, leading academics and churchmen alongside Bono and Bob Geldof have urged the Irish government to ensure Economic Partnership Agreements are fair.
'The deals the EU is pushing on poor countries are likely to damage their prospects of escaping poverty and are deeply unfair. Jobs and livelihoods, access to healthcare and education and the ability to develop their own economies are at risk from these trade agreements' said Colin Roche, Oxfam Ireland's campaigns and advocacy coordinator. 'This week the government rightly increased our aid budget in line with meeting their aid promise. This aid will help ensure people living in poverty have a greater chance of accessing healthcare, education and simply surviving. It would be deeply shameful if these efforts were undermined by bad aid agreements' he continued.
Oxfam is urging the Taoiseach and the government to use every opportunity to urgently change the course the European Union has taken and put the needs of people living in poverty first.
Contact
ROI: Paul Dunphy, Media and Communications Executive, 01 635 0422, paul.dunphy [at] oxfamireland.org
NI: Phillip Graham, Media and Communications Officer, 028 9089 5959, phillip.graham [at] 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.
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