A fair trade banana.
The state we're in
It's true: rich are getting richer, poor people poorer and meanwhile we're plundering the earth.
Injustice in our world deepens rather than eradicates poverty. Many of its systems, institutions and practices are weighted against those who are poor.
One example is the way we trade. Our current trading system is preventing millions of the world's poorest people from escaping poverty.
Unjust trade rules rob poor countries of £1.3 billion every single day. For many, earning a living and escaping from poverty is like trying to climb the down escalator.
Rice farmers in Burkina Faso know the effects of unjust trade rules, as cheap imported rice means that they struggle to sell their rice for a profit.
Trade justice
To end poverty and protect the environment, we need a way of trading based on justice - trade justice.
Trade justice is about:
- making sure governments of developing countries can choose the best solutions to end poverty and protect the environment - rather than have damaging trade policies forced upon them
- making laws that stop big business profiting at the expense of poor people and the environment.
- stopping rich countries subsidising the agricultural produce they export to poor countries, which undercuts the livelihoods of poor farmers around the world.