January 30, 2002-- In preparation for a March United Nations conference on "Financing for Development," the Women’s Division of The United Methodist Church has been dialoguing with more than 100 women from around the world about how free trade affects them.
Marilyn Clement, executive secretary for economic justice of the United Methodist Women’s Division, has been listening and participating in these dialogues.
"People from all over the world are seeking an economic break," she says. "We need to listen to their stories to enable them, not come up with our own solutions in which they are excluded and which can actually cause them more pain and suffering."
Ms. Clement shares one story of a woman from Uganda who fished for a living and sold her fish in local markets. Free trade regulations, established by the largest countries of the world, allowed large corporate fishing outfits to come into Uganda and vacuum the fish from Lake Victoria. Now as a result of free trade, women who for generations fished to feed their families, no longer have a livelihood.
Timid voices from other countries admit that there is plenty of corruption and bad government within their own countries. But the Enron saga also points to problems within the United States government, they say. Like the employees of Enron, the people of the countries should not have to suffer because of the people in power.
In response to the women’s pleas, the Women’s Division is urging the 1-million member United Methodist Women to urge the U.S. government to go to the Financing for Development Conference and establish rules about human rights, hiring practices, treatment of workers, and environmental degradation.
The women most affected by free trade do not oppose trade. But, they say it must be fair trade and must support sustainable development. Several suggestions came from the women who shared their stories.
Women are asking for the United States and developed nations to provide .07% of their gross national product to support Official Development Assistance (ODA). This program gives the poorest nations grants, instead of loans, to help them come out of poverty.
In many areas of the world, large corporations are going to countries and taking plants and other indigenous medicines, patenting them, making money from them, and selling these medicines at high prices. Women want poor countries to receive just compensation for their intellectual property. Countries facing terrible epidemics must be able to get affordable drugs rather than being forced to pay high prices to the corporations in the richest countries who have patented these medicines.
With the 63 poorest countries paying $128 million each day to the richest countries, there is no way the poorest countries can ever develop or get out of debt. This amount of money is meaningless to multi-trillion dollar economies, but cancelling the debt is critical to helping people out of impoverishment, say women from around the world.
Women are also asking for international regulations on currency traders. Currency traders gamble on the currency of poor countries and can make over a trillion dollars a day, while the countries’ economies are destroyed.
Finally, women are asking that no new negotiations be brought to the table until there is implementation of previous agreements and explicit consensus on thess. Words and promises must be accompanied by actions.
The Women’s Division represents United Methodist Women, a one-million member organization whose purpose is to foster spiritual growth, develop leaders and advocate for justice. Members raise more than $20 million a year for programs and projects related to women, children and youth in the United States and in more than 100 countries around the world.
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