Some Key Questions

Are the aims of Trade Out of Poverty the same as Fair Trade?

No. But our aims are complementary. Fair Trade has tried to encourage consumers in rich countries to choose products which offer more – in terms of prices, certainty or other advantages, to developing world producers.

The TOP campaign's aims are on a potentially much bigger scale. It is about helping all the producers in all low income countries, whatever they grow or make, have access to developed world markets. Anyone who supports Fair Trade can support this campaign and vice versa. We can work together.

It's a recession – don’t we have other things to worry about?

We have to act now – in fact the situation demands this campaign. The current global economic crisis is already generating more protectionist sentiments in America and Europe. In the 1930s it was protectionism that turned a recession into a prolonged slump – so it proved hugely counterproductive for the wealthiest nations but its impact on the less developed countries was catastrophic. So the Trade Out of Poverty campaign is doubly important at this time: to remind rich countries that they have nothing to gain from punitive action against imports from low income countries but the latter have literally everything to lose.

Why hasn't this been proposed before?

Under World Trade rules countries cannot unilaterally offer preferential access to a category of other countries unless that category is defined on an objective basis. Until recently the category of Low Income Countries included India and there was no chance of persuading the EU or USA to open their markets unconditionally to a country whose size and growing industrial strength arouse protectionist fears. However, India recently joined China as a Middle Income Country, so it is now realistic to campaign to open rich countries’ markets to all the remaining Low Income Countries.

How does this relate to the Doha Round?

Completing the Doha Round is vital. But although it was billed as a 'development round', Doha is mainly about freeing up trade between the rich countries and the middle income countries. There is little in it for the poorest nations – which is why this Trade Out of Poverty campaign is so essential. Moreover, most of the changes we call for can be introduced by the EU and any of the other developed countries acting individually without needing to wait for the slowest ship in the convoy.