Edmund Rice Justice Bulletin

"The sad truth is that the world today is a much more unequal place than it was 40 years ago" said Kofi Annan Secretary General of the United Nations speaking in Brazil recently. He went on to identify the Debt crisis and the world trade system as the major causes of this. "Debt crises have revealed serious weaknesses in the international financial architecture" he said "Developing countries also suffer from a lack of access to markets of developed countries, and from other imbalances and injustices that have led you to raise questions about the basic fairness of the global trade regime."

The Australian Parliament and the US Congress will shortly begin to debate the Free Trade Agreement negotiated between the two countries. Both of these bodies need to approve the Agreement without amendment before it takes effect. Debate continues over the benefits to Australia of entering into the agreement but little attention is given to the global implications of such agreements.

For some discussion of the wider issues beyond self-interest visit the AFTINET Website