Make Trade Fair is a campaign organized by Oxfam International to promote trade justice and fair trade among governments, institutions, and multinational corporations.

The campaign has focused on the elimination of several trade practices:

Dumping, which occurs when highly subsized, surplus commodities from rich countries such as rice, cotton, corn, and sugar are sold at artificially low prices and farmers from poor countries cannot compete. This causes an uneven playing field where farmers in developing countries are unable to compete in the market with cheaper foreign produce and crops.

Tariffs, where developed nations enforce high taxes on imported goods, restricting the sales of products from developing nations.

Unbalanced labour rights for women, who often earn lower wages than their male counterparts.

Stringent patent issues, that drive up the price of medication, drugs, and textbooks. Thus, such essential goods are often inaccessible to developing nations.

Michael Stipe of REM is "dumped" with milk to highlight dumping practices as part of the Big Noise petition.

Launched in April 2002, the Big Noise is a worldwide petition that calls for governments to help end unfair trade practices. By the end of 2005, some 17.8 million signatures have been received. Desmond Tutu was the honorary 1 millionth signee to the petition in 2003. Other celebrities who have lent their names to the petition include the Dalai Lama, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, and musicians Bono and Chris Martin.

The petition was also coupled with a popular photo campaign, where celebrities were "dumped" with various crops and foodstuffs to highlight the unfair practice of dumping. Colin Firth, Thom Yorke, Jamelia, and Haile Gebrselassie were a few of the celebrities to take part in this venture.

In 2002 and 2004, special benefit concerts were held in London to promote the Make Trade Fair campaign. Proceeds from the shows went to aid Oxfam's promotional campaigns. Performers from the 2002 "Fairplay" gig include Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, Noel Gallagher, and Ms. Dynamite, while the 2004 event included Michael Stipe, Razorlight, and The Thrills.

The Fair Trade movement has been one of the most powerful responses to the problems facing commodity producers. It gives consumers an opportunity to use their purchasing power to tilt the balance, however slightly, in favour of the poor. But Fair Trade alone can't address the crisis faced by the millions of small-scale farmers and producers whose livelihoods are threatened by low commodity prices and unfair competion from rich countries.

Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Trade_Fair
www.maketradefair.org

For information about what Oxfam America is doing on trade:

visit: www.oxfamamerica.org,
email: maketradefair@oxfamamerica.org,
or call 1.800.77.OXFAM
 
For media inquiries,
please contact Oxfam America Press Officer,
Laura Rusu. 
Office # +1 202 492 3620 
Mobile
# +1 202 459 3739 
lrusu@oxfamamerica.org