| Fair Trade? How Oxfam Presented a Systemic Approach to Poverty, Development, Human Rights, and Trade
Aaronson, Susan Ariel & Jamie M Zimmerman
Human Rights Quarterly, Nov 2006, v28, #4; p998-, 35p
Oxfam, the world's most influential international development organization, is not represented at the World Trade Organization (WTO)1 and, thus, cannot directly influence trade deliberations. Yet, in the past five years, Oxfam has had a remarkable impact in changing the negotiating agenda and actual WTO policies, albeit one different from its original intent. In 2000, the twelve national Oxfam member organizations drafted a four-year strategic plan titled "Towards Global Equity" which focused on providing relief, but also on addressing the structural causes of poverty and injustice. Oxfam's new approach was based on a systemic analysis of global governance, in particular the relationship between poverty, human rights, development, and trade. This article discusses how Oxfam tried to change global trade policies to better reflect the rights-based approach delineated in its strategic plan. Susan Aaronson is Senior Fellow and Director of Globalization Studies at the Kenan Institute, Kenan Plagier Business School, University of North Carolina. Jamie M. Zimmerman is the Associate Director of the Globalization Studies Program at the Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise, Washington Center.
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