Oxfam on ‘Great Trade Robbery’

BRIDGETOWN — The internationally recognised United Kingdom-based development agency, Oxfam, has accused the rich, industrialised nations of robbing the poor countries of the world of some US$100 billion a year by abusing world trade rules.

Operating with offices in the Caribbean and other poor developing nations of the Third World, Oxfam has documented its case on what it calls “the great trade robbery” and will launch a Caribbean-focused version of its report tomorrow in Trinidad and Tobago.

The international report on “Make Trade Fair” was originally released on April 11. It documents and analyses unfair practices of the rich and powerful nations of the world that, argues Oxfam, “subvert free trade and deny millions of poor people from escaping poverty”.

Tomorrow’s report with an emphasis on how the Caribbean is affected, will take place at the University of the West Indies (St Augustine Campus) around 10:30 am.

In a statement , released yesterday through its Barbados-based network, Oxfam said that “for every dollar given in aid to the poor countries, two are stolen through unfair trade, costing the poor world US$100 billion a year”.

‘Globalisation,” it said, ” is leaving millions in despair, creating a world more unequal than ever before, when it could do the exact opposite.”

Urging that trade must be fair for all, Stewart Wallis, International Division director of Oxfam in Britain, who will be involved in tomorrow’s launching ceremony, said that “the wealth divide is at an all time high and the anger and social tension that accompanies such morally and unacceptable inequalities threan us all”.

Examples of how Caribbean countries like Haiti, the Winward Islands, Guyana and Jamaica have all fallen victims to the unfair trading practices in their major exports have been cited by Oxfam that works with regional non-govenmental organisations as well as liaise with the international financial institutions.

In a report on “Rigged Rules and Double Standards”, Oxfam shows that some 128 million people could be lifted out of poverty if poor countries share of world exports increase by just one per cent.

According to Oxfam, “topping the rogues’ league of double standard is the European Union”. The EU’s dumping of surplus powdered milk onto Jamaica’s economy, said the development agency, “has all but ruined the local dairy industry…

“The USA has done the same with dumping its subsidised rice on Haiti, forcing thousands of poor rice farmers off the land,” said Oxfam, which also cites how Guyana’s rice sector is being severely affected by unfair trade.

Antigua tightens squeeze against money laundering

ST JOHN’S — The Antigua and Barbuda Government has significantly tightened its laws and practices to prevent money laundering and other illegal financial transactions, according to a report presented to the Caribbean Financial Task Force (CFATF).

Over the past six months, explains the report, submitted at a meeting last week in Tobago of the CFATF, the government has divided its anti-money laundering efforts into three primary streams.

These, as articulated by the country’s High Commissioner to Britain and ambassador at large, Ronald Sanders, embrace: the consolidation of the powers and resources of the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONCDP); introduction of legislative instruments that are required to give “full effect” to United Nations resolutions relating to the prevention and suppression of the financing of terrorism; and the introduction of regulations for the effective control of Antigua and Barbuda’s Internet gaming industry and the creation of infrastructure to enforce these regulations.

The government has already drafted legislation, said Sanders, providing for the forfeiture of the proceeds of crime from money laundering, a practice involving mostly persons living outside of Antigua and Barbuda but launder money through the country that is the proceeds of foreign offences.

On the issue of Internet gaming, the government of Prime Minister Lester Bird was among the first to licence interactive gaming and wagering companies and now has acquired the reputation, said Sanders, of being the “home of the largest gaming companies in the world”.

Going for

PAHO’s top post

KINGSTOWN — One of the three candidates seeking the top post of director of the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), is placing much emphasis in mobilising the support of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) states.

He is Costa Rica’s Juan Antonio Casas, currently PAHO’s division director, who has scheduled a series of meetings with ministers and officials of the governments of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, St Lucia and Dominica between tomorrow, April 15 and May 8, as well as with CARICOM ambassadors in Washington for April 29.

The two other candidates for the post, which will be contested at the forthcoming September meeting of the 26th Pan- American Sanitary Conference in Washington, are Mexico’s Jaime Sepulveda, director of the National Public Health Institute, and Argentina’s Mirta Roses, current assistant director of PAHO.

They are seeking to succeed the outgoing Barbados-born PAHO director, Sir George Alleyne.