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rigged rules

access to medicines

regional trade agreements

real lives

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Oxfam works with others to overcome poverty and suffering
  Market Access

If Africa, East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America each increased their share of world exports by just one per cent, the resulting gains could lift 128 million people out of poverty.

Rich countries limit and control poor countries' share of the world market by charging high taxes on imported goods. As a result, many poor countries can only afford to export raw materials, which give far lower returns than finished products.

For example, the rich world buys cheap cotton and cocoa and turns them into expensive clothes and chocolate - reaping all of the profit. At the same time, poor countries are threatened with having loans withheld unless they open their markets to rich countries' exports.

Forced liberalisation
Poor countries barriers kicked down >



Rigged rules explained: Interactive diagrams
Interactive diagram: dumping explained
Interactive diagram: market access explained
Interactive diagram: forced liberalisation explained
Interactive diagram: labour rights explained
Interactive diagram: patents explained
Interactive diagram: Regional trade agreements explained

Regional Trade Agreements

 



 

 


 

Join the Big Noise

the next battle real lives
cotton prices plummet and african farmers feel the consequences
glossary make trade fair is part of the global call to action against poverty