For the past four years, MEJN has been the focal point of Civil Society’s engagement on Trade Justice issues. However, it is only since the beginning of 2005 MEJN implemented a comprehensive Trade Justice and Literacy project. The programme was set up with the specific aim of empowering Civil Society Organizations and the grassroots in Malawi through trade literacy and that trade issues central to their livelihoods are echoed in the corridors of trade policy formulation.
The Trade Project is divided into two major activities, namely: Trade Justice Activities and Trade Literacy Activities. By their nature, these two activities are complementary and interlinked.
Trade Justice
Trade Justice activities are aimed at raising awareness on fair trade in Malawi. This was upon the realisation of the grossly unfair trade practices at both domestic and international levels in Malawi.
The primary objectives of the project are:
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To research on the impact of trade liberalisation on poverty (poor smallholder farmers).
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To disseminate the results of trade and development studies in a manner that will expose any injustices affecting the poor (research based advocacy).
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To coordinate civil society in Malawi participation in the global fair trade campaign.
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To enhance the knowledge of civil society to monitor trade justice indicators
Trade Literacy
These literacy activities are towards empowering & building the capacity of (mainly) civil society organisations on the multilateral trading system and Malawi's domestic trade systems. This stems from the belief that it is only with the requisite knowledge of the trading system that the grassroots can make targeted demands on their economic rights in a manner that will contribute effectively to the uprooting of trade injustices and making trade work for the poor. |
