The Trade Campaign leads Focus on the Global South's work in the area of international trade. It mounts campaigns against the continuing efforts at trade liberalization promoted by neo-liberal institutions and governments. The main target of the campaign has been the World Trade Organization (WTO) and has been sucessful in its initial goal of derailing the 5th WTO ministerial in Cancun.

The campaign aims at playing a leading role in an international campaign with several dimensions:
- lobbying governments in Geneva;
- providing good and timely research and analysis;
- coordinating with national social movements, particularly in Asia; and

- helping organize mass demonstrations globally. The campaign is also engaged in campaigns around other neo-liberal institutions and policies, such as the Free Trade of the Americas (FTAA), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), and bilateral free trade agreements.

The campaign also works on alternative strategies for global trade along the lines of the deglobalisation paradigm. While mindful of the fact that the existing trade regime prevents significant implementation of alternative strategies, the campign works on practical strategies for beginning to transform some aspects or parts of the system. THE

DERAILER'S GUIDE TO THE WTO provides basic information about WTO agreements, what is on the negotiating table for Hong Kong and the remainder of the Doha Round (which will likely continue through 2006), and the main actors in these negotiations. It also offers ideas about how all those committed to social and economic justice can stalemate, or derail, this latest liberalization offensive through the WTO parading under the guise of "development". Time is short and the issues are urgent and many. If we want to protect our commons, and our rights and capacities to shape development to meet the priorities of our communities and societies, it is imperative that we prevent a new trade deal from being reached in the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference and subsequent negotiations. That is, we need to DERAIL THE WTO!

Focusweb-Derailers Guide [pdf]