In November 2015, the Obama Administration reached an agreement on a new trade pact, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), involving twelve countries, representing about 40% of the world’s economy. The agreement, negotiated in secret, will be voted on by Congress later this year. While the Administration has touted it as the “most progressive” trade agreement in history, the text reflects a different, darker reality. The TPP agreement – like its predecessors the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) – reveals that the central interest promoted in the negotiations are those of large multinational corporations, not civil society.
Join us to hear first-hand testimony about how U.S. trade policy has impacted vulnerable communities in Peru, learn critical information about the agreement, and share ways the faith community can work with environmental, labor and other civil society leaders to stop Congress from passing the TPP.
Speakers:
- Stephanie Burgos, Economic Justice Policy Director, Oxfam
- Conrado Oiviera, Joining Hands Against Hunger Network in Peru
- Phil Dahl-Bredine, Center for Integral Campesino Development of the Mixteca and the Collective for the Defense of Indigenous Territories