ActionAid campaigns in 18 countries across the globe to persuade governments and international organisations to change unfair trade rules that threaten the rights and livelihoods of communities living in poor countries.

We believe that a fair international trade system would benefit the livelihoods of poor people all over the world. The current system promoted through the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is having the opposite effect.

The WTO is failing the poor by pushing for agreements that benefit rich countries and their multinational companies at the expense of the poor.

Although the WTO's purpose is to provide a forum for its member states to discuss and negotiate global trade rules, at present this forum is being used by rich countries to:

• force poor countries to open up basic services such as water to foreign multinational corporations that threaten the rights of poor people and marginalised communites in developing countries
• prevent developing countries from protecting their farming sectors by letting the EU and US continue to subsidise their farmers, leading to unfair competition which makes it extremely difficult for poor farmers in developing countries to feed themselves and their families.
  

ActionAid’s trade justice campaign aims to tackle the unfair rules that govern international trade and to ensure that the WTO works for poor and marginalised communities. Our international campaign works to ensure that poor countries' rights are respected, so they can decide on trade policies to help lift themselves out of poverty.