The
Global Alliance for Fair Textile Trade (GAFTT)
is an alliance of textile and apparel groups
from around the world that are fighting for the
principles of fair trade and free markets.
These groups have united under the Brussels
Communiques, the successor to the "Istanbul
Declaration," in order to draw attention to
looming take-over of the world’s textile and
apparel trade by a few large exporters who
refuse to play fairly. As of
june
17, 2004
91 trade groups in 49 countries have joined
the alliance.
Over
the last five years, these exporters, lead by
China,
have dramatically increased their use of illegal
trade practices, such as currency manipulation,
state subsidies, tax rebates and the deliberate
promulgation of non-performing loans. As a
result, they now stand to wipe out textile and
apparel production in dozens of developed,
developing and least developed countries around
the world and cause the loss of up to 30 million
textile and apparel jobs around the world.
Such enormous job losses,
particularly in poorer countries where most of
the job losses would occur, would be
catastrophic for many national
economies.
The
Alliance
is calling upon the world community to stop this
disaster from occurring. As noted in the
Brussels Communique, the Alliance is asking WTO
member countries to push for an emergency
meeting of the WTO in order to examine the
impact of the quota phase= out and what measures
should be taken to prevent a take-over
of textile and apparel trade by a few bad
players.
GAFTT
is also asking that governments use the
China
textile safeguard in an effective and
comprehensive manner. GAFTT notes
that previous attempts to use the textile
safeguard allowed
China
to gain a 40% share of the
U.S.
market before the safeguard was put in
place. The
Alliance
is also asking for the WTO to tie a specific
plan to eliminate the unfair trade practices
that have destroyed the free market in textiles
and apparel to the new extension.
Members
of the Alliance
Contact
the Alliance
To
Join the
Alliance
