Global trade is the festival theme for ISFiT 2013. For some, “trade” means economic growth and prosperity, while for others, it means exploitation and poverty. Trade is a sector in which the political and social challenges are many, and at the same time it provides us with an opportunity to create a better future for young people in the world. For this reason, global trade is the festival theme for ISFiT 2013.
When buying apples at your local grocery store, you are put face to face with international trade politics. In the shelves you might find apples locally grown, or imported. Some might be organic; others claim to be a result of fair trade. Both national and international trade policy decides the range of alternatives. You can choose the cheap, the locally grown or the reddest apples. As consumers we play a role in the global trade network, but do we have any real influence?
When the Chinese 17-years old «Little Zheng» sells his kidney to afford an iPad, it is done on the marked for organs. Every year thousands of men, women and children all over the world are victims of human trafficking. This is a global problem which affects every country in the world – Norway as well. All around the world, small children are put to work under horrible conditions each year. Global poverty forces many women to prostitution. What is the value of a human?
When the Occupy Wall Street movement protests against what they believe is social and economic inequality, and the Rio +20 negotiations comes to a standstill, the conflicts in international politics are made clear. Today’s trade agreements are characterized by power and ideological disagreements. The resources in the world are unequally distributed. This can be changed through the global trade process, but who has the ideas and the solutions?
The theme for ISFiT 2013 varies from economic structures and high-level politics, through technology development and environmental challenges, to our weekly quick stop to the supermarket to pick up some apples.
In the time leading up to the festival, we will frequently update the blog with thematic articles concerning global trade. What do you wish to read about?
Social movements, branding, agriculture and human dignity are only some of the aspects that will be discussed during ISFiT 2013. Global trade is all that, as well as the ideas you have as a politically engaged student has before and during the festival. Most importantly: global trade provides us with an opportunity to create a better future for young people in the world. ISFiT aspires to put your ideas on the agenda—what does global trade mean to you?
14 August 2012
