World trade is one of the most important elements of our world today. It has always been a central part of human life, and has tremendous power - for good and for bad. Unfortunately the way trade rules are written at the moment, means that though trade works for some (and for those it works well for it works very well) for others it doesn’t work at all. SPEAK, as part of the Trade Justice Movement along with many others for example Tearfund, Christian Aid, People and Planet and Oxfam, to name but a few, are campaigning for trade justice. More about the campaign can be read elsewhere on the website - see the campaigns section.

Central to the campaign is prayer, and the belief that society will only be transformed through the power of Jesus Christ, and His power to transform individual hearts into His likeness.

Listed below are some prayer points to start you in your prayer for this issue, but as you read around the subject, you will no doubt find more things to bring before the Lord. You will start to be able to pray more knowledgeably about trade, and related issues, and as a result more effectively. We do urge you to investigate this campaign further, as it is one of the biggest causes of poverty and injustice facing our world today, and has a tremendous potential to reduce this poverty on a huge scale. Remember that to pray specifically at a certain time for a certain issue can have more power so do keep on top of what is happening in international trade. Also, if you are holding a prayer event for trade justice, try to use creative ideas and imagery that will communicate the concerns we have to others who might not have much of an awareness already.

To pray for...

• An end to bullying of poor countries by rich countries in the WTO
• That God will speak into the hearts of our leaders through the campaign actions of the Trade Justice Movement. Particularly for Patricia Hewitt, the UK Secretary of State
• Trade and Industry, and for Pascal Lame, chair of the EU delegation to the WTO
• Pray for those suffering from unfair and biased trade rules.
• Pray that they will be able to find places to raise their voice against this injustice
• The upcoming G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland (July 2005). Poverty in Africa will be a main topic for discussion, and trade rules are inextricably linked to poverty.
• The UN General Assembly Special Summit on the Millennium Development Goals. At this conference progress on the millennium goals will be reviewed. It will be painstakingly clear that we are no where near meeting them. The principles of trade justice will be key to meeting these goals, and if the UN could apply pressure to the WTO it would be fantastic.
• That the trade justice campaign will touch the hearts of people across the world, and that they will be able to pressure their leaders.
• For the big dress; our attempt to highlight the injustice in the garment industry through making the biggest dress in the world ever! Pray for finances to construct the dress, logistics, that people come forward to offer their expertise in making the dress.
• The day of action. The big dress is being launched on the 21 February, please pray that decision-makers will come, and that they will be impacted by what they see.

Happy praying!