Kobia shares ecumenical outlook on economic justice and trade with WTO director

A brief visit by World Trade Organization (WTO) director-general Pascal Lamy to the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on Thursday 29 June gave World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Samuel Kobia an opportunity to share ecumenical concerns on economic justice and international trade, and for Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) board member Richard Fee to present a religious leaders' petition for justice in trade negotiations, with/to the organization.

Lamy came to the Ecumenical Centre during a 28 June-2 July WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Geneva - one of several efforts by the organization to rescue the so-called "Doha Development Round". As is usual during such meetings, daily off-the-record briefings were provided to civil society; this time, they were held in the Ecumenical Centre (main hall, 16:00), and on 29 June at 13:00, the WTO director-general in person did the briefing.

It was not the first encounter between the WCC and the WTO: in April last year for example, a delegation of leaders of several Christian and ecumenical organizations led by Kobia met with WTO representatives at the organization's Geneva headquarters to request a change in the international rules and practices that govern trade.

The following texts are available on the WCC website:

• Trade for people petition

• "Christian leaders demand change in international trade rules", WCC press release of 13 April 200:

• EAA Global Trade Campaign: http://www.e-alliance.ch/trade.jsp