“Trade must benefit people,” say U.S. and Mexican Bishops in Statement on NAFTA Renegotiation
WASHINGTON—The chairmen of the Committee on International Justice andPeace and Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as chairmen of the Conference of theMexican Episcopate's Pastoral Social Committee, have issued a joint statement on t
WASHINGTON—The chairmen of the Committee on International Justice andPeace and Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S.Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as chairmen of the Conference of theMexican Episcopate's Pastoral Social Committee, have issued a joint statement on theongoing renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
NAFTA—a trilateral commercial agreementamong the United States, Canada, and Mexico—came into force in 1994, and hasbrought about many positive outcomes as well as some negative ones, especiallyfor poor and vulnerable persons in the United States and Mexico.
The statement, entitled, "RENEGOTIATINGNAFTA: Rebuilding our Economic Relationship in Solidarity, Mutual Trust, andJustice," restates longstanding principles and guidelines of Catholic SocialDoctrine regarding international trade. The bishops remind all involved that:
"Trade must, first of all, benefit people, inaddition to markets and economies. It is crucial that these complex and multifacetedagreements arise from a sound legal and moral framework that protects thecommon good and the most vulnerable."
Noting that trade agreements "haveconsequences beyond the economic sphere," the bishops of both countries offer in their statement criteria basedon experience, as pastors, to help guide the renegotiation process so that itmight serve as a "means of achieving the welfare and integral development ofall."
The full statement is available in both English and Spanish at:
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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, USCCB, Committee on InternationalJustice and Peace, Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Mexican Episcopate, Pastoral Social Committee, North American Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), United States, Canada, Mexico,trilateral agreement, renegotiation, solidarity, justice, Catholic socialdoctrine, international trade, markets, economies, common good, development,vulnerable, moral framework.
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