Fair trade today: When business undermines life

The Jakarta Post, 6 November 2002, Opinion & Editorial

Despite apparent global growth and steadily increasing per capita income, the gap both within and between rich and poor countries seems to be widening. The United Nations reported that in 1960, the richest fifth of the world’s population received 70 percent of global income compared to 2.3 percent of the world’s poorest 20 percent. By 1989, the richest 20 percent had increased their share to 82.7 percent while the bottom fifth’s share of global income shrank from 2.3 percent to 1.4 percent (UN Development Report, 1992).