Part of the mission of the Evian Group is to help clarify the debate on open trade. To this end, we have compiled some statistical evidence from a variety of sources. Some excerpts can be found below:

The Goals of Globalisation
The ultimate goal of globalisation must be to seek as open a world economy as possible, composed of open societies, benefiting from greater material, social and cultural prosperity. Trade and investment have been and will remain the major drivers of globalisation. The obstacles that need to be overcome in order to achieve the goals are the trade barriers that exist, especially in respect to the access of developing countries to industrialised countries, and the administrative and policy impediments in the less “globalisation-oriented” developing economies.

Jean-Pierre Lehmann, The Evian Group

Trade and Growth
Over the 1990-1999 period, global trade growth rate was 6.5%, while the world’s GDP growth rate was 2%.

WTO, International Trade Statistics 2000

Trade Liberalization and Growth
As a result of its openness, Singapore’s income is about 60% higher than Burma’s over a 30-year period, or about 250% higher in the very long run.

Jeffrey Frankel, Assessing the Efficiency Gains from Further Liberalization, 2000

Trade and Investment
About 30% of international trade is intra-corporate and roughly another 30% is inter-corporate. Foreign direct investment (FDI) thus represents an engine of trade and development.

The Economist, Survey on Globalisation, October 2001

Find out more about these key areas in The "Short List" on Global Development , by The Globalist