# data[].attributes.body
IM

# data[].attributes.body
The African Union is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The African Union was officially launched in 2002.

Some of their mains aims are:

•To achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the people of Africa
•To defend the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of its Member States.
•To accelerate the political and socio-economic  integration of the continent.
•To promote and defend African common positions on issues of interest to the continent and its peoples.
•To promote peace, security, and stability on the continent.

History/ Background info:
On May 25 1963, in Ethiopia, the 32 African states that had achieved independence at that time agreed to establish the Organization of African Unity (OAU).
A further 21 members joined gradually, reaching a total of 53 by the time of the AU’s creation in 2002.
On 9 July 2011, South Sudan became the 54th African Union (AU) member.

How has it changed?
In the 1990s, leaders debated the need to amend the OAU’s to reflect new changes within the world.
In 1999, the OAU Heads of State and Government issued the Sirte Declaration calling for the establishment of a new African Union.
The vision for the Union was to build on the OAU’s work by establishing a new Union that could increase the process of integration in Africa, support the empowerment of African states in the global economy and address further issues.

Benefits of the African Union:

Conflict Resolution, Peace & Security.

Aims to create a single market for goods to increase economic intagration of Africa

Infrastructure & Energy Development.

Agricultural Development.

Trade & Industrial Development.

Democracy, Law & Human Rights.

Promoting Health & Nutrition.

Migration, Labour & Employment.

# data[].attributes.body
NAFTA

NAFTA includes USA, Mexico and Canada.

It was implement in 1994 to encourage trade between these countries.

It allows companies to ship to Mexico and Canada duty free

NAFTA reduced or eliminated tariffs on imports and exports in order to create a huge trade zone

Impacts

-Between 1993 and 2019 the trade between the members went from $290 billion to $1.23 trillion this boosted economic growth, allowed for many job opportunities and lowered prices for consumers

-NAFTA made up 33% of Americas exports and 27% imports

-NAFTA helped reduce Americas reliance on the Middle East for oil as in 2017 Mexico shipped $15 billion in oil and as oil is the biggest import of America it made it a lot easier politically

-NAFTA boosted Americas economic growth by 0.5% a year, it mainly benefited agriculture and automobile services for example between 1993 and 2016 USA’s farm exports to Canada and Mexico increased from $11 billion to $43 billion this benefited both side as Mexico is the top export destination to USA for beef, rice, soya beans apples and beans

-it is estimated NAFTA created 5 million new jobs in the US

https://www.thebalance.com/advantages-of-nafta-3306271

Limitations

-many smaller farms in Mexico were put out of business due to the new large competitors

-led to some loss of US manufacturing jobs

-worsened environmental standards due to high demands

Emma

# data[].attributes.location_name
North American Free Trade Agreement Guru, Spring Valley Road, Dallas, TX, USA

# data[].attributes.body
The flag for NAFTA

# data[].attributes.body
Who are they:
The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. They have a combined population of 447 million people.

The Treaty of Lisbon set out the aims of the European Union:

To promote peace and the well-being of EU citizens

To offer EU citizens freedom, security and justice, without internal borders, while also controlling external borders

To work towards the sustainable development of Europe, promoting equality and social justice

To establish an economic union, with the euro as its currency

To contribute to the sustainable development, peace and security of the Earth

Background/history:
The EU has emerged from what used to be called the European Economic Community (EEC). The EEC was founded in 1957. It was turned into the European Union (EU) in 1993.

When it was created, the EEC had just six members: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. They had begun to work together a few years earlier, when they started to coordinate coal and steel production. They saw European integration as a way to encourage reconciliation and economic growth after the Second World War. During the Cold War period (up to around 1990), they also saw the EEC as an important defence against external threat.

Benefits:
Price stability: The euro makes it easier, cheaper and safer for businesses to buy and sell within the euro area and to trade with the rest of the world.
There is also free movement of labour, goods, services and capital between the countries.

# data[].attributes.body
The SAARC members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka

The SAARC aims are to promote the peoples welfare in South Asia, strengthen collective self-reliance, promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in various fields, and cooperate with international and regional organisations

The SAARC was founded in 1985 by Abul Ahsan from Bangladeshi who wanted a social and economical organisation with the eight members.

SAARC are potentially going to expand by having China being added to their members. They have had substantial for improving inter regional trade but are still far away from being as successful as the EU. These trading blocs are the most recent organisations.

Benefits:

Business opportunities in trading and be apart of business delegations at international forums

India have $15 billion in trade and exports worth $17.5 billion through being a member of SAARC

Platform for closer contacts and interactions between young entrepreneurs in South Asia for regional fellowship and cooperation

Platform to interact with other members, institutions, state & central governments

Limitations:

The SAARC is growing slowly due to political differences around the member states

SAARC members are from among the developing or least developing countries which creates insufficiency of funds

# data[].attributes.location_name
North American Free Trade Agreement Guru, Spring Valley Road, Dallas, TX, USA

# data[].attributes.body
Pros and cons to the free trade agreement CU

# data[].attributes.body
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok by the five original member countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 8 January 1984, Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Laos and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999.

ASEAN was formed to to create a common front against the spread of communism and promote political, economic, and social stability amid rising tensions in the Asia-Pacific.

Benefits -
Advantages of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations include the elimination of tariffs between member states, which has reduced product prices due to increased competition within the market, and possible investment opportunities in the market.

Larger market: With the merging of available markets within the ASEAN region, everyone gets a fair chance of capturing a bigger flag. You can now make yourself available not only to your local consumers, but also to the massive number of foreign potential clients from neighbor countries. There is a larger pool of fish that you can gain from, which means a possibility of bigger profit.

More investors: A promising company is a promising company, no matter what country it is in. In this integration, there is a great chance that if your company is big in the local market, foreign investors can come in and invest in your company. The more investors, the more money your company can use in order to expand or improve your services.

Limitations -
Among the disadvantages of ASEAN are the risk of an influx of cheap imports flooding local markets and the existence of poor governance structures in some member countries. ASEAN is also constrained by other key challenges, including corruption, demographic changes, uneven social development, disparities in economic development and technology adoption, environmental degradation, and other issues related to politics and the rise of authoritarianism

As a free trade area, member countries expect ASEAN to ease the flow of goods and services in the region by liberalizing services such as air transport within the region. Thailand, a member of ASEAN, anticipates significant benefits from the free trade agreement, as many of its manufactured goods are benefiting from reduced production costs. However, the reduced tariffs have negatively impacted Thailand’s agricultural sector due to a greater number of imported agricultural goods. Cambodia, a developing member of ASEAN, is not yet integrated as it needs more time to address domestic and regional challenges. The ASEAN Economic Community has faced criticism for not protecting small and medium enterprises and for being reluctant to promote human rights and democracy in countries such as Myanmar.

J.Y

# data[].attributes.location_name
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.body
Also aims to stimulate economic growth  and enhance political governance and security for the region, through the provision of policy advice.

# data[].attributes.body
The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of 4,233,255.3 km² and an estimated total population of about 447 million.

The five largest Economies, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, account for around 70% of the 28-country trading bloc.
They are designed to create better trading opportunities and overcome related barriers. EU's trade policy is also used as a vehicle for the promotion of European principles and values, from democracy and human rights to environment and social rights.

The European Union (EU) has expanded a number of times throughout its history by way of the accession of new member states to the Union. ... According to the Maastricht Treaty, each current member state and the European Parliament must agree to any enlargement.

BENEFITS:

Membership in a community of stability, democracy, security and prosperity;

Stimulus to GDP growth, more jobs, higher wages and pensions;

Growing internal market and domestic demand;

Free movement of labour, goods, services and capital;

Free access to 450 million consumers

DRAWBACKS:

Cost. The costs of EU membership to the UK is £15bn gross (0.06% of GDP) – or £6.883 billion net. ...

Inefficient policies. ...

Problems of the Euro. ...

Pressure towards austerity. ...

Net migration. ...

More bureaucracy less democracy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
History of the EU, EU pioneers | European Union

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Timeline of major events in EU history. How the EU has developed over the decades. Visionary men and women who inspired the creation of the modern-day EU.

# data[].attributes.body
SAARC are an organization of South Asian nations, founded in 1985 and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasizing collective self-reliance. Its members are states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan became the eighth member of SAARC in fourteenth summit held on 3rd and 4th of April 2007 in New Delhi, India.

Benefits: SAARC accelerates economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region

Limitations: SAARC is growing slowly due to political differences among its member states

# data[].attributes.body
European trade union is made of 27 country’s trading together And they aim to offer European
citizen justice, freedom and security.

History of EU:
https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/history-eu/1945-59_en
1945-59
Peace in Europe and the
beginnings of cooperation
1960-69
The 'Swinging Sixties' - a period of
economic growth
How the European Union developed
1970-79
A growing Community - the first
new members join: Denmark,
Ireland and the United Kingdom
1980-89
The changing face of Europe - the
collapse of communism
1990-99
A Europe without frontiers
2000-09
Further expansion
2010-19
A challenging decade
2020-todav
COVID-19 and the road to recovery

By expanding they have allowed country’s to join trade due to them meeting the criteria.

One beneift of this is that this allows country to get supplier easier and at a lower price aswell as getting access to health care. Lower price for traveling and exchange rates will be higher. More jobs and pay

One disadvantage of this is that it’s means people can flow in and out by trading, there can be conflict with policies. Increased economic dependence. Net migration. EURO problem

# data[].attributes.location_name
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.location_name
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.body
It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia.

Although the original motivation behind the Forum's creation was an open discussion of political issues (nuclear testing and decolonization.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.body
The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organisation who’s main aim is to enhance cooperation between countries and territories of the Pacific Ocean.

# data[].attributes.body
NAFTA HS

NAFTA has three member States - Canada, Mexico and United States

They aim to eliminate all tariff and non-tariff barriers of trade and investment

Inspired by the EU - NAFTA went into effect on 1st January 1994 and was replaced by the USCMA on July 1st 2020

Benefits

Lowered price of many goods

Good for GDP

Improved diplomatic relations

Increased exports and created regional production blocs

Limitations

Led to loss of US manufacturing jobs

Hurt economic prospects of Mexican small farmers

Suppressed wages for non college educated workers in the US

Low environmental standards

Low labour standards

# data[].attributes.body
CANZUK is an alliance comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom as part of an international organisation or confederation similar in scope to the former European Economic Community.[5] This includes increased trade, foreign policy co-operation, military co-operation and mobility of citizens between the four states, tied together by similar economicsystems, social values and political and legalsystems, in addition to speaking English.The idea is lobbied by the advocacy group CANZUK International and largely supported by British conservatives. Other supporters include think tanks such as the Adam Smith Institute,[9] the Henry Jackson Society,[10]Bruges Group[11] and politicians from the four countries.

# data[].attributes.location_name
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.headline
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.subject
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Ratu Sukuna Road, Suva, Fiji

# data[].attributes.body
The 16 members of the Pacific Islands Forum include Australia, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

# data[].attributes.body
A new Canada-UK trade deal holds exciting opportunities to promote freer movement for citizens and tariff-free trade between the two nations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The flag is green and has emblem in middle🥺idk how to upload another pic because it wont let me🥺