Does Fair Trade contribute to sustainable development?
CTA, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and other partners organised the fifth ‘Brussels Development Briefing’ - part of a series of briefings on ACP-EU rural development issues. This briefing discussed Fair Trade as a tool for development of ACP countries by (i) raising awareness on existing and emerging key challenges on Fair Trade; (ii) promoting exchange of information and expertise sharing among the development groups based in Brussels; (iii) feeding into the debate on Fair Trade by bringing various perspectives around the table.
There were around 100 particpants made up of ACP-EU policy makers, representatives of EU Member States, civil society groups, European research networks, the private sector, researchers and development practitioners, international organisations based in Brussels.
The programme was divided into a panel looking at can Fair Trade contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development? where presentations were made by the FTAO, FLO, researchers and a small producer and the discussant was Linda McAvan, MEP. The second panel looked at can Fair Trade better link ACP producers to northern consumers? where presentations were made by the Belgium government, UNCTAD and a small producer and the discussant was Ambassador Cuello Camilo (Dominican Republic).
Video interviews were conducted of the presentors. Please follow the links to view the videos and hear more about Fair Trade and its link to sustainable development, small producers, and the role of the EU:
For more information on the programme, background note, presentations and more video interviews please visit the briefing's website
1 - 3 February, Lyon, France
European Fair Trade Fair
For 1.5 days the fair was dedicated to professionals; including importers, wholesalers, shops, distributors, public authorities, works councils and companies as well as those working in the fields of education, awareness raising, lobbying and development. At the weekend,the fair was open to the general public. There was an exhibition area with around 150 stands from all over Europe, that presented products and/or activities on Fair Trade and with 8,000 visitors. There was a full programme with debates, round tables and conferences. For more information
The FTAO made presentations at 2 events relating to fair public procurement and public and private regulations.
2007
2007
5 December, Brussels
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office Contributes to the Aid for Trade Debate
Brussels Rural Development Briefings: Can aid fix trade? The new Aid for Trade Agenda
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office was interviewed during a briefing session on Aid for Trade hosted by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU
(CTA).
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office Contributes to the Aid for Trade Debate
Aid for Trade: A Global Review
The Fair Trade Advocacy Office made a presentation during the technical programme on monitoring and evaluation. The title of the panel was Improving the “qualitative” measurement of Aid for Trade. The panelists among others included representatives from the World Bank, OECD, Center for Global development and the Fair Trade Advocacy Office.
International Conference “Fair Trade: a lever for change” / "Commerce équitable: L'impulsion en faveur du changement"
The international conference “Fair Trade: a lever for change”, showed how the engagement with Fair Trade has improved lives and business practices both in developing countries and in Europe.
Richard Adams, European Economic and Social Committee, and Linda McAvan, Member of the European Parliament, welcomed the growing interest of consumers in Fair Trade but also highlighted the risk of misleading and false claims in this area. They both called for European action in this area to boost ethical trading practices and to protect consumers against misleading claims.
Geraldine Labradores from the Philippines Southern Partners for Fair Trade Corporation (SPFTC) spoke about the difficulties for small producers to produce and trade under conditions of poverty and landlessness. Thanks to the support and market opportunities, provided by Fair Trade importers, SPFTC has managed to triple their production and processing capacities within ten years, thus helping the producers and workers involved with the company to significantly improve their working and living conditions.
Prof. Ruben from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, presented the results of long-term impact studies of Fair Trade which found significant benefits, particularly in terms of stable incomes and employment security for producers and workers involved in Fair Trade.
But may be the most interesting aspect of Fair Trade is that it is also a lever for change in the attitude of businesses and consumers: Brad Hill from the cooperative group, a British retailer with over 2200 shops across the UK, recognized that Fair Trade meant a “cultural change within the business”.
The growing demand for Fair Trade over the last years shows that consumers are increasingly concerned about the impact of their purchasing on developing country producers and on the environment. Christian Rousseau from the Belgian consumer association Test Achats in Belgium presented results from consumer surveys which found that consumers are increasingly interested in Fair Trade and request reliable information about the conditions under which goods have been produced and traded. Belgian consumers feel that existing Fair Trade standards live up to their expectations regarding compliance with the claims.
According to Gudrun Grosse Wiesmann from the German Ministry for Development the EU should step up their support to “the drivers” of change. The German Ministry has supported public Fair Trade campaigns over the last years and thus helped to boost Fair Trade sales in Germany which increased by 25% in 2005 and 50% in 2006. Ms Grosse Wiesmann suggested three main pillars of public support to Fair Trade: technical assistance, "lead by example" and consumer education.
Liselotte Isaksson from the European Commission, DG Development, spoke about a variety of Commission initiatives in the area of Fair Trade, such as the development of a web portal on sustainability claims and the plan to compile information about existing public support in this area among different member states. The EU Council just passed conclusions on Aid for Trade, suggesting the development of joint EU approaches in the area of sustainable claims, including Fair Trade.
Fair Trade at Heart is the title of what promises to be IFAT's biggest international conference ever.Monitoring and the IFAT monitoring system will play a main role in the discussions throughout the week, but there will be workshops and debates on a number of topics, including market access, networking opportunities, the AGM and the conclusion of Fair Trades's tour of the world: The Global Journey.
For more information, go to www.ifat.org (events and currents affairs)
2007
19 April: International conference on Fair Procurement
Brussels
The aim of this conference, organized by the European Partners of the EFTA project “Fair Procura”, is to promote fair and sustainable public purchasing practices. A diverse range of guest speakers promises an in-depth exploration of the issue and an interesting debate.
European Parliament Hearing
“Does Fair Trade work for Development?” European Parliament Hearing on the Fair Trade and development report 2006, Chaired by Luisa Morgantini and organised by Frithjof Schmidt.
2006
20 February
Book Launch Facts and Figures on Fair Trade 2005
The book was presented by Anja Osterhaus, Fair Trade Advocacy Coordinator; Patricia Jiménez, Heinrich Böll Foundation; Dr. Frithjof Schmidt, MEP. Before the event there was a roundtable debate "Is the EU doing enough to support Fair Trade". It was followed by a Fair Trade reception.
“Fair Trade - a Contribution to Sustainable Development?”
Conference
Hosted by MEPs Chris Davies, Richard Howitt, Eija-Riitta Korhola and Heide Rühle. Organised by EURO COOP, NEWS! and EFTA with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation and the Heinrich Böll Foundation.
