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Fairtrade Fortnight 2008
26 February 2008
Fairtrade Fortnight, which takes place between 25 February and 09 March, is
all about promoting fairer trade between rich and poor countries. Through trade,
people in the developing world can earn their way out of poverty - but they must
be able to sell their products freely, and get good prices for them.
Over two weeks, a range of activities will remind shoppers, businesses and politicians of the importance of fair trade, and encourage them to play a part in helping achieve it. On Sunday 24 February, a Fairground on London's South Bank, hosted by the Fairtrade Foundation, kicked off events, and the Choose Fairtrade Bus is currently travelling around Great Britain. Get on board the Bus to learn more about key issues and pick up samples of fairly traded products. Shops, schools and even whole towns will also join in the Fortnight with their own activities.
- Read more and find out how you can get involved on the
Fairtrade website.
Trade: A powerful way to reduce poverty
DFID welcomes Fairtrade Fortnight and supports its message of making trade work for the developing world. But our commitment to fair trade is not just confined to two weeks in February. We believe that trade is a very powerful way to reduce world poverty, which is why we work throughout the year to improve trading opportunities for poor countries. On 26 February, DFID pledged £1.2 million over two years through the Fairtrade Labelling Organisation. Read the press release for more details.
In addition, DFID continues to push, in international trade negotiations, for a global system that makes it easier for poor countries to sell their goods abroad. The removal of current barriers (such as high tariffs on exports from the developing world) could lift 300 to 500 million people out of poverty. We are also spending more money to increase the capacity of poor countries to trade: providing key skills, building trade organisations, and strengthening the infrastructure (such as roads and communications networks) on which trade depends.
DFID: Backing fair and ethical trade
Image courtesy of Philip Wolmuth/Panos Pictures
Over the last ten years, we have committed nearly £12 million to initiatives that aim to make trade fairer and more ethical. These projects have seen farmers get better prices for their produce, and brought about improvements to working conditions.
In Zambia, DFID funding helped a beekeeping cooperative to improve the quality of its honey, enabling it to be certified for export. In 2006, the uncertified honey was sold for £700 a tonne; but in 2007, the cooperative earned over £1,000 for certified organic honey and over £1,200 for their Fairtrade labelled variety. Winning certification has been a major boost to local livelihoods.
Employees at a winemakers in South Africa have also benefited from being Fairtrade certified. DFID money allowed a community of farm workers to set up Thandi Wines, and, having received the Fairtrade seal of approval, their bottles now compete with the best in the world. As well as creating new jobs, rising profits have paid for a nursery (and school fees) for the children of Thandi workers, and have financed a community clinic and new training schemes.
DFID supports the
Ethical Trading Initiative
(ETI). ETI is an alliance of business, trade unions and non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) working together to push for better labour conditions
around the world. These activities cover more than 30,000 suppliers, employing
some 3.3 million people in total. Last year, ETI members asked their suppliers
to take nearly 40,000 actions to improve workers’ conditions. In its time, the
ETI has achieved results in increasing wages, strengthening health and safety
implementation, and reducing child labour.
How can you help?
Image courtesy of Trygve Bolstad/Panos Pictures
The role of shoppers and retailers in making trade work for poor countries is crucial. In 2006, UK supermarkets spent around £2.7 billion buying food, clothes and toys from the developing world. By stocking more products from poor countries - including more that are Fairtrade labelled - retailers can help the economies of those countries to grow even further. In addition, by joining the ETI, British retailers can show their support for improving labour standards in the countries they buy from.
And we can all do our bit for fair trade by making the
right
choices about how we shop. Increasingly, British shoppers are showing an
interest in where products come from. Many of us may be keen to "buy local" -
but if we choose not to buy from developing countries, poor producers will lose
out. Currently, British shoppers spend over £1 million a day on fruit and
vegetables from Africa, and it's estimated that almost a million people in
Africa depend at least partly on these purchases.
By thinking how we shop, we can make a difference every time we visit the supermarket. Looking for the Fairtrade label is a good start, and it’s not necessarily more expensive, as more own brands are now Fairtrade certified. But many products grown by poor farmers or made by poor workers aren’t labelled. Asking retailers where a product comes from - and about the living and working conditions of the people who made it - is something we can all do to shop ethically. And, if we aren't already doing this, Fairtrade Fortnight is an excellent time to begin!
Links
- Case study: A Divine story: DFID's contribution to a fair trade success
- ...and read here about
- How we fight poverty: Trade