December 2009 The Trade for Development team wishes you a
merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2010 ! Fair Trade comes to India 2,400 farmers from Maha-Gujarat (in India) sign up for fair trade certification; first fair trade labels to roll out soon.
An Indian NGO launched a fair trade initiative called ‘Shop for Change Fair Trade’, which works towards boosting the concept of fair trade in India. Shop for Change Fair Trade is part of a larger fair trade movement that has seen immense success in America and Europe. Shop for Change Fair Trade has drawn up stringent guidelines for certification for farmer organisations and buyers after which the retailers can carry the Shop for Change Fair Trade label. Says acting CEO, Seth Petchers, "This model of fair trade certification is a successful model, which has been applied in Europe for 20 years. The original promoters of Shop for Change realised that the farmers in western markets were doing well and they wanted to implement this model in a developing country like India.” [ More info: http://shopforchange.in ]
© 2009 Shop for Change, Dinesh Madhavan. All Rights Reserved The Trade for Development Centre of BTC (the Belgian development cooperation agency) financed the launch of this project (in February 2007) for two and a half years. The total project subsidy of BTC amounted to EUR 25,820. The project develops criteria for fair trade that are adapted to the Indian context. The control and certification systems must improve the quality of the fair trade products and strengthen consumer confidence. The project also promotes the establishment of a distribution and sales network for fair trade products (in Mumbai and Hyderabad in the first place). The Shop for Change project aims at showing the potential of local fair trade as a way to fight poverty and it wants to be a source of inspiration for similar initiatives in other developing countries.
René Ngongo awarded ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’On 4 December 2009, Mr. René Ngongo, FSC’s Contact Person in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will receive the Right Livelihood Award for his outstanding vision and work in the Congo Basin’s endangered forests. The Right Livelihood Award Foundation is recognizing Mr. Ngongo with the prize “for his courage in confronting the forces that are destroying the Congo's rainforests, and building political support for their conservation and sustainable use”.
[ Read more: FSC Web site ]
First Arab Fair Trade ForumThe First Arab Fair Trade Forum was organised by The Palestinian Fair Trade Network in Amman, Jordan on the 5th, 6th, and 7th of December 2009. This conference objective was to increase awareness on fair trade, allow for sharing of experiences, and set the grounds for creating an Arab Fair Trade Network. The conference has provided a wide base of information on fair trade bodies and movements in the Arab world as well as the entire globe. An overview of some certification initiatives was also included, as well as a great opportunity to network among potential sellers and buyers. Conference major themes were: Arab Fair Trade Experience: current and future prospects, international fair trade movements & certification bodies, networks: formation and advantages, marketing and trade potential. [ Read more: aftf.bethlehem.edu ]
Developing countries ready to boost South-South tradeA group of developing countries has tentatively agreed on a deal to cut tariffs and other barriers to each others’ exports in an attempt to boost South-South trade at a time when multilateral liberalisation efforts are languishing. Trade officials report that negotiators from 22 nations on Wednesday reached an outline agreement on a new round of concessions under the Global System of Trade Preferences among Developing Countries (GSTP), following days of meetings at the Geneva headquarters of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). [ Read more: ictsd.org ]
Pachacuti: a fair trade pioneerEthical fashion company Pachacuti is the first in the world to be awarded an innovative new sustainability label. Rachel Holmes meets the company's founder, Carry Somers.
Carry Somers is a happy woman. Her ethical clothing label, Pachacuti, has just completed a pilot for the new World Fair Trade Organisation certification. From this week, Pachacuti will be the world's first company to label all of its products 'Certified Fair Trade and Sustainable'. Somers says this new certification is great for businesses, because it recognises organisations that strive to make everything they do ethical. [ More info: guardian.co.uk ]
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