In this Issue:
- WFTO Global AGM 2014
- WFTO 25th Anniversary
- FTT – Branching our around the world
- Fair Trade Summer University Event
- Fair Trade International Youth Meeting, 8th Edition
- WFTO- Africa AGM 2014
- Solidarity for Panay Fair Trade Group, Philippines
- Vote4FT: testimonials
And More..!
Agenda
– 8-9-10 September: Forum Mondial Convergence
– 11-12 September: Fair Trade Summer Universities
– 24-29 September: UN General Assembly, New York
– 23-24 September: Civil Society Summit
– 24-26 September: Ecoprocura conference, Gent
– 28 September: Tuttounaltrocampo
– 30 September: Deadline of the call for the 7th Board of Director
– 1-11 October: Belgian Fair Trade Week
– 7-8 October: Fair Trade Marathon (FTAO)
– 7 October: WFTO-Europe Fair Trade debate
– 7 October: World Day for Decent Work
– 17-19 October: WFTO-Asia Conference & AGM
– 12-13 November: WFTO-Africa AGM
– 11-14 February: BIOFACH
Let us know about your events!
Main Articles
WFTO Global AGM 2014
Dear Members,
We would like to draw your attention to this year´s WFTO Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will be virtually held on the 12th September 2014. Members are encouraged to visit the WFTO Network and share their opinions and voting preferences.
It is possible to vote electronically until 12th September 2014 at 17:00CET. You should, by now, have received instructions on how to vote through your e-mail address. Only members with their 2014 membership fee paid will be eligible to vote. Please note that if you have recently paid your fee or pay within the next few days, it will take some additional days to confirm payment and send you the voting instructions. If you have problems with voting please email communications@wfto.com with the subject line ‘AGM Voting’ or contact the WFTO Office.
In order to take part to the discussion, you have to register to the WFTO Network, our online community platform. You can visit our platform here www.WFTO.net. Please note that your login details to access the WFTO Network are different from the ones that you use for the WFTO Members Only website. You need to register separately. If you have not done so, please follow these 3 simple steps to register to the WFTO Network:
1. Follow this invitation link http://wfto-fair-trade.ning.com/?xgi=0zBj1Vme5DVNe4
2. Provide your email address and create a password (please do remember these as you will use them the next time you visit WFTO Network); and
3. Confirm the CAPTCHA (we use this to prevent Spam).
For more information please have a look at the official AGM call.
We would also like to remind you that the application period for the scholarships to attend the WFTO 2015 Conference in Milan, is now open. The deadline is 15 November. Depending on the funding available and on how many applications are received, another application period may be opened later on, but do apply as soon as possible to make sure you have a chance. For more information please contact communications@wfto.com
WFTO 25th Anniversary
Photo credit: Lobolmo
The 28th of September will begin the year-long celebration of WFTO 25th Anniversary which will culminate in Milan in 2015 during the World Fair Trade Week.
To celebrate its 25th Anniversary, WFTO decided to create a Fair Trade Photobook, a photo collection of member’s past work and best moments which illustrates the history of WFTO through membership’s perspective. We would like to tell our history through your old photo and images. So send us your photo and tell us YOUR history! Don’t miss this great opportunity to promote your organisation! All photos chosen will be credited.
To submit your photos, please note:
1. We are looking for a mix of past and present photos; ‘action shots’ of Fair Trade people (staff, producers, consumers, retailers, importers); your products (especially those carrying the WFTO Product Label); and other photos that relate to Fair Trade, your organization, and/or WFTO ‘moments’.
2. Provide the name of the photographer (and of his/her organisation, if applicable);
3. Write a few lines describing the photo (if possible, also mention the date and place); if you wish, you can add some words about what that photo or event meant to you, or propose a quote that would fit the photo.
4. Send all to info@wfto.com. If your files are too big, we suggest you contact us in advance or use www.WeTransfer.com.
Lastly, we need your copyright permission to use the photo/images submitted.
You can send your photo to WFTO until the 30th of September.
Fair Trade Towns – Branching out around the world
Photo credit: The FIG tree
At the time of writing there are 1,535 Fair Trade Towns in 25 countries stretching across all six major continents. They are approaching 600 Fairtrade Towns in the UK, where the movement first started and over 250 in Germany. The Belgian region of Flanders is expected to celebrate 50% of all towns becoming Fair Trade Towns later this year and Switzerland has just launched their own campaign. Fair Trade Towns vary in size from the Scottish island of Fair Isle with a population of just 65 to London with a population of seven million, but the strong emerging campaign in Seoul, Korea will ensure that London’s proud status as the world’s largest Fair Trade City will not remain forever. It’s hard to believe that all this first took root in the small English market town of Garstang when the residents boldly declared Garstang as the world’s first Fair Trade Town at a Public Meeting in April 2000.
Not only are Fair Trade Towns branching around the world however, but they are also adapting to different cultures, different needs and in doing so becoming more inclusive. The five founding goals developed in the UK were originally aimed at promoting the FAIRTRADE Mark hence the movement in the UK is still named Fairtrade Towns. Although the five goals still remain the central core for all national Fair Trade Town campaigns worldwide they have now been adapted to be inclusive of the wider Fair Trade movement, known as ‘The Big Tent’ approach first introduced at the 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference in Poznan, Poland in 2012.
The International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee, formed as a result of the Poznan conference developed the International Fair Trade Towns guidelines that state: “National campaigns are free to add to the five goals as they feel is appropriate in their own country, but are strongly recommended not to remove any of the founding goals”. A 6th goal was added in Belgium to support local producers and in Japan they went further by adding criteria aimed at promoting the local economy as well a Fair Trade, emphatically demonstrating that the two can work side by side. In April the WFTO Board nominated Tadeusz Makulski as their representative on the International Steering Committee.
Fair Trade Towns is a grassroots movement that was initially led by campaigners in so called ‘consumer’ countries to promote the sale of Fair Trade products and raise awareness of fair trade. The initiative has also been taken up in ‘producer’ countries such as Ghana, Costa Rica and Brazil however, (although the Steering Committee accept that in reality all countries are both ‘consumer’ and ‘producer’ countries) in order to promote producers and their communities. The Steering Committee encourages Fair Trade Towns to be utilised in this way in order to create the broadest possible base of stakeholders, all of which should feel responsible for the campaign at the national level.
The greatest strength of Fair Trade Towns is that they can and should involve everyone regardless of the work you do, the school your children go to, the church, mosque, synagogue or temple you worship in or what you do in your leisure time. Fair Trade Towns are about YOU so what are YOU waiting for.
For further information contact Bruce Crowther the International Fair Trade Towns Ambassador at brucecrowther300 (at) gmail.com
Bruce Crowther
International Fair Trade Towns Ambassador
The FIG Tree, Garstang, UK
Fair Trade Summer Universities Event
Photo credit: PFCE
The French Fair Trade Platform will organize the next 11th & 12th of September in Paris its annual « Fair Trade Summer Universities ». The event is opened to French Fair Trade organizations, their partners, and public authorities. For this edition, the focus will lie on the concept of “social and ecological transition”, by training on the topic and discussing whether the Fair Trade movement feels part of this citizen’s movement, promoting social and ecological transition, and is planning to actively take part in it.
In addition, two workshops will be organized:
The first workshop will deal with communication issues and how our Fair Trade organizations can change consumers’ behavior by awareness-raising and promoting fair trade purchases. To achieve this, the workshop will help to identify the different category of consumers and their specific incentives and obstacles for switching to fair trade products.
The second workshop will contribute to share partnership practices and experiences among the fair trade organizations: How to build a partnership with producer organizations from the South, how to promote the “empowerment” of Southern Partners and how to promote capacity building.
Please read more about the event here.
Fair Trade International Youth Meeting, 8th Edition
Photo credit: Tuttounaltrocampo
Ferrara 28th sep.-6 th oct.
Tuttounaltrocampo : one week international work camp in which young volunteers can experience a full immersion in the Italian fair trade world.
This year «Tuttounaltrocampo» will take place from September 28th to October 6th, along with the National Fair trade Fair «Tuttaunaltracosa» in Ferrara.
The aim of the International Youth Meeting/Camp is to provide young people with the opportunity to be trained on fair trade-related issues both from theoretical and practical point of view.
The youngsters arrive a few days before the running of the «Tuttaunaltracosa» Fair to participate in a short training course on fair trade-related topics. Then, during the fair, they have the chance to live it from inside by undertaking some practical tasks that contribute to its realization.
Please find attached the information sheet and the application form in English!
For further information, do not hesitate to contact us at:
segreteria@assobdm.it.
Tuttounaltrocampo application form
Ferrara 3rd-5th oct. Tuttaunaltracosa, national fair trade fair (XXth edition):
Tuttaunaltracosa, from 1994 the national fair trade fair, this year will return to Ferrara, Piazza Ariostea, from Friday 3 to Sunday, October 5, together with the International Festival.
The exhibitors will be a hundred, and next to them the fair comes alive conferences, debates, exhibitions and performances.For an entire weekend, Ariostea Square will become the focus of the sustainable and inclusive economy.This year, special edition, with international guests.
News from the Regions
WFTO-Africa AGM 2014
WFTO-Africa is currently in the process of organising its Annual General Meeting (AGM) which will take place in Arusha, Tanzania on the 12th and 13th of November. The conference coincides with the Arusha Community Christmas Fair, a community yearly event aimed at supporting local charities, which will take place on the 15th and 16th of November 2014 and to which members will participate. Stay tuned and check their website to have more information.
Solidarity for Panay Fair Trade Group, Philippines
Photo credit : Panay Fair Trade
On the 14th and 15th of August, an international group of observers and supporters for the Fair Trade movement from Europe and around the world travelled to Panay Island. While there, the groups petitioned the local authorities to bring Justice to the perpetrators of the murder to Romeo Robles Capalla. Capalla was murdered, the last March 2014, for the Fair Trade work he did with the farmers of Panay. As to date, no one has been brought to justice, despite the known name of the perpetrator.
WFTO intends to follow the cases until the perpetrators of Romeo’s murder are brought to justice.
Read more here.
News from the office
At the beginning of August, WFTO-Europe and its four associates, submitted the interim financial and narrative report of the Vote4FT campaign to the FTAO.
News from the Board
The minutes of the last Board meetings held in Elspeet, the 12 June 2014, and on Skype, the 30 of June 2014, are now available on the website. Please login here in order to Access the Board minutes.
Vote4FT Testimonials
Testimonial: S.C. Mittal, India
Southern producer, Mallamma Yalawar from India speaking to European decision makers.
“Fair Trade means sustainable development for artisans and to assure incomes and a beautiful and sustainable life”.
Fair Trade producer: S. C. Mittal, India from Fair Trade Advocacy Office on Vimeo.
FT-RELATED NEWS, PUBLICATIONS AND OTHER TOOLS
- The FTAO’s Internal Advocacy Bulletin for July 2014 (login required) includes articles regarding policy issues (Commission passes on hot potato on Unfair Trading Practices; EU Consultation on Corporate Social Responsibility: Use the Fair Trade movement’s suggestion to give input before the approaching deadline) and FTAO news (Key roles achieved by four signatories of the Fair Trade Manifesto in the European Union´s institutions; Overview of bilateral relations and agreements between the European Union and Fair Trade producing countries).
- An interesting documentary about neoliberalism, globalisation and small farmers by Giuliano Girelli The Last farmer
- In India, more than half of the land under cultivation is degraded. Land restoration can lead to poverty eradication.
- Global trends and analysis about coffee production in 2013/14 by Michael Renner from the Worldwatch Institute.
This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of WFTO-Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.