VOTE4FT is the acronym/hashtag used to refer to an EC-funded project to which WFTO-Europe is a partner from January 2013 until December 2015. Led by the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) and the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO), with partners and associates from 16 EU Member States, the offical name of this project and campaign is “Advocating together for EU Fair Trade policies”.
The project falls under the EuropeAid “Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development: Raising public awareness of development issues and promoting development education in the European Union” Call for Proposals. VOTE4FT targets at engaging EU citizens in an EU-wide Fair Trade movement advocacy campaign, in order to achieve EU policies in support of Fair Trade and Fair Trade principles. This will be achieved by creating a dialogue between EU citizens, EU decision-makers and the Fair Trade movement representatives within the EU.
The campaign not only encourages EU citizens to convey their views on EU policies related to Fair Trade to EU decision-makers, but also gives them the tools to act. It aims therefore at transforming the civil society from a mere passive receiver of information, to an active participant in the Fair Trade movement at large. Political candidates running for the European Parliament (EP) elections of May 2014 will also be targeted. Fair Trade actors within the EU will work as the liaison element between civil society and political parties, all with the aim of raising awareness about the situation of marginalised producers and workers in the South and that of generating action.
The last 8th of October The European Parliament Fair Trade Working Group hosted a Fair Trade Breakfast. Large numbers of renowned and new Members of the European Parliament attended in support of Fair Trade, marking a successful start to the new legislative term. Read the press release here.
Jean-Claude Juncker, a self-declared Fair Trade-enthusiast, is the new president of the European Commission, please have a look at the presse release.
A third candidate for the European Commission Presidency has endorsed the Fair Trade Manifesto, please have a look at the press release
The Vote4FT Manifesto was officially launched on the 2nd of April. For further information, please have a look at the press release.
Watch our video testimonials, produced by our project partners and the FTAO:
(Check more videos at the FTAO Vimeo channel.)
#6 – S. C. Mittal, Pushpanjali, India.
Vote4FT – Fair Trade producer testimonial #6. Organisation website: pushpanjali.in/
#5 – Mallamma Yalawar, Sabala Handicrafts, India.
Vote4FT – Fair Trade producer testimonial #5. Organisation’s website: sabalahandicrafts.com/
#4 – Chandra Prasad Kachhipati, Sana Hastakala, Nepal.
VOTE4FT – Fair Trade Producer Testimonial #4. Organisation’s website: sanahastakala.com/
#3 – Meera Bhattarai, Association for Craft Producers (ACP), Nepal.
VOTE4FT – Fair Trade Producer Testimonial #3. Organisation’s website: acp.org.np/
#2 – Esther Mwanyama from Bombolulu Workshops and Cultural Centre, Kenya, recorded by our partner FTAO.
VOTE4FT – Fair Trade Producer Testimonial #2. Organisation’s website: apdkbombolulu.org.
#1 – Nabir Bordoloi of Ambootia Tea Group, Darjeeling, India, recorded by CTM Altromercato.
VOTE4FT – Fair Trade Producer Testimonial #1.
This project is co-funded by the EuropeAid Non-State Actors and Local Authorities in Development programme.