The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg has just come to an end with most world leaders commiting themselves to participate in a major global undertaking to improve living standards while protecting the environment. However, various differences between the major players have not allowed all the important targets to be met, let alone set, and a great deal of work needs to be done. Fortunately, civil society, including our Maltese one, can take heart from some of the positive outcomes of the World Summit and continue doing its bit to live and assist sustainable development world-wide.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has fulfilled his responsibility to speak out about the current world economic situation by engcouraging us to “face the uncomfortable truth" and acknowledge that "The model of development we are accustomed to has been fruitful for the few, but flawed for the many.” The Secretary-General added that “A path to prosperity that ravages the environment and leaves a majority of humankind behind in squalor will soon prove to be a dead-end road for everyone."
Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust, the Maltese cooperative that promotes fair trade and runs L-Arka, the only fair trade shop in Malta, is fully committed to make more people aware of such global imbalance and provide all consumers with all the information needed to make healthy and positive choices. Koperattiva Kummerc Gust, together with partners like Traidcraft in Britain and CTM-Altromercato in Italy, is bound by the International Federation for Alternative Trade (IFAT) to trade in such a manner that guarantees workers in Africa, Latin and Central America and Asia to earn a fair wage for their work and enough money to access basic health and education services.
Foodstuffs that are free from pesticides and GMOs are the result of concrete and efficient systems of economic development that are not only sustainable for the workers themselves, but healthy for the local consumer. For further information about fair trade contact Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust on 2124 4865 or at kkg@maltaforum.org.
Karsten Xuereb
September 2002
