A view from the players on the ground
The international Fair Trade community will converge on the British city of Newcastle upon Tyne later this month for the largest international conference on Fair Trade in history. The event, running from 23-28 June at Newcastle University, will coincide with the '24 Hours for Trade Justice' nationwide event organised by supporters of Trade Justice in the UK.
The 250 conference delegates 155 from developing countries ¬ are members of IFAT - the International Federation for Alternative Trade ¬ a global network of Fair Trading organisations with members in more than 55 countries of the world.
Nations represented by the delegates include:
Africa: Cameroon; Egypt; Eritrea; Ghana; Kenya; Malawi; Namibia; Senegal; Tanzania; Uganda; Zambia.
Asia: Bangladesh; India; Indonesia; Nepal; Pakistan; Philippines; Sri Lanka; Vietnam; Thailand.
Latin America: Bolivia; Brazil; Chile; Ecuador; Peru.
Delegates will also be arriving from Europe, the United States, Japan, and Australasia.
 The daily work of IFAT members is on the ground, giving practical support to farmers and workers in developing countries to get their goods to market on fairer terms of trade. When trade is fair, it can make a sustainable and significant contribution to poverty reduction. It¹s estimated that more than five million producers around the world benefit from Fair Trade and the technical support provided by Fair Trading partners.
"The issue ¬ how trade can support sustainable development ¬ is the idea at the heart of Fair Trade," says Carol Wills, Executive Director of IFAT, "Now- at last ¬ it is on the international agenda. But as the 5th WTO Ministerial draws near, policy makers persist with a programme of full-scale trade liberalisation - despite the harm this has had for poorer countries. Fair Trade companies know first hand the conditions under which trade can be a force for development. The experience that IFAT members will share at Newcastle will be a real contribution to these debates." Her message is reflected in the conference theme, “Speaking Out for Fair Trade.”
The conference has been organised jointly by IFAT members Traidcraft and Shared Interest, UK Fair Trade organisations based in the heart of urban Tyneside. Shared Interest has provided accessible finance to Fair Trade organisations since 1990, whilst Traidcraft has been a leading member of the Fair Trade movement for more than two decades.
Paul Chandler, Chief Executive of Traidcraft, said: “The success of the Fair Trade movement is amply demonstrated in its rising sales and the increasing impact we¹re having on government policy and business practice. This conference will celebrate that achievement and commit us to challenging the systems and tearing down the barriers which deny South partners the opportunity to trade on equal terms.”
Stephanie Sturrock, Managing Director of Shared Interest, said: “All those attending are committed to making trade fair in very practical ways and their work is an inspiration to consumers and investors who want to make a difference at a global level.”
The six-day programme, running from 23 to 28 June at the University of Newcastle, aims to provide practical support to IFAT members, bringing them together for sharing, discussion and action. Delegates will explore Fair Trade issues through workshops and seminars on market development, monitoring and advocacy.
Keynote speakers at the opening ceremony on 23 June include Terry Hudghton, Head of Corporate Brand Management for the Co-operative Group; Dr Alan Knight OBE Head of Social Responsibility for Kingfisher Group; Francisco Vanderhoff, founder of UCIRI in Mexico (one of the largest fair trade coffee producer organisations with more than 4000 members) and the Max Havelaar fair trade label in the Netherlands, and Richard Adams OBE, founder of Traidcraft and the Out of this World chain of co-operative ethical supermarkets.
For a full conference programme visit www.ifatconference2003.org
Fair Trade:
Fair Trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, that seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers ¬ especially in the South.
Fair Trade organisations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.
IFAT:
The International Federation for Alternative Trade is a global network of over 180 Fair Trade organisations in more than 50 countries, which works to improve the livelihoods and well-being of disadvantaged people in developing countries and to change the unfair structures of international trade. See www.ifat.org/dwr
Shared Interest Society Ltd
Shared Interest is a co-operative lending society with around 8,350 investors. One of the biggest problems faced by producers in the developing world is getting access to credit. Shared Interest provides accessible finance to fair trade organisations, offering credit to producers and buyers against their fair trade orders. See www.shared-interest.com
Traidcraft
Traidcraft is the UK¹s leading fair trade organisation which, in 2004, will celebrate 25 years of fighting poverty through trade. Traidcraft¹s trading company and linked development charity work with IFAT members and other organisations to help poor producers use their skills to build sustainable businesses. See www.traidcraft.co.uk
Conference donors include:
Commonwealth Foundation, Fair Trade Assistance, Netherlands, Brot fur Alle, Switzerland, Novib Oxfam Netherlands, Traidcraft, UK, Oxfam Ireland, Ten Thousand Villages, Canada, Ten Thousand Villages, USA
The Trade Justice Movement:
The Trade Justice Movement is a fast growing group of organisations including aid agencies, environment and human rights campaigns, Fairtrade organisations, faith and consumer groups. The movement is supported by more than 40 member organisations that have over 9 million members, and new organisations are joining every month.
Together, we are campaigning for trade justice - not free trade - with the rules weighted to benefit poor people and the environment. We are calling on world leaders to:
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stop forcing poor countries to open their markets; and champion their right to manage their own economies
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regulate big business and their investments to ensure people and the environment come before profits
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stop rich countries promoting the interests of big business through trade interventions that harm the poor and the environment
IFAT Secretariat
10 June 2003
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Carol Wills (right), Executive Director of the International Federation for Alternative Trade since January 1998. Carol Wills was in Malta in November 2002 as special guest of the Maltese fair trade cooperative at their Taste the World, fair trade festival.