By Adrian Grima (April 07) on http://www.zmag.org/

In 2010 a free trade area will be established within the so-called Euromed zone that will make matters worse for poorer communities in the Mediterranean region. The renowned academic and activist Tonino Perna anticipates that some four million small farmers with less than three hectares of land and small fishermen will be swamped out of business by big companies with big money.

http://lifestyle.timesofmalta.com/article.php?id=6144

The Times, Weekender, 31st Mar 2007

Coffee may be our cup of tea, but what price do we pay for our coffee break, asks Stanley Borg as he wakes up and smells the caffeine.

By John Axiak

In September 06 Nathalie Grima and I represented Koperattiva Kummerċ Ġust at the IFAT (International Fair Trade Associations) Annual General Meeting that took place in Paris. Being a novice in many of the core issues relating to Fair Trade the AGM was the perfect place for me to grasp concepts which ordinary Fair Trade consumers are not aware of. During the sessions I met with representatives from peer organizations and learnt about the advocacy work which they are doing in their respective countries on Fair Trade. I thought about sharing a bit of what has excited me during these three day AGM with x-malta readers and familiarize some Fair Trade jargon to readers.

Stephen Cassar, Sunday Circle

Look at the label of your newest item of clothing. What does the name evoke? Glamour, beauty, fashion. Impossibly thin goddesses parading in astonishing outfits that fit them perfectly like a second skin. On closer examination one might notice , written in small print at the bottom, “made in china”.

The first thought that would creep into mind might be. “That Chinese guy must be filthy rich by now with all the cash I spend on clothes”. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. A Google search and few clicks on the web will reveal the cruel reality. The price paid for that beautiful suite or dress is roughly the month’s wage of the workers who actually sowed it. While company executives enjoy multi million dollar budgets, the third world workers, who made the actual outfit, are left with barely enough cash to cover food, rent and transport to and from the factory.

By Vince Caruana

In recent years a number of NGOs in Malta have held meetings with local policy-makers to urge their support in the fight against global poverty. Although one risks running into over-generalisation and simplification, it is sound to assume that ordinary citizens are willing to work to end global poverty.

It is very common to learn about young people and others who are volunteering their time and participating in development cooperation activities in their own free time and using their own resources. They are often silent witnesses of the power of collective efforts to improve the lives of fellow humans around the world. While every country can only work in relation to its size, NGOs are asking policy-makers to work together with them and support them on issues such as providing access to basic education for all children, everywhere, and access to primary health.

By Vince Caruana

The definition of micro-credit was adopted following the Micro-credit Summit held in February 1997. Micro-credit refers to programmes that extend small loans to very poor people for self-employment projects that generate income, allowing them to care for themselves and their families.

Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank - a pioneering micro-credit initiative - is quoted as having said: "One dollar, two dollars can make such a difference in a life. Before starting Grameen, we made a list of 42 people who needed a total of only $27, less than one dollar apiece. That was my biggest shock. How can people suffer for want of such small sums of money?"

by Vince Caruana

Have we ever wondered where our banks invest in? Or will not invest in? Do we know if they have a list of criteria which deals with issues such as human rights, the arms trade, the environment, fair trade and animal testing?

In 1995 the magazine Maxim carried a story about how its reporters tried to open high-street bank accounts for four unsavoury (and fictitious) organisations. Only one bank turned away all the applicants, which included a white supremacist party, a magazine for drug dealers and a company dealing in chemical weapons.

by Vince Caruana

Whatever one's view of whether globalization is an overall good thing or an overall bad thing, almost everyone admits that there have been both winners and losers.

According to Carol Wills of the International Federation of Alternative Trade, among the losers are the "millions of traditional artisans, small farmers, and fisherfolk that have lost their livelihoods as a result of their markets being flooded with cheap factory made substitutes for what has traditionally been made by hand in the villages, or because they cannot afford the fertilisers required by the new high-yield strains of rice or because the price of coffee on the world market has sunk to a thirty year low which does not meet the cost of production, or because the fishing fleets of rich countries are going further and further from home and closer and closer to the shore in their pursuit of a catch".