The name of the 500th Fairtrade Town in the UK will be revealed at their declaration on Monday 1 November 2010 and supporters are gearing up to take to their saddles for a 500 mile cycle relay to celebrate. The first cyclists will leave Aberfeldy, Scotland on Saturday 23 October with the journey ending in Cardiff, Wales on the declaration day. Supporters from the 500th Fairtrade Town will connect directly with the celebrations in Cardiff to make their declaration via a video link. A ceremonial parchment will be signed and passed on by the cyclists at celebratory events held in prominent Fairtrade Towns along the way.

Bruce Crowther, founder of Fairtrade Towns says: ‘The 500th Fairtrade Town is a tremendous achievement that should be enjoyed and celebrated, especially by the grassroots campaigners that made it happen. But our campaign is a long journey, fuelled by better understanding and learning. We must therefore always stay focused on the wider picture of trade justice and global poverty, in the knowledge that the final destination will one day be reached.’

The Fairtrade Towns movement has been rapidly growing since Garstang declared itself the world’s first Fairtrade Town at a public meeting in April 2000. Since then thousands of people, passionate about change, have energised their communities to take action. There are presently over 870 Fairtrade Towns in 19 countries worldwide including the cities of London, Paris, Rome, Brussels, Copenhagen and San Francisco. The fourth International Fairtrade Towns Conference will take place in Bonn in November and the 1,000th Fairtrade Town is expected to declare in the first half of 2011.

Harriet Lamb CBE, Executive Director for the Fairtrade Foundation says: ‘Congratulations to everyone in all 500 Towns who have helped put Fairtrade on the map – and on our shop shelves. They are helping tip the balance in favour of smallholders and workers in developing countries, and the achievements of Fairtrade Towns in Britain are a dynamic inspiration to producers, and supporters, right across the world. This latest cycle ride is a great way to highlight the achievements towns have already made. As they pedal against poverty, they are showing that Fairtrade is the way to go. And they will be munching on Fairtrade bananas, fresh fruit, energy bars and chocolates for extra power!’

The fourth International Fair Trade Town Conference will take place from Friday 5 November to Saturday 6 November in Bonn, Germany.

The conference builds on previous events in London, Brussels and Lyon and is hosted by Transfair Germany.

The two day event is free to attend and will offer delegates from Fair Trade Towns around the world the opportunity to share ideas, best practice and experiences of campaigning for Fair Trade in their community and their country. In addition to sharing experiences there will also be opportunities to look forward as a movement and think about how our campaigning activities can have an even greater impact on the lives of producers in developing countries. Delegates will also be joining dignitaries from Bonn in the Town Hall to celebrate Bonn’s declaration as a Fairtrade Town.

Venue: Youth Hostel Bonn Germany www.jugendherberge.de/jh/rheinland/bonn/

AGENDA

Friday 5 November 2010

10-11 a.m.: REGISTRATION in the Youth Hostel Bonn

11 a.m.: WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION TO THE CONFERENCE (Kathrin / Germany)

11.15 a.m.: PLENARY SESSION

Sharing international experiences and best practice

· UK / Bruce Crowther: Fairtrade Towns in the UK and worldwide

· Sweden / Emma Rung: Monitoring the short and long term impact of Fair Trade Towns

· Fair Trade in the South & in Eastern Europe

· UK and France: Results from the last Fair Trade Towns Conferences

12.30 – 14.00 LUNCH

14.00 – 16.00 WORKSHOP SESSIONS OF DAY 1 (including 30 minute coffee break)

Workshop 1 Direct links – bringing producer and campaigners closer

Workshop 2 - Best Practice – examples and top tips from the International Fair Trade Town movement

Workshop 3: Using social media and creating web-based resources as part of our campaigns

16.00 – 17.00 FOCUS ON FAIRTRADE TOWNS IN GERMANY.

Lord Mayors present their experience of becoming a Fairtrade Town

18.00 – 19.30 BONN FAIRTRADE TOWN DECLARATION EVENT IN THE TOWN HALL

Saturday 6 November 2010

9.00 a.m.: WELCOME AND SUMMARY OF FINDINGS FROM DAY ONE

9.30 a.m.: SHORT WORKSHOPS ON THE FIVE FAIR TRADE TOWN GOALS

Best practice, ideas and examples from different countries

Criteria 1: Local Authorities and Fair Trade

Criteria 2: Availability of fair trade products

Criteria 3: Involving the community - Fair Trade Schools, Universities and business involvement

Criteria 4: Getting great media coverage

Criteria 5: Forming and building a strong and effective steering group

Criteria 6: Making the links with local produce and responsible consumption

11.00 a.m.: DAY 2 WORKSHOPS (including a 15 minute coffee break)

Workshop 1: Monitoring and evaluating the short and long term impact of a Fair Trade Town campaign

Workshop 2: Opportunities to campaign together and as an international movement to make trade fairer

12.30 p.m.: LUNCHBREAK

14.30 p.m.: SUMMARY OF DAY 2 WORKSHOPS

16.00 p.m.: FINAL COMMENTS

Bruce Crowther + Kathrin Bremer

17.00 p.m.: CONFERENCE ENDS

Asking me for fairtrade energetizers I would have told you coffee, fruit bars, even cuban rum … as long as I had’nt come over to GB to discover the incredible dynamics of the fairtrade towns movement … as long as I wouldn’t have discovered the very pretty town Garstang … as long as I wouldn’t have shared those fabulous moments with our revolutionary pioneer Bruce, telling us still most passionately - though campaigning daily over so many years  -  how it all started 10 years ago and has developed since then.

Seeing the wide spread commitment within that tiny society’s cell of 5.000 inhabitants, I definitely confirm what I have been feeling campaigning since 2001 in Saarbrücken: Fairtrade and especially our fairtrade towns movement is about a revolution, a soft one … having more and more and more people joining us without having to get them down to the street or take a gun, … but staying gently at home enjoying their fairtrade cup of tee or their bar of chocolate.

We’ll get back to Germany highly inspired and most thankful!

Kathrin Bremer, german campaign’s coordinator
Silvia Hesse, LA 21 Officer in Hannover
Fleurance Laroppe, Chairwoman “Saarbrücken, First Fairtrade in Germany”

After 5 municipalities in Upper Austria the first FAIRTRADE City was awarded with the title “FAIRTRADE Town” on the 23rd of April 2010 by the members of the provincial government Dr. Stockinger and Mr. Anschober on behalf of Federal Land Upper Austria.
Due to the support of the Federal Land Upper Austria, Südwind Upper Austria (a NGO concerned with development politics) and FAIRTRADE Austria the City Enns was able to reach the specified goals.

Mayor Franz Stefan Karlinger presented clearly-defined measures for the implementation of FAIRTRADE in his city: First of all FAIRTRADE certified products are used in public institutions. Additionally they will organise events on the topic FAIRTRADE and take FAIRTRADE into account in their public relations work. Furthermore FAIRTRADE products are offered to the citizens in local shops, restaurants and coffeehouses and are listed in the local shopping guide. Last but not least some companies declared to offer FAIRTRADE products to their staff and customers.

Johannes Heiml, local manager of Südwind Upper Austria, points out, that cities and municipalities are locally based institutions, but at the same time they are part of a global development. That is why they are an important role model.
For this reason the project “FAIRTRADE Towns” is not only supported by Südwind, but also by the Worldhouse Linz and the Climate Alliance Upper Austria.
What does it mean to the mayor of Enns that his city receives the title “FAIRTRADE Town”? “In autumn 2008 Enns joined as then first Austrian city the “Cittá Slow” association - a network of worth living cities. Enns takes the time to improve the quality of life of its citizens. By using FAIRTRADE certified products we can be sure to consume products of a premium quality and make a contribution to a fair minded world. We are very proud to be the first FAIRTRADE City in Upper Austria.”

FAIRTRADE Austria and the Federal Land Lower Austria are pleased about the commitment of Amstetten for FAIRTRADE.

Amstetten decides to use FAIRTRADE products on a local level.For this reason Michaela Hinterholzer, Member of the Lower Austrian Parliament, on behalf of Provincial Governor Dr. Erwin Pröll, and Traude Novy from FAIRTRADE Austria awarded Amstetten with the title “FAIRTRADE Town”.

Mayor Herbert Katzengruber presented clearly-defined measures for the implementation of FAIRTRADE in his town. The main emphasis is on the consumption of FAIRTRADE- certified coffee, tea and sugar in public institutions. Furthermore FAIRTRADE products, which have been already available in the world shop Amstetten and in the supermarkets, are now also offered in local restaurants, coffeehouses and shops. Additionally information about FAIRTRADE is provided by the local government. Südwind – a NGO concerned with development politics- supports the town with vouchers for workshops on the topic FAIRTRADE.

Nicole Rudy from FAIRTRADE Austria points out that the commitment for FAIRTRADE provides an opportunity for Austrian municipalities to involve on a local level in development policy and to set an example against poverty.

The shopkeeper of the local coffeehouse “s’Kipferl” in Gablitz, Reinhard Eggner, had a special idea to promote FAIRTRADE: “Test-Weeks for FAIRTRADE-coffee”. All customers are invited to taste FAIRTRADE coffee and vote if they would like to enjoy FAIRTRADE coffee in the future.

The idea is realised in cooperation with the FAIRTRADE-Town Gablitz. Also the sports club of Gablitz encourages the idea of FAIRTRADE . Andreas Forche, member of the sports club says: “As a sports club we support children in their sportive development. FAIRTRADE supports the abolition of child labour. This is why we act fair as a sports club”.

At the beginning FAIRTRADE-expert Judith Wallisch explained the social and ecological minimum standards of fair traded coffee. Furthermore she focused on the economical advantages for the small scale farmers in the South: More than 1.5 million people are able to send their children to school and sustainable agriculture respects the environment. 

Afterwards Reinhard Eggner invited all customers of his coffeehouse to taste FAIRTRADE coffee and caste their vote. If the majority votes for the FAIRTRADE coffee he will offer it in the future. Up to now the vote is clear: 41 of 42 votes are for FAIRTRADE!

Join the conference at the Dortmund Westfalenhalle, Germany, on 24th September 2010.

The final conference of the Public Affairs project aims at presenting the key outputs of the project’s research and successful initiatives by committed local and regional authorities. The conference will also set the state of play of Fair Trade Public Procurement (FTPP) in Europe, and explain how to continue using FTPP as a tool to support sustainable development and in particular marginalized producers from developing countries.

Many high level speakers from all over the EU are expected to discuss key topics of FTPP such as legal do and don’ts in FTPP, textile and clothing, as well as food and catering sector issues.

More information about the event is available on: http://www.european-fair-trade-association.org/observatory/index.php/fair-procura-2010  

Please download the conference programme at: http://www.european-fair-trade-association.org/observatory/images/stories/file/Invitation_English.pdf

For the first time the Football World Cup takes place in Africa. This occasion arises the opportunity to communicate awareness for football as a global phenomenon, which also plays a decisive role in the development cooperation.   

For this reason students of two Lower Austrian schools organised a Fair Football match in front of the federal government building.

Afterwards, the students presented their school – projects on the topic “Football and Africa”. The children pointed out that “Fair Play” means fair attitude in sports as well as commitment to fair global structures and production conditions.

Finally the students had the possibility to get information from Youth One World and FAIRTRADE Austria, which were represented with an information desk.

For Suedwind and FAIRTRADE is it very important to propagate a differentiated view on Africa, apart from war and starvation.

FAIRTRADE Austria and the Federal Land Lower Austria are pleased about the commitment of Rabenstein an der Pielach to FAIRTRADE.Rabenstein an der Pielach decides to use FAITRADE-products in their public procurement. For this reason Dr. Martin Michalitsch, Member of the Lower Austrian Parliament, and Thomas Wackerlig from FAITRADE Austria awarded Rabenstein an der Pielach, on Friday, 9^th April 2010, at 7:30 pm in the local culture- and community center with the title “FAITRADE Town”. The festivity was also attended by representatives of the “Raiffeisen” bank, which supports the FAITRADE Town project.Mayor Ing. Kurt Wittmann presented clearly-defined measures for the implementation of FAIRTRADE in his town. The main emphasis is on the consumption of FAIRTRADE- certified juices in public institutions. Furthermore FAIRTRADE-products are offered to the local population in local culinary establishments and shops. Additionally information about FAIRTRADE is provided by the local government. Südwind – a NGO concerning development politics- support the town with vouchers for workshops on the topic FAIRTRADE.

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