From : WFTO Board of Directors as Proposed by Fair Trade Towns Campaign Worklng Group

To : WFTO AGM,2013

Date 1 May 2013

A RESOLUTION ON INTERNATIONAL FAIR TRADE TOWNS CAMPAIGN (FTrC)

With 1,288 Fair Trade Towns in 24 countries (April 2013) stretching across all continents and enjoying the support of thousands of volunteers, activists, local authorities, businesses, faith groups, schools and universities and other community organisations, the Fair Trade Towns (FTT) movement is arguably the world’s largest Fair Trade campaign. Fair Trade Towns campaign is an effective and adequate tool to bring local communities and local authorities together to support and promote the Fair Trade idea.

The campaign was initiated in a small British town by a group of Oxfam volunteers led by Bruce Crowther. As a result of the Oxfam campaign, the people of Garstang declared their town the world’s first Fairtrade Town in April 2000. Following on from this the Fairtrade Foundation created criteria the so-called “5 Goals” which should be fulfilled by any community wishing to become a ‘Fairtrade/Fair Trade Town’.

The strength of this campaign is that in practice the campaign is not owned globally by any organization, although it is managed nationally by national coordinators who together make up the international coordinators’ network. The national coordinators are appointed by the organizations involved in developing and maintaining the Fair Trade Towns campaign in each country.

WFTO dialogue with the campaign started in 2011via a liaison person (Tadeusz Makulski, WFTO-Europe board member). ln 2012 the WFTO’s Fair Trade Towns Working Group (WG) was established. lts goal was to provide a feedback both for the Board and members about the FTT Campaign and to prepare recommendations for the future, particularly regarding the development of the FTTC in the South. ln February 2013 the lnternational FTTC Steering Committee was established, including a voice from the WFTO (provided by the Chair of FTT WG, Tadeusz Makulski). There are different stakeholders of the FTTC, recognized by the Steering Committee, who are now invited to share responsibility for the international level of the FTT campaign i.e.: WFTO, FLO, FTAO, FT USA, Associations of World Shops and others. The Steering Committee has now also established new guidelines for the Campaign referring to A Charter of Fair Trade principles.

ln the opinion of members of FTT WG the WFTO should strengthen its participation in the FTT Campaign. Therefore, the WG requests the AGM to adopt the resolution mentioned below:

Recognizing the importance of the lnternational Fair Trade Towns and its relevance for Fair Trade producers and trade organizations worldwide, the AGM resolves:

1. To encourage its members, the national and the regional networks to engage actively in promoting and participating in the campaign in their municipalities, countries and regions.

2. To give a mandate to the Board to further increase WFTO’s engagement in the campaign, namely through the Working GrouP.

3. To play an active and responsible role in the lnternational FTT Steering Committee by ensuring that WFTO is represented in the Steering Committee and that such representative (e.g. the Chair of the FTT WG) reports back to the Board.

4. To give a mandate to the Board to consider a financial allocation to support the lnternational FTT Steering Committee.

Annex:

A basic 5 Goals for a Fair Trade Town (2013)

1. Council passes a Resolution suppoóing Fair Trade and agrees to serve a Fair Trade tea and cotfee at its meetings and in its offices and canteen

2. A range of Fair Trade products are readily available in the area’s shops & catering establishments

3. Fair Trade products are used by a number of work places & community organizations

4. Attract media coverage & popular suppoó for the campaign

5. A local Fair Trade steering group is convened to ensure commitment to Fair Trade Town status.

2013 AGM Resolution

Congratulations to Austria where they became the 4th country to celebrate 100 Fair Trade Towns on Friday 17th May 2013

In this Newsletter:

1. 6th and 7th International Fair Trade Towns conferences in Oslo, Norway and Kumamoto, Japan

2. New International Fair Trade Towns Guidelines

3. WFTO resolution on Fair Trade Towns passed in Rio

4. Seoul, the next largest Fair Trade City?

5. Toronto, largest Fair Trade Town in North America

1. 6th and 7th  International Fair Trade Towns conferences in Oslo, Norway and Kumamoto, Japan

The dates and venues for the next two International Fair Trade Towns conferences are set for:

Oslo, Norway 28th/29th September 2013

Kumamoto, Japan 28th – 30th March 2014

These conferences provide an opportunity to meet people involved in Fair Trade Town campaigns from around the world, share ideas and experiences, and debate on the future of the international movement.

Watch this space for information on how to register for one or both these conferences coming very soon.

2. New International Fair Trade Towns Guidelines

Fair Trade Towns is essentially a people’s movement with true ‘ownership’ at the grassroots. To ensure credibility however, national campaigns have been facilitated by a number of different national organisations or a coalition. Each national campaign is represented at the international level by a national Fair Trade Towns Coordinator. The main task of the coordinator at the international level is not one of management, but to make it possible and easier to learn from each other.

When the number of national Fair Trade Town campaigns increased to 24 the International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee (IFTT SC) was set up in February 2013, primarily to ensure coordination between the 24 national Fair Trade Town coordinators.

One of the first tasks of the new Steering Committee was to develop the International Fair Trade Towns Guidelines based on the conclusions from the Fair Trade Town Coordinators meeting held in Brussels, 2009. The guidelines are primarily for those who are interesting in launching a Fair Trade Town campaign in their country providing recommendations from the IFTT SC.

The new guidelines include a definition of Fair Trade used by the coalition of Fair Trade organisations FINE (2004) and a definition for Fair Trade products based on the Charter of Fair Trade Principles. They thus encourage and recommend the inclusion of a whole range of Fair Trade products in particular both Fairtrade certified (and other Fair Trade certifiers) products if present and also independently recognised Fair Trade products (for example, from WFTO certified members) when these are present in the national context.

The full guidelines are available to read here

3. WFTO resolution on Fair Trade Towns passed in Rio

At the WFTO AGM held in Rio de Janeiro in May 2013 members of the WFTO unanimously passed the Resolution on the International Fair Trade Towns Campaign to resolve:

1. To encourage its members, the national and the regional networks to engage actively in promoting and

participating in the campaign in their municipalities, countries and regions.

2. To give a mandate to the Board to further increase WFTO’s engagement in the campaign, namely

through the Working Group.

3. To play an active and responsible role in the International FTT Steering Committee by ensuring that

WFTO is represented in the Steering Committee and that such representative (e.g. the Chair of the FTT

WG) reports back to the Board.

4. To give a mandate to the Board to consider a financial allocation to support the International FTT

Steering Committee through the contribution of 5-10k € p.a. to its budget.

Read the full resolution here.

4. Seoul, the next largest Fair Trade City?

The Fair Trade movement may have started relatively late in Korea, but it is now growing very fast with the KFTO (Korea council of Fair Trade Organizations), the country network of leading Fair Trade organizations in Korea, being established in 2011 and now taking progressive steps to promote Fair Trade in Korea.

On World Fair Trade Day (12th of May 2012) KFTO and the Seoul metropolitan government announced that Seoul would be working to achieve Fair Trade City status. As the capital of Korea and home to 10 million citizens Seoul would become the world’s largest Fair Trade City and their declaration a significant milestone for the International Fair Trade movement.

For Fair Trade Week 2013 KFTO and Seoul metropolitan government jointly hosted a series of events starting on 6 May 2013 including:

• An Opening Ceremony led by Fair Trade BOBU; 100 young “bobusang,” or peddlers

• A Fair Trade film festival at Seoul City Hall where a related photo exhibition was held through the week

• A signing ceremony with a group of lawmakers who vowed to support Fair Trade

• An international symposium on Fair Trade attended by Seoul Mayor Park, and representatives from producer groups in Nepal and East Timor

• And on World Fair Trade Day a signing of the Fair Trade Beyond 2015 Declaration by Mr. WonSoon Park, Mayor of Seoul, and Mr. BooWon Nam, Co-chair of Seoul Fair Trade city steering committee and also the Chair of the board of KFTO;

To make Seoul Fair Trade City the following 5 criteria will be met:

1. Form a steering committee, to facilitate the participation of citizens, civil society and municipal office to eventually pass the resolution supporting Fair Trade as municipal ordinance.

2. Local work places and community organizations(places of worship, schools, universities and other community organizations) supports Fair Trade and uses Fair Trade products wherever possible.

3. Establish Seoul Fair Trade Center to promote Fair Trade movement by supporting Fair Trade research, international exchanges, education and promotion of Fair Trade, citizen’s active involvement in the campaign.

4. Promote the use of Fair Trade products in the municipal office and related workplaces. Support market expansion for Fair Trade in the private markets and retail channels.

5. Raise awareness and increase understanding of citizens on Fair Trade with regular Fair Trade events and various promotion activities.

They have pledged to become not only the largest Fair Trade City but also the best in the world.

Can anyone follow that?

5. Toronto, largest Fair Trade Town in North America

With a population of 2.79 million (8% of the national population) Toronto in Canada declared Fair Trade City status on 11 May 2013. Just eclipsing Chicago with a population of 2.71 million makes Toronto the largest Fair Trade City in North America. There are now a total of 16 Fair Trade Towns in Canada with Wolfville in Nova Scotia being the first in April 2007.

Fair Trade definition (FINE 2004)

“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 Organizations, 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.”

Fair Trade product (A Charter of Fair Trade Principles)

Fair Trade products are goods and services that are produced, traded and sold in accordance with these Fair Trade principles and, wherever possible, verified by credible, independent assurance systems such as those operated by Fairtrade International (“Fairtrade-Certified”) and WFTO (WFTO Guarantee System). All Fair Trade products originate from producers and workers committed to Fair Trade principles. However, in the subsequent supply chain, Fair Trade products are traded and marketed through two distinct but complementary channels:

The integrated supply chain route whereby products are imported and/or distributed by organizations that have Fair Trade at the core of their mission and activities, using it as a development tool to support disadvantaged producers and to reduce poverty, and combine their marketing with awareness-raising and campaigning. (WFTO certified members, World Shops)

The product certification route whereby products complying with international standards are certified indicating that they have been produced, traded, processed and packaged in accordance with the specific requirements of those international standards. (e.g. Fairtrade certified)

International mission of the Fair Trade Towns campaign

To enable local actors to raise awareness, capacity for mobilization and sales in favour of Fair Trade products.

Main objectives for the international campaign

1 Inspiring, learning and collecting best practices to use for established Fair Trade Town campaigns and others in order to build a strong national campaign in the different countries, including the ‘Global South’.

2 To develop and protect the concept of Fair Trade Towns while maintaining common ground and an identity based on the five founding goals.

3 Building a global movement of international Fair Trade Town campaigns that will support policies for fair trade and trade justice in particular by the development of ethical public procurement as well as advocacy for Fair Trade.

Towards a common concept

The recommendations of the International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee are:

1 Name of the campaign: It is not necessary to use the same name for different national campaigns

2 Use of a logo: It is not necessary to use the same logo for different national campaigns but where permitted national logos may be shared with others.

3 The 5 goals: A campaign based on the 5 goals is strongly recommended to new countries, although specific targets may be adapted to suit different situations. The Steering Committee does not have the intention to enforce this system or use penalties. They do however; prefer to see Fair Trade Towns involve the whole community rather than just local government. National campaigns are free to add to the five goals as they feel is appropriate in their own country, but are strongly recommended not to remove any of the founding goals.

4 Order of the goals: The 5 goals founded in the UK were never meant to be followed in any chronological order therefore the order they are written is of no significance whatsoever. National campaigns can therefore use whatever order they prefer, but on the international level the UK order will be used

5 International standards for every goal (i.e. specific targets given in order to pass each goal): No international standards are used as the situation in each country is very different.

6 The use of Fairtrade and/or Fair Trade products in the campaign? The campaign in the UK was founded (2000) in order to promote Fairtrade certified products hence was named ‘Fairtrade Towns’. The international campaign however, now promotes all types of Fair Trade products and is named ‘Fair Trade Towns’. Any national campaign should include a whole range of Fair Trade products in particular both Fairtrade certified (and other Fair Trade certifiers) products if present and also independently recognised Fair Trade products (for example, from WFTO certified members) when these are present in the national context.

7 Other minimum guidelines:

○ There needs to be a non-partisan coordinating body that awards status, involving different stakeholders of the Fair Trade movement on the national level (e.g. Fairtrade Labelling Organisations, WFTO members if present, World Shops associations).

○ There should be a national Fair Trade Towns Coordinator who participates in international coordination.

○ There needs to be a renewal process to ensure on-going Fair Trade commitment, at least every 2 -3 years.

Ownership of the campaign

Fair Trade Towns is essentially a people’s movement with true ‘ownership’ at the grassroots. To ensure credibility however, national campaigns have been facilitated by a number of different national organisations or a coalition. Each national campaign is represented at the international level by a national Fair Trade Towns Coordinator. The main task of the coordinator at the international level is not one of management, but to make it possible and easier to learn from each other.

International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee (Int. FTT SC)

When the number of national campaigns increased to 24 the International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee was set up in February 2013, primarily to ensure coordination between the 24 national Fair Trade Town coordinators.

The members are:

Adam Gardner, UK Fairtrade Towns Coordinator - adam.gardner@fairtrade.org.uk

Billy Linstead Goldsmith, USA Fair Trade Towns Coordinator -wlinsteadgoldsmith@fairtradeusa.org

Bruce Crowther, Int. FTT Ambassador - The FIG Tree International Fair Trade Visitor Centre - brucecrowther300@gmail.com

Kathrin Bremer, German Fairtrade Towns Coordinator - k.bremer@fairtrade-deutschland.de

Lynn Geerinck, Belgium Fair Trade Gemeenten Coordinator - info@fairtradegemeenten.be

Tatsuya Watanabe, Japan Fair Trade Towns Coordinator - tnabe@tku.ac.jpv

Tadeusz Makulski, Poland Fair Trade Towns Coordinator - tadeusz.makulski@sprawiedliwyhandel.pl

The objectives and outcomes for the Steering Committee are:

1 Facilitating the International Fair Trade Towns network both for organisers and campaigner groups.

· Organising an annual conference

· Arranging regular Steering Committee and coordinator meetings.

· Maintain the international Fair Trade Towns website and corresponding NING Discussion Forum.

2 To create a movement of int. Fair Trade Town campaigns that will support policies for fair trade and trade justice.

3 Further develop the existing international network of Fair Trade Towns and support all new national initiatives including but not solely Fair Trade Towns in the ‘Global South’.

4 To develop and protect the concept of Fair Trade Towns while maintaining common ground and an identity based on the five founding goals.

5 To create and participate in dialogue with different stakeholders of the Fair Trade movement (Fairtrade International, Fair Trade USA, WFTO, FTAO etc)

6 Fundraising.

International Fair Trade Towns Ambassador

Since Garstang became the first Fair Trade Town in 2001 the founder Bruce Crowther became active in the role of a Fair Trade Towns Ambassador by hosting visits to Garstang and visiting countries to tell the ‘Garstang story’ to help inspire, encourage and support Fair Trade Town groups, national campaigns and new budding campaigns. Due to increasing demand and to some extent a need to fulfil this role in an independent capacity Bruce set up in Garstang The FIG Tree International Fair Trade Visitor Centre. As well as providing a base for this international ambassador’s role The FIG Tree hosts visits, runs educational workshops, includes a Fair Trade café and shop and exhibitions and displays on Fair Trade Towns.

Funding

The coordination of the Fair Trade Town Campaign on the international level as well as activity of the Fair Trade Town Ambassador requires resources which enables them to be sustainable in the long term. The Int. FTT SC together with the national Fair Trade Town coordinators are presently taking responsibility for ensuring resources at an adequate level. The work plan and budget for those activities are prepared by the Steering Committee and approved by the coordinator’s assembly. Possible sources of future long term funding include:

○ Individual voluntary contributions from the Steering Committee members,

○ Donations from the national FTT campaign  budgets,

○ Support from the main Fair Trade movement stakeholders (Fairtrade International, WFTO, Fair Trade USA and others),

○ Participation in international projects

○ Other

An example of cooperation or the “Big Tent” approach

As the Fair Trade Towns movement has grown in the United States since 2007, when Media, PA became the first in the country, so too has the broader Fair Trade movement with multiple certifiers, NGOs and stakeholders. Since its inception, Fair Trade Towns in the US has been governed by a National Steering Committee (NSC). This committee is made up of campaigners and stakeholders from across the movement. While Fair Trade Towns is housed at, and staffed by, Fair Trade USA (the leading 3rd party Fair Trade certifier), its governance remains shared with the NSC.

One specific area where the NSC holds governance is with regards to what certifications or organizations count as officially Fair Trade for the purposes of the criteria. The NSC considers each system and certification against a set of principles that was developed by the NSC. If a system or certification meets those principles, it is included in campaign materials as recognized Fair Trade. This has led to the inclusion of not only Fair Trade USA certified products, but those certified by Fairtrade America (FLO US) as well as IMO Fair for Life certification . In addition, any product sold by a member of the Fair Trade Federation counts as well, which allows for the inclusion of artisan products and crafts.

In addition to systems, the NSC contributes to the development of the strategic plan and the direction of the campaign, nominates and selects new NSC members, assists in the delivery of strategic goals and directives, provides regional and network support to Town campaigns across the country and works closely with staff to grow and strengthen the campaign nationally.

This approach has led to the description of Fair Trade Towns in the US as “Big Tent”, meaning that it is an inclusive model that works to promote and drive sales of a wide-range of Fair Trade, thus benefitting many more producers in the Global South. This governance model also resonates with the local campaigners in the US as they see a collective model at the national level which corresponds to the way we ask them to organize at the local level in their own steering committees.

Conclusions

The example mentioned above demonstrates a way to organize the national campaign which is already in use in several countries. The Fair Trade Town campaign is a tool both in ‘consumer’ countries to promote the sale of Fair Trade products and raise awareness of fair trade and in ‘producer’ countries (although the Steering Committee accept that in reality all countries are both ‘consumer’ and ‘producer’ countries) to promote producers and their communities.

The Steering Committee encourages Fair Trade Towns to be utilised in this way in order to create the broadest possible base of stakeholders, all of which should feel responsible for the campaign at national level.

International Fair Trade Towns Steering Committee

April 2013

You can register here for the 6^th International Fair Trade Towns conference to be held in Poznan, Poland on 10th – 11^th November.  The conference will provide an opportunity to meet people involved in Fair Trade Town campaigns from around the world, share ideas and experiences, and debate on the future of the international movement. As Fair Trade Towns develop in Asia and the South this conference will explore how we can maximize the potential of Fair Trade Towns to promote fair trade and trade justice internationally.

This year’s conference is of special importance for a young Fair Trade movement in Poland. Poznan and Gdansk are the only Polish towns currently working towards Fair Trade Town status and it is hoped and expected that conference delegates visiting Poznan will support and inspire the people of Poland in their fair trade promotional efforts. To help achieve this delegates attending the conference are invited to bring along their own postcard representing their Fair Trade Town with a coat of arms/emblem or simply a local scene. All the postcards will be put on display throughout the duration of the two day conference. If you are unable to attend the conference your town can still be proudly represented by sending your postcard to: Fair Trade Shop, Ul. Poznanska 25, 60-850 Poznan, Poland.

Register at: http://fttconf2012.fairtrade.org.pl/conference/registration

In this Newsletter:
1. Register now for the 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference
2. European Court confirms possibility to demand Fair Trade criteria in public procurement
3. Fair Trade Schools in the Czech Republic
4. 100% Fair Trade Universities in Australia and New Zealand by 2015?
5. Fair Trade Towns in South Korea.

1. Register now for the 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference

You can now register here for the 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference to be held in Poznan, Poland on 10th – 11th November. With its experience of hosting Euro 2012 Poznan offers a great variety of hotels and places to stay. See recommended places close to the old town and within walking distance of the conference venue at the beautiful Town Hall.

The conference will provide an opportunity to meet people involved in Fair Trade Town campaigns from around the world, share ideas and experiences, and debate on the future of the international movement. As Fair Trade Towns develop in Asia and the South this conference will explore how we can maximize the potential of Fair Trade Towns to promote fair trade and trade justice internationally.

This year’s conference is of special importance for a young Fair Trade movement in Poland. Poznan and Gdansk are the only Polish towns currently working towards Fair Trade Town status and it is hoped and expected that conference delegates visiting Poznan will support and inspire the people of Poland in their fair trade promotional efforts. To help achieve this delegates attending the conference are invited to bring along their own postcard representing their Fair Trade Town with a coat of arms/emblem or simply a local scene. All the postcards will be put on display throughout the duration of the two day conference. If you are unable to attend the conference your town can still be proudly represented by sending your postcard to: Fair Trade Shop, Ul. Poznanska 25, 60-850 Poznan, Poland.

2. European Court confirms possibility to demand Fair Trade criteria in public procurement

Two days before World Fair Trade Day, the Court of Justice of the European Union provided much-needed legal clarification by confirming that Fair Trade criteria can be included in public procurement. This decision puts an end to a dispute between the Dutch Government and the European Commission. In 2008 the Province of North Holland, published a tendering procedure for a public contract for the supply and management of automatic coffee machines, which referred to products bearing the EKO and Max Havelaar labels. The European Commission referred the Netherlands to the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2010 for non-compliance with the EU public procurement rules.

In this landmark ruling the Court clearly states that contracting authorities can choose award criteria based on considerations of an environmental or social nature. The Court also explicitly states it is possible to refer in award criteria “to the fact that a product is of fair trade origin”. Consequently, public authorities can give preference to a bidder who includes Fair Trade criteria.

Concerning the reference to labels however, the Court considers that, by referring to a label without listing the underlying criteria of this label, the North-Holland Province did not comply with the provisions of the Directive . The Court is of the view that it is necessary to  specify the underlying criteria of labels, such as Fair Trade labels. Labels are nevertheless considered by the Court as a valid means of proof of compliance with such criteria, provided that other means of proof are allowed.

Overall, the ruling is good news for European Fair Trade Towns as it clarifies the inclusion of Fair Trade considerations all along the tendering process, under the current EU Public Procurement Directive.

For further information read the Fair Trade Advocacy Office newsletter here.

3. Fair Trade Schools in the Czech Republic

The Fair Trade Schools campaign was launched in the Czech Republic in November 2011 as a part of the Fair Trade Towns movement, with Fairtrade Czech Republic as the national overseeing organization and two other NGOs – On Earth and Ecumenical Academy Prague coordinating the campaigns regionally.

As for towns, there are five goals that a school/university must meet: create a steering group, demonstrate official support for fair trade, integrate global and development issues in teaching, use fair trade products for their own consumption and promote fair trade to the public.

Masaryk Primary School in Litoměřice and the Secondary School in Volyně declared in February this year to become the first two Fair Trade Schools in the Czech Republic. Rokytnice Primary School in Vsetín became the third school to meet the criteria in May. Since then the campaign has been met with great interest and there are many other schools and universities now working towards Fair Trade status.

4. 100% Fair Trade Universities in Australia and New Zealand by 2015?

A new campaign to make every University in Australia and New Zealand a Fair Trade University by the end of 2015 will be launched on the last day of the 2012 Fairly Educated Conference in Melbourne on 29 July. Throughout July, August and September Fairly Educated members and supporters will collect as many signatures as possible from university students, staff, alumni and supporters of fair trade in the wider community on a Change.org petition. The petition is aimed at two of the most influential organisations in the Australasian tertiary sector; the Tertiary Access group (TAG) and Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS). Both organisations will be asked to pass resolutions at their annual conference in September to encourage and assist their members to become Fair Trade Universities.

TAG is the largest organisation that coordinates bulk procurement in the Australian tertiary education sector; representing 63 campus organisations servicing nearly 200 campuses nationally giving them a market of more than a million Australian tertiary students. TAG already insists on environmental standards for the products they procure but now need to make fair trade a priority for TAG members.

ACTS is the primary forum for sustainability in the Australian and New Zealand tertiary education sector with almost every university in both countries being a member. ACTS plays a pivotal role pioneering university sustainability and we wish to see Fair Trade University accreditation be made a higher priority for ACTS members. The campaign is primarily aimed at university members of TAG and ACTS but hopefully any resolution passed will also help facilitate fair trade accreditation for other tertiary education institutions.

Fairly Educated believe that every university in Australia and New Zealand can become a Fair Trade University by the end of 2015 because:
• Around two thirds of these universities already have a Fair Trade movement.
• In the last twelve months alone the number of Fair Trade Universities in Australia has doubled.

Click here to learn more about the growth of Fair Trade University movements in Australia and New Zealand.

5. Fair Trade Towns in South Korea

The fair trade movement may have started relatively late in Korea, but it is now growing very fast with the KFTO (Korea council of Fair Trade Organizations), the network of leading Fair Trade organizations in Korea, being established this year and now taking progressive steps to promote fair trade in Korea.

On World Fair Trade Day (12th of May 2012) KFTO and the Seoul metropolitan government announced that Seoul will now be working to achieve Fair Trade City status. As the capital of Korea and home to 10 million citizens Seoul’s step will be a significant milestone for the Fair Trade movement in Korea.

The process of making Seoul a Fair Trade city will stimulate the awareness of its citizens and civil society generally on the issues of poverty and unfair trading practices. It will also help towards making Seoul a truly cosmopolitan city that cares about its neighbours around the world. With the participation of communities from various backgrounds, Seoul will play its role to promote the values of fairness, consideration, and sustainability in the international community making it worthy of becoming a Fair Trade City

In making this ambitious declaration Mr. WonSoon Park, Mayor of Seoul said: “It could be a risk to announce that Seoul is working towards Fair Trade City status because the Fair Trade movement has not yet built a stable foundation in Korea. But I’ve always believed that it is worth taking a risk if it is the right thing to do and will make the world a better place to live in. I’ve personally visited Garstang, England, the first Fair Trade Town in the world to discover what lies behind a successful Fair Trade Town. We will do our best and we will try to encourage more people to be involved in the Fair Trade movement here in Korea.”

For World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) this year campaigners in Belgium asked their politicians to show their support for Fair Trade in a photograph. With a focus on coffee the national campaign was aimed at getting fair trade onto the political agenda in the run up to local elections in October. The hope was that political parties would be inspired by the dedication and enthusiasm of local fair trade supporters.

Fair Trade Town groups visited their local councils before WFTD and asked the politicians to be photographed while holding a speech bubble with the words “I choose Fairtrade coffee” and a cup of coffee with a sticker saying “I mean it!” thus publicly demonstrating their commitment for Fairtrade. The photographs were gathered to make a large poster that was sent to the Flemish cabinet with a video used to lobby politicians for a decent policy on fair trade public procurement.

Perhaps this is an idea that can be used by other national campaigns to lobby politicians internationally?

Read on for news on:
1. 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference in Poznan, Poland
2. World Fair Trade Day Breakfasts
3. World Fair Trade Day Photo campaign, Belgium
4. Take a step for Fairtrade in 2012, UK
5. Fairtrade Towns in Lower Austria - 5 years of Fairtrade dedication, Austria

Wishing you every success in your Fair Trade Town wherever it may be!

Bruce Crowther
Fairtrade Towns Advisor
Fairtrade Foundation

1. 6th International Fair Trade Towns conference in Poznan, Poland
The City of Poznan and The Polish Fair Trade Association are happy to invite all Fair Trade Town representatives and campaigners to the 6th International Fair Trade Towns Conference to be held in Poznan on 10th-11th November 2012.  Further details including the Preliminary agenda for the conference will be announced at the end of May and the registration process will start on 1st June.

Although no Fair Trade Towns yet exist in Poland there are budding campaigns in Poznan and Gdansk and university seminars are planned in Warsaw, Katowice and Gdansk where students have already launched or are attempting to start Fair Trade University campaigns.

Poznan is delighted to host this international event in Poland where there is still relatively little recognition of fair trade. During World Fair Trade Day (see below) members of the Polish Fair Trade Coalition will organise events in several towns including Gdansk, Poznan, Cracow, Wroclaw, Gliwice, Katowice and Warsaw. For the last few years volunteers and activists from various NGO’s have come together under this coalition umbrella to hold open air events promoting all Fair Trade products and the FAIRTRADE Mark. 

This year as part of the Aware & Fair project the Polish Fair Trade Association (WFTO member) will take photographs of participants in Poznan and Gdansk standing next to a giant coffee cup while holding a speech bubble with the words “I support Fair Trade”. Fair Trade Town groups across the world are encouraged to take similar photographs in a prominent place in their community with the words “I support Fair Trade” written in their own language. The Fair Trade Towns conference committee would like to receive these photographs to help motivate and encourage supporters in Poznan in their campaign to become the first Fair Trade Town in Poland in time for the conference in November. All photographs should be sent to Tadeusz Makulski, the Fair Trade Towns Coordinator for Poland at: tadeusz.makulski@sprawiedliwyhandel.pl

2. World Fair Trade Day Breakfasts
In 2011 around 235,000 people in 22 countries held Fair Trade Breakfasts big and small using fair trade products.  This year World Fair Trade Day (WFTD) will be celebrated on Saturday 12th May and many countries including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Switzerland and the UK will be holding Fair Trade Breakfasts on and around WFTD.

In Switzerland they will repeat last year’s success and hold breakfasts while wearing green; see the latest Campaign of the Season. The Czech Republic will hold “Férová snídaně ve vašem městě” (Fair Breakfast in Your Town) organized by the NGO NaZemi / OnEarth and they also hope to repeat the success of last year when 2,500 people took part in 41 events throughout the country. In France and Switzerland they are are looking to have live video links with fair trade breakfast events in other countries. In The Netherlands they are planning Fairtrade Breaks which can be a breakfast, lunch, dinner or high tea on and around WFTD and in the UK they will hold Fair Trade Breakfasts that highlight the importance of 100% Fair Trade Organisations such as Traidcraft and Divine Chocolate.

3. World Fair Trade Day Photo campaign, Belgium
Fair Trade Town steering groups in Belgium will be asking their politicians to show their support for Fair Trade in a photograph for World Fair Trade Day (WFTD). With a focus on coffee the national campaign is aimed at getting fair trade onto the political agenda in the run up to local elections on 14th October. They hope that political parties will be inspired by the dedication and enthusiasm of local fair trade supporters.

Fair Trade Town groups will visit their local councils before WFTD and ask the politicians to be photographed while holding a speech bubble with the words “Fair Trade coffee? It’s my choice” and a cup of coffee with a Fair Trade Towns sticker saying “I mean it!” thus publicly demonstrating their commitment for Fairtrade. The photographs will be gathered to make a large poster that will be sent to the regional and national authorities and a video will also be made that can be used to lobby politicians for a decent policy on fair trade public procurement (at the national and European levels). Publicity leaflets and a website have also been produced for more information.

Perhaps this is an idea that can be used by other national campaigns to lobby politicians internationally?

4. Take a step for Fairtrade in 2012, UK
Fairtrade Fortnight 2012 (27 February – 11 March) was launched in the UK with the news that estimated retail sales of Fairtrade products reached £1.32 billion in 2011, a 12% increase on 2010. This  is the result of many small steps taken by consumers in choosing to buy Fairtrade products that leads to major steps such as Morrisons supermarket chain switching to 100% Fairtrade sugar; a step that takes Fairtrade sugar to 42% of all UK retail sugar.

In 2012 the UK will see a Year of Fairtrade when supporters, consumers, businesses, schools, universities, faith groups and more will be asked to take a Step for Fairtrade at four peaks throughout the year, starting with Fairtrade Fortnight. A Step can be anything from buying a Fairtrade product for the first time to organizing a big event. Over 500,000 steps for Fairtrade have already been taken, which is well on the way to reaching the target of 1.5 million – one step for every farmer and worker expected to benefit from Fairtrade this year. Four of those Producers Tookie, Masauko, Massatoma and Moses were visiting the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight to see for themselves the steps being taken towards a fairer world. Read what they had to say in their blogs.

The next step in the UK Year of Fairtrade will be around World Fair Trade Day with further steps planned in the summer and autumn.

5. Fairtrade Towns in Lower Austria - 5 years of Fairtrade dedication, Austria
In January 2012 the city of Neunkirchen became the 30th Fairtrade Town in Lower Austria. The nomination marked a very successful development following 5 years of successful campaigning in Austria that has led to a total of 73 Fairtrade Towns. The lower Austrian Fairtrade Towns have initiated more than 150 events in the past five years and have helped to raise awareness of the need for fairer trade practices. More than 100 restaurants, bars and coffee shops have switched to use Fairtrade products in Lower Austria and the resulting good media coverage is proof that there is public interest in the Fairtrade Towns campaign.

A report will be published in June highlighting the efforts that the lower Austrian Fairtrade Towns have made in promoting Fairtrade. FAIRTRADE Austria will also run a competition calling on Fairtrade Towns to submit their best and most creative Fairtrade activities. The winners of the competition will be announced at a special event to be held in autumn 2012. The report and the competition will focus attention on the anniversary of the campaign in Lower Austria and is intended to motivate other lower Austrian towns to join the movement within the next five years.

We wish them every success!

Following the national success of their Fairtrade Breakfast in 2011 Max Havelaar, Switzerland aims to make it an international event in 2012. Last year 114,241 Fairtrade breakfast were held in Switzerland in an attempt to integrate Fairtrade products into the daily lives of consumers. This was a success with 15.5% consumer awareness of the event.

In 2012 Max Havelaar Switzerland are inviting other countries to be involved to encourage international cooperation and possible live video links between events. Interest has already been shown in Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, South Africa and UK.

This year the theme will be ‘Fairtrade is what you make out of it’ to get more people to make something out of Fairtrade products for their breakfast, in order to demonstrate the wide range of Fairtrade products available and raise awareness on the impact of Fairtrade for the producer.

Fairtrade supporters, consumers, companies, restaurants and cafes etc will all be asked to organise public Fairtrade breakfasts with everyone taking part wearing green. The idea is based on the successful ‘White Dinners’ in France. Photographs and videos of the events will be shared within their communities and beyond.

Events will take place from 1^st April – 28^th May 2012 with the main emphasis on and around World Fair Trade Day (12^th May).

You are all welcome to take part in this fun event to promote Fairtrade!

For further information visit: www.fairtradebreakfast.ch

Or contact your national Fairtrade Organisation to find out how you can be involved.

Malmö, Sweden hosted the fifth annual Fair Trade Towns conference; five years after becoming the first Fairtrade City in Sweden. Over 200 delegates attended from around the globe, to share ideas and discuss how to go ‘beyond 1,000 Fair Trade Towns’.

You can find all the presentations and notes here, and the agenda here. The conference also prepared this statement to Rio +20 UN Conference - on behalf of the Fair Trade Towns movement.

Video from the conference is available to watch again here.