Can You Help Promote World Fair Trade Day?

Safia Minney,
Founder People Tree and Global Village

This week has been really busy at People Tree, putting the pieces together for World Fair Trade Day, and we are very excited about our plans here in Japan and UK for this year.

World Fair Trade Day started in 2002 after I brought it to the plenary at IFAT (the International Fair Trade Association, with 300 members in 70 countries) and it was endorsed there. World Fair Trade Day was built on the World Shops Day, which was celebrated by over 2000 shops around Europe working through NEWS! (Network of European World Shops) When we found that there were Fair Trade organisations celebrating in a smaller way in the States, I felt absolutely sure we needed a day to celebrate the international Fair Trade movement, that this should be extended to Southern partners as well, and that IFAT should be at the centre of this, as the leading authority of Fair Trade. *

This year's theme for WFT Day is Kids Need Fair Trade. The exciting thing about World Fair Trade Day, which is celebrated on the second Saturday of May, is that it is celebrated throughout the world, and has unique perspective for majority world countries, where the awareness of Fair Trade is rapidly growing. Events have included gatherings of hundreds of artisans around the Taj Mahal, organised by Tara Projects, rhythmic dance gatherings in Zimbabwe organised by Dezign Inc, and peaceful groups meeting in the vast plains of the Sierra in Peru organised by Minka. There are also sexy fair trade fashion shows held in Tokyo and London, fair trade coffee mornings and demonstrations held around European parliaments and events held in Fair Trade shops throughout the world.

The movement of Fair Trade, at the same time as showcasing way of trading that puts marginalised people and the environment first. Fair Trade is also spuring new thinking in economic equity, sustainable development, corporate social responsibility, and ethical compliance. On World Fair Trade Day, and often throughout the month of May, shops and the media help to bring new customers to Fair Trade promoting products which in turn promotes livelihoods for small-scale producers. IFAT's Fair Trade members use World Fair Trade Day to celebrate and communicate their vision, to the larger community, and showcase itself as the Gold Standard for Fair trade, social justice and sustainability.

If you would like to run an event to celebrate World Fair Trade Day on May 12th, no matter how small, it's a wonderful opportunity to run a Fair Trade fashion show, or arrange a Fair Trade brunch with friends, or arrange for some materials and catalogues to be sent, to pass around your office.
Do get in touch with your local Fair rade organizations and shops to see how you can get in involved.

Safia Minney
Founder People Tree/Gloval Village/World Fair Trade Day

About This Website

The website creates an inspiring listing of events held around the world and is a place to share ideas about how to promote World Fair Trade Day, in English - some countries are even translating key events and adding their local events in their local language. The World Fair Trade Day website also features messages from key people in the Fair Trade movement and the hope is that it will develop to be increasingly interactive, so that the general public can learn more about Fair Trade and IFAT members and help promote Fair Trade.

Presently the World Fair Trade Day website is run by Global Village, sister NGO of People Tree, and receives some funding from NEWS!

World Fair Trade Day gives us an excellent opportunity to raise awareness, promote activities through the media, revisit the principles of Fair Trade and acknowledge the skills of artisans and producers throughout the world. We hope that one day, World Fair Trade Day becomes as well known as AIDS Day - after all, the impact of trade on peoples' livelihoods, income and household food security, and the environment, warrants it.