Fair Trade and Sustainable Development

Brussels, 23 March, 2004

A conference on "Fair Trade - A Contribution to Sustainable Development?" was held in Brussels on March 23, 2004. The event was hosted by MEPs Richard Howitt, Eija-Riitta Korhola and Heide Rühle and received support from the King Baudouin Foundation of Belgium.

Click on the title for a short Power Point presentation on "Mission, strategy, players and practices in Fair Trade" from the conference.

Fair Trade aims to achieve greater equity in international trade and to reduce poverty by offering better trading conditions to marginalised producers and workers - especially in the South. At the same time, it gives the consumer the opportunity to contribute towards sustainable economic and social development in developing countries through purchasing preferences and thus to contribute to poverty reduction.

The aim of the conference was first and foremost to discuss and raise awareness of the development potential of Fair Trade but also to create a forum for discussion among stakeholders and the EU institutions on how to overcome the challenges and obstacles facing Fair Trade. By bringing together different stakeholders, the conference opened up for a dialogue on the Fair Trade contribution to sustainable development, options for supporting and promoting Fair Trade in Europe, and the particular role of EU trade and development policies in overcoming the challenges and obstacles facing Fair Trade.

Read the speech by the EU Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Poul Nielson at this conference: "Fair Trade - A Contribution to Sustainable Development and Poverty"

Read also the important Fair Trade Declaration by the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives (1 April, 2004).