The Scottish Fair Trade Forum welcomes the announcement by Humza Yousaf MSP, Minister for External Relations and International Development that Scotland has met the criteria to be a Fair Trade Nation. The announcement coincided with the launch of Fairtrade Fortnight 2013.
The success of Fair Trade across Scotland is largely thanks to the personal commitment of campaigners, who since the 1960s, have worked tirelessly towards ensuring that products exported from developing countries to developed countries are produced under fair conditions and empower producers to have more control over their livelihoods and the development of their communities. Achieving Fair Trade Nation status for Scotland is another milestone in this decades-long process.
Scotland is only the second nation after Wales to achieve Fair Trade Nation status. While we have much to celebrate today, work must continue to keep the positive momentum to further embed Fair Trade values among the entire Scottish population and across all sectors of society
All Scottish cities have Fairtrade status and 56% of local authority areas in Scotland have Fairtrade status. Ten universities and one college have achieved Fair Trade status, with eight more universities and colleges working towards achieving it.
The criteria for Fair Trade Nation status were set out by the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government in 2006.
The Forum and Scotland also shares this achievement with our producer partners in developing countries. Fair Trade has made a positive impact on their lives and communities. Fair Trade premiums paid to producers have enabled them to enjoy higher and more stable incomes than other producers, especially when global prices were low. Their control over the supply chain has also meant that they are able to plan and implement development projects for their communities.
The positive impact that Fair Trade has had on our partners in developing countries, is the reason why our work exists and makes it worthwhile. Whether you are a stalwart campaigner, a policy-maker, a Fair Trade consumer, you have all contributed to the success we celebrate today and we look forward to the day when Fair Trade is the norm.
The Forum celebrates what has been achieved and looks forward with confidence to taking the campaign to achieve further change in trade.
