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ModoFacCentral
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| Posted: 26 July 2004 at 4:18pm | IP Logged
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"So many people around the world are living in misery. We need to find a more equitable way of distributing the profits and ending poverty in developing countries. Fair trade is one of the only viable solutions. Join the Gr8 G8 text petition to have your say, and get Fair Trade on the Agenda at the G8 Summit, 2005." Bianca jagger, July 2004
Press release July 2004
UK's first SMS text message petition: campaigning for Fair Trade at G8 Summit, 2005
New Consumer magazine has launched the first ever text message petition to tackle poverty, urging world leaders at the next G8 Summit to include Fair Trade on the Agenda.
World leaders are keen to expand the global economy through increased trade, but poorer countries are continually being dealt a crooked deal. Fundamental changes to trade rules are needed for a real change in global poverty.
The campaign aims to collect 1,000,000 names by July, 2005, in time for the G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland.
Editor-in-Chief of New Consumer, Mel Young said: "Fair trade has proved that on a micro scale, simply buying goods in a straightforward and fair way can make a difference to those living in poverty. This petition is all about encouraging world leaders to embrace Fair Trade practices."
"Our target of 1,000,000 names is ambitious, but we've come up with a new way for people to join the petition - text messaging is quick, easy and instant, so it made sense for use this method, and we are confident about reaching our target."
For further information, please email [email protected] or call 0131 561 1780.
- Ends -
Notes:
*To join the petition, text G8 followed by your full name and country to 83070
*Mel Young is a cofounder of the Big Issue in Scotland, President of the International Network of Street Papers (INSP) and Editor-in-Chief of New Consumer, the UK's only Fair Trade magazine.
* In the past ten years the fair trade movement has developed to provide an alternative trading system based on transparency and fairness. Fair trade organisations do business directly with producers in the developing world, cutting out the middlemen and thus ensuring that the maximum profit is returned to source. The price difference can be as much as 100%.
* Fair trade guarantees stability for producers, protecting them against flux in the market through secure, long-term prices and premiums over and above the market rate. Many schemes also offer prepayment or access to credit.
* The fair trade movement is not restricted to foodstuffs. Unlabelled non-food goods such as crafts, clothing and jewellery are fairly traded in the same way, and the movement is growing.
*Public opinion surveys repeatedly indicate that people are willing to spend extra for fairly traded goods, and Fair trade food sales are growing by more than 25% internationally and almost 100% a year in Britain.
8 Facts to remember about the unequal world we live in
*As many as two billion people are living on less than $2 a day.
* $97 of every $100 generated by exports goes to the world's richest countries.
* Income in the poorest 5% of nations has dropped by 25% in the past 10 years. Income in the richest 5% has grown by 12%.
* The UN estimates that poor countries are denied $700 billion because of unfair trade rules.
(Christian Aid)
* World trade is estimated to be worth $10 million a minute - the world's 49 least developed countries account for only 0.4% of this.
(Christian Aid).
* Developed nations make up 20% of the world's population but consume 86% of the world's goods.
(UNHDR)
* The net wealth of the 10 richest billionaires is $ 133 billion , more than 1.5 times the total national income of the least developed countries.
(UNDP).
* The cost of eradicating poverty is 1% of global income.
(UNDP)
TEXT NOW TO CAMPAIGN FOR CHANGE: text G8 to 83070, followed by your full name and country.
The Gr8 G8 Fair Trade Petition is being run by New Consumer, Britain's only fair trade magazine. www.newconsumer.org
For more information contact the New Consumer head office on 0131 561 1780
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Mariannepenny
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| Posted: 28 July 2004 at 6:06pm | IP Logged
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Hi Kerry,
Thank you for the info. However I recently read an article about Fair Trade coffee that will make me look deeper. (AfriDad) Not that I'm against Fair Trade. Far from it.
Vital Being my health retail business is being set up so that all profits will go to in in house version of fair trade (putting life infrastructure into areas and peoples so that they can then trade themselves out of poverty, hunger, deprivation etc without having to worry about having to pay back financing etc).
__________________
Marinne
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ModoFacCentral
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| Posted: 29 July 2004 at 4:09pm | IP Logged
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Hi Marianne, I am in the process of setting up a social enterprise myself but having battles with those in the charity sector as I dont subscribe to their bullsh*t and most of them dont really care about what they are doing. But managing to find a way to make it happen regardless. I was homeless off and on for years and then railroaded into some of the worst hostels and housing so I know only too well what it feels like to have nowhere to live, nothing to eat and nobody to give a damn. It has taken me 20 years to get through that and start my own business. Now I am on the other side of the fence I see what is wrong and how things can be done to improve things for others but most are too greedy to see past themselves, but I am managing to connect with people who get what I am doing so hopefully before the end of the year I should be up and running and it will be no thanks to those stuck in the old mindsets that think that they would rather be seen to be doing the right thing rather than actually doing it.
Kerry
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a abrahamsson
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Joined: 31 July 2004
Location: Sweden
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| Posted: 12 August 2004 at 8:23pm | IP Logged
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Good initiative!
And there is a way out of crisis, but charity seems to be trapping people instead of helping people sometimes.
What about to be given oppurtunities instead of just bread for the day?
It is the opportunity gap we need to bridge, not the "unequal distribution of resources" as such, even if those figures are "devastating".
Fair pay for good work, what would be making more sense than that?
__________________
Global Knowledge Nomad/Sustainopreneur | RE:LOVE THE WORLD
www [dot] andersabrahamsson [dot] net
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Be The Change Forums : Ideas for 2005 Events
Topic: G8 Fair Trade Petition
