| Fair
trade is an incredibly powerful idea. By buying a fairtrade product from someone
we’ve never met we know that that person will get a fair price for their
labour. This helps to mitigate the impact of falling prices for the things poor
people produce, like cocoa, coffee and sugar. Taking
action at home to help people in the developing world is exactly what fairtrade
is all about. But
for all the success of fair trade products, rich countries need to address the
underlying causes of trade inequality, and that is the thornier issue of trade
justice. Rich
countries, including the UK, need to do more to create a less distorted trading
system. 2006 is the last chance for a deal that will truly benefit poor countries. The
good news is that people don’t have to wait for governments to change lives.
We can all make a contribution simply by picking a fair trade product off the
shelf. It sends a clear message to the decision makers – give the poor people
in the developing world a chance. Hilary
Benn, our Secretary of State, made the above comments in The Sunday Telegraph
as part of Fair
Trade Fortnight (6-19 March, 2006). Read the full article
on fair trade  For
personal accounts from developing country producers and leaders, and more about
DFID's thinking on trade read our feature on 'Towards
a better deal on trade'.
Did you
know that 1 out of every 14 bars of premium dark chocolate bought in the UK is
sold under the Divine brand? For more, look at our Fair
Trade factsheet
Or find
out how to get hold of your copy of Trade
Matters, completely free
Looking
for ideas on how to get involved? Look at our Rough
Guide to a Better World You can
also sign up for the DFID e-bulletin and receive early news on the speeches. Information
on how to do this is at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/wp2006/ Fair
Trade and Livelihoods: Highlighting papers relating to the use of a livelihoods
approach in relation to fair and ethical trade initiatives. | 
