On the 4th and 5th of July, 300 delegates from 18 countries across the world will attend the 9th International Fair Trade Towns conference in Bristol to explore ‘Fair Trade for Sustainability’ as part of the city’s European Green Capital events programme.
The collection of inspiring talks and workshops will provide new insights into how Fair Trade works to protect the environment; discussing a wide range of topics from sustainable food and Fairtrade gold to the impact of climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals.
These talks feature well-known speakers, including Harriet Lamb (CEO Fairtrade Internationaland Greg Valerio, a leading pioneer in Fair Trade Jewellery, as well as Josephine Aguttu, a Fairtrade gold minor from Uganda.
The programme highlights many of the issues central to the 2015 European Year for Development, Our World, our Dignity, Our Future’ which is designed to inspire more European citizens to get involved with international development.
“2015 is a chance for people across Europe to understand that development starts within our own countries and within our own lives with fair trade,” says Kathleen Christie, an international development specialist supporting the Conference.
Bristol and South West Fairtrade Coordinator, Jenny Foster, said: “Fair trade is vital to international development by directly addressing exploitative labour and global inequality. We look forward to exploring its’ benefits with our jam-packed weekend of talks, workshops and discussions.”
The wider population in Bristol can also engage with Fairtrade over the weekend at the Bristol 2015 Lab Space and at the Make Sunday Special and Fair Festival on Sunday 5th July in the old city.
