Speech of Fr.Shay Cullen In Poznan University 15 November 2012
I am very thankful to be present here today to share with you the work of Preda developmental Fair Trade in working with crafts people and small mango farmers. But also I welcome this opportunity to restate the purpose and final goal of FairTrade as I see it and how this conference on the impact and value of the Fair Trade Town can bring us together in pursuing and strengthening our commitment to achieving this very important and worthwhile purpose.
We can be very grateful to Bruce Crowther from Oxfam in Garstang ,Lancashire,England who first thought of the idea in 2001 and promoted it in many other towns until it took a life of its own and has now spread to hundreds of towns throughout the UK and Europe. The first conference of European Fair trade Towns was held at the London Southbank University in 2006.The question is poised is this a grassroots movement today and can it bring change in the world.
Since fairtrade has grown up because of the initiative of the committed few at the beginning of Fair Trade and who are the pioneers of in working for justice for those producers and farmers who are cheated and exploited.These are the champions who work for justice in trade and human rights,they have put aside personal profit and self-seeking and have dedicated themselves to the cause of alleviating the dire poverty and hunger that still stalks our world.They are the grassroots people who made this movement grow and they are a people power for justice and human rights.
One billion are still hungry on this planet of plenty. It just so happens that the wealth is accumulated by the few while the many go without the basic needs of life. The champions of FairTrade are those who have challenged this inequality that causes much human suffering and death by hunger and disease. They can be given full credit for bringing about FairTrade and from humble beginnings led the way to the Fair Trade towns.
Many dedicated to fairTrade as a means to do justice and eradicate poverty during the past 50 years have been to the developing countries and have lived life among the grass roots.They returned to Europe and started fair trading and through this practice of justice ,solidarity and respect, they promoted the welfare of exploited people by trying to change the injustice in the world by bringing individuals, groups, shops owners and now entire tows into the movement for Fairtrade and social justice of the oppressed and the exploited People.
Having worked in the developing country of the Philippines for the past forty years and helped establish producer groups of handicraft artisans and small farmers based on Fair Trade criteria.This was the setting up of the Preda Fair trade organization. It began small but grew to establishing strong trading bonds with the Fair Trade imports of Europe.
The goal of Preda Development fair Trade is to help people to overcome poverty by their own efforts earning just wages and returns for their hard work and improving there communities through team and community self-help development projects. The success of fair trade relies greatly on the quality of the products,the just wages and conditions under which they are made. But equally it depends on the choice of committed consumers to act in a morally right way and choose to buy the fair trade products rather than the commercially supplied products.
It is fair trading that changes the world of the poor.The FairTrade towns are the home of the FairTrade Shops and World shops,organic and other stores that have chosen to sell the products. Many shops donate earnings to development projects in the needy communities of the developing world. This is their greater participation in development fair trade. And so I can say that the Fair Trade towns movement is a powerful force for change.
