For any NZ or Australian readers: check out the events in your area and support them!
Filed under: New Zealand, campaigns, fair trade , Fair Trade Fortnight
April 13, 2009 • 12:15 am 0
Chocolate’s Dark Secret
A couple of Easters ago a posted on about chocolate slavery. This Easter I have been very happy to see that the issue is gaining wider attention. Today the Sunday Star Times ran a feature story on chocolate slavery and fair trade chocolate- on the frount of the business section! Not only was this attention by the conventional media encouraging, the article indicated that Cadbury (argueably the most recognisable chocolate brand in this part of the world) is moving towards using fair trade cocoa for a significant portion of it’s products.
And, finally, it seems New Zealanders are getting the message.
Though New Zealanders lack the consumer awareness of the Brits, 42% of us say we would buy more fair trade if more were available, and the recognition of the Fair Trade label has jumped from just 2% in 2006 to 36% at the end of last year, though Fair Trade said retail sales were a mere $14.6m in the past year.
I’ve long been frustrated at the lack of interest in, and availability of fair trade products in New Zealand, compared to what I hear of other parts of the world. But things are changing. I guess, as with a lot of things, New Zealand just lags a little behind. But the signs are encouraging this Easter.
(Also, the features section ran an article about the health benefits of chocolate. I really did enoy reading the paper today!)
Filed under: campaigns, fair trade, news, social justice
April 1, 2009 • 11:11 pm 0
Helen Clark is confirmed!
Congratulations Helen Clark, new head of the UNDP.
I was very interested to read John Key’s comments on the appointment:
“Helen Clark should be very proud of her achievement and New Zealanders should be very proud of her,” Mr Key said.
“She will be working to help establish democracies, reduce poverty, improve health care, help in crisis prevention and recovery and assist with environmental issues.”
…
“In other words the UNDP needs someone who can front for them, mobilise resources and give the organisation a human face,” he said.
This at a time when Key’s government is looking at merging NZAid back into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and thereby making aid a tool of foreign policy and economic priorities. As I was told today by someone close to NZAid, in practical terms for the Pacific, this means money being re-directed away from grassroots development projects and towards propping up regional airlines and other strategic business interests. It all makes me very skeptical about whether or not National really does care about poverty alleviation. I’m quite convinced they know nothing about aid and development beyond thier own political biases.
While I am pleased for Clark, and think she will probably be a great person for the job (and I love seeing a kiwi woman in such a great position) unfortunately she doesn’t escape my scepticism either. She says:
“For a start we have to ensure that the donors … the Western countries who donate, don’t drop back on commitments,” Clark told National Radio in her first interview since her appointment was confirmed.
This from someone who led a government that seemed unable to raise aid past 0.3% of GNI, despite being a signatory to a UN target of 0.7%. Can she hold other countries to a commitment she couldn’t keep?
Filed under: New Zealand, campaigns, development, news, politics, poverty
March 15, 2009 • 9:51 am 0
Missing
Filed under: campaigns, development, health, social justice, video , human rights
April 10, 2008 • 12:03 am 0
Wake up and smell the coffee
I have been wanting to watch the movie Black Gold for a while so was very happy to see it on sale at the cultural festival recently. I finally watched it last week, and was glad I did. It is the story of Ethiopian coffee, and in particular the journey of Tadesse Meskela, a man on a mission to get better prices for his coffee farmers cooperative. The movie deliberately and effectively contrasts the poverty of the coffee producers with the luxury of coffee consumers, which makes for very throught provoking viewing.
This is an excellent movie with an important message. But I do have a couple of little complaints. Firstly I think the film would have benefited from a little more explanation of how the coffee markets and price setting worked (although it probably was made with a larger target population in mind then Development Studies post-grads, who may not be quite so interested in the exact mechanisms of imperialistic trade!). It did however convey well the injustice of a system that allows muti million dollar corporations and farmers with starving families to coexist.
The other little niggle is related to the niggle I have about fair trade in general. As can be esily guessed from this blog, I am already a convert to fair trade, however I don’t think it is the panacea for world trade problems and poverty that it is often promoted as. The problems are large and structural, and deeply unjust. They are also political. Trade favours the rich, the consumers, and those with power. And (as the movie does show in parts), those who benefit are not in any rush to change.
At the risk of displaying my socialist tendancies, here’s a good quote from A Very Public Sociologist:
As long as production is subordinate to the market, as long as workers are not paid the full value of their labour power, superexploitation and one-sided development/underdevelopment will remain the lot of Africa. And no amount of consumption with a conscience will change that.
Unfortunately I don’t have any answers. I do strongly believe that fair trade while it won’t save the world it is better than doing nothing. At the very least it indicates some thought has gone into the purchase (mindless consumption is perhaps a topic for another day!), and one producing cooperative/ farmer/ community may be a little better off.
Despite all that I really liked the movie, and highly recommend it (and I’ll be inflicting it on my family and friends too!). And what impacted me the most? I had never realised how much of a hands-on process coffee production is. Berries are hand-picked, and hand sorted so that every bean has been touched by the hands of African (or Latin American or Melanesian…) workers. Literally black gold. Since watching the movie I have been even more careful when grinding and making my coffee in the morning, handling the beans is a tangible link back up the supply chain to some very real people.
Filed under: Africa, campaigns, coffee, development, fair trade, politics, poverty, social justice, video , Black Gold, Ethiopia, trade
December 6, 2007 • 10:04 pm 0
The Story of Stuff
Please watch this teaser then go to the site to watch the whole thing- before you do your Christmas shopping!
Filed under: campaigns, environment, ethical living, health, life, politics, poverty, social justice, video , Christmas, shopping, the story of stuff
November 1, 2007 • 9:13 pm 0
Gap For Kids By Kids
Following on from my post yesterday- here’s the Onion News Networks’ take on the issue:
Filed under: campaigns, children, ethical living, news, social justice , children's rights, Gap, The Onion
October 29, 2007 • 10:32 pm 4
Free Rice
I’ve found a new little addiction. Free Rice is a site that has two goals. To provide English vocabulary to everyone for free, and to help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free. For every word you get right in the quiz, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program, paid for by advertising on the site.
While I think the idea is great, and certainly should help raise awareness of global hunger the critic in me just can’t resist a little critique. The concept is a variation on the ‘click a link and we’ll donate’ type of site, and the rice grains and words games are nice way of catching- and holding attention. However it doesn’t go any further than that really. There is little attempt to provide information about the root causes of poverty, or to encourage people to do any more than to continue to sit in thier cosy spot in front of the computer while appeasing thier conscience.
But I have to say I still managed to get to level 44 and to donate 1000 grains of rice (a bowl full?) in the process. It does feel kinda good anyway.
Filed under: Thoughts, campaigns, poverty, social justice , Free Rice, global hunger, UN, United Nations World Food Program, word games
October 4, 2007 • 7:26 am 0
One Blogpost for Burma
