'Despite the global recession, worldwide sales of Fair Trade Certified products grew by an impressive 22% in 2008 as consumers spent an estimated $4 billion on Fair Trade products globally. In the U.S., sales grew 10% to $1.06 billion, and in Canada, sales grew 67% to $180 million. The UK, after growth of 43%, has surpassed the U.S. for most FT sales by country, at $1.23 billion.
The European Commission has today adopted a communication on the role of Fair Trade and non-governmental trade-related sustainability assurance schemes. The communication recognises the significant development of the Fair Trade movement and the importance of a European market now worth EUR 1.5 billion per year.
More than 75,000 people will have died of hunger during the three days that G8 Agriculture Ministers met to talk about the food crisis, reports international agency Oxfam. Ministers, meeting in Italy from 18 - 20 April 2009 were advised by Oxfam that the answer to the global food crisis is not increased production in rich countries but support for the world's poorest farmers.
Yesterday the World Bank released a report projecting a GDP slowdown in developing countries. The report projects growth at 2.1 percent in 2009-down considerably from 5.8 percent in 2008. This is less than half the World Bank's November 2008 projection of 4.4 percent.
Excerpts from the full article:
The following opinion is written by Kofi Annan, who chairs the Africa Progress Panel and is former Secretary-General of the United Nations. This piece was written as the G20 head into the Summit in London to discuss the current global crisis.
‘Africa is facing difficult times. The effects of the global economic recession and climate change have already begun to reverse the progress the continent has made over the last decade.
On 2 April, leaders of twenty of the world's most powerful nations representing 85% of the world's output will meet in London for the G20 Summit.
The G20 meetings will be a massive opportunity to build a future that works for the benefit of people everywhere, and where global warming isn't ignored.
A mass rally will take place just a few days before G20 leaders meet in London - on 28 March in London's Trafalgar Square and Hyde Park.
The World Water Forum is organized by the World Water Council and is the largest international event in the field of water.
It primarily serves four main purposes:
To raise the importance of water on the political agenda
To support the deepening of discussions towards the solution of international water issues in the 21st century
To formulate concrete proposals and bring their importance to the world's attention
Water Missions International (WMI) based here in Charleston, SC is a nonprofit, Christian engineering organization serving the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas. WMI uses low-maintenance, appropriate water technologies for drinking water treatment and distribution, wastewater management, and storm water control.
This year, WMI is holding it's 3rd Annual Walk for Water, Saturday March 21st at 9 A.M.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the global financial meltdown is threatening to wipe out the financial successes recorded by African countries in the past decade. "The gains of the past decade, during which many countries in sub-Saharan Africa saw sustained high rates of economic growth and rising income levels, are at risk," observes the Director of Africa Department at the IMF, Antoinette M. Sayeh.
I came across this video while researching for some content for Blog Action Day.
"Poverty is the worst form of violence."
--Gandhi, Mahatma
