Cambodia NTFP Development (CAN-DO), local partner of NTFP-EP will participate in the 1st World Fair Trade Day celebration in Cambodia hosted by the Cambodia Fair Trade Forum on May 12. The celebration is expected to attract over 400 producers working in handicraft, fashion and food enterprises across Cambodia. Each producer group is invited to bring their own ‘kroma’ to the celebration, where it will be sewn together to create what is estimated to be the largest ‘kroma’ in Cambodia – a distinctly Khmer symbol of Fair Trade.
Official Press Release:
Cambodia is set to host its first ever World Fair Trade Day on Saturday May 12th, joining with over 70 nations from around the world to celebrate the difference that ‘Fair Trade’ makes to the livelihood of producers in developing countries.
The event, organised by the Cambodia Fair Trade Forum, will take place at the National Cultural Center in Phnom Penh and looks set to be one of the most creative public gatherings of the year, with special Fair Trade-themed dance and drama performances from Sovanna Phum Art Association along with a guest appearance from the “Ray Charles of Cambodia”, Master Kong Nai.
The celebration is expected to attract over 400 producers working in handicraft, fashion and food enterprises across Cambodia. Each producer group is invited to bring their own ‘kroma’ to the celebration, where it will be sewn together to create what is estimated to be the largest ‘kroma’ in Cambodia – a distinctly Khmer symbol of Fair Trade.
“Fair Trade has definitely arrived here in Cambodia,” says Men Sinoeun, Director of the Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC), an NGO supporting producer groups across Cambodia that are working with disadvantaged people. “This day will show the rest of the world that not only can Cambodia produce beautiful, high-quality products, we can also use the trade of these products to alleviate poverty in our nation and bring hope to those on the margins of society.”
The aim of World Fair Trade Day, which has been celebrated around the world over the past six years, is to raise awareness of the aims of Fair Trade and of the possibility of greater justice in the world through trading fairly. Fair Trade is a way of reducing poverty through the buying and selling of products that have been made in a dignified environment, where often-disadvantaged workers are provided with good working conditions and fair wages and where profit is not maximized at their expense.
Through speeches by local dignitaries, international representatives and local producers, the first World Fair Trade Day in Cambodia will highlight both the successes of Fair Trade in Cambodia to date and address the need for further implementation of Fair Trade principles amongst businesses, social enterprises and NGOs working in Cambodia.
The event has been organised by the Cambodia Fair Trade Forum, a collection of local and international organisations working together to promote the principles and practices of Fair Trade in Cambodia. These organizations include the Artisans’ Association of Cambodia (AAC), Traidcraft Exchange Cambodia, Village Focus International (VFI), Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), Rehab Craft Cambodia, AFESIP Fair Fashion and Baskets of Cambodia.
- Please direct all press enquiries to Nina Howard at the Artisans’ Association of Cambodia on 092 202 510 or by email at nina.aac@online.com.kh
- The World Fair Trade Day celebration will take place between 8am – 12midday on Saturday May 12th at the National Culture Center, opposite the Buddhist Institute, in Phnom Penh.
- World Fair Trade Day is coordinated by the International Fair Trade Association (IFAT) with the Network of World Shops (NEWS). For further information about World Fair Trade Day events taking place around the world, visit www.wftd.org
- For further details about the principles of Fair Trade, as outlined by IFAT, please visit http://www.ifat.org/index.php
?option=com_content&task=view &id=2&Itemid=14 - Fair Trade turnover currently stands at over 1 billion Euros per year and growing. In Europe, there are over 70,000 Fair Trade retail outlets, including 3,000 world shops, 33,000 supermarkets and 50 supermarket chains. More than 2,000 staff and 100,000 volunteers are employed by Fair Trade Organizations in Europe alone. Half the UK population is now aware of Fair Trade and there are similar figures for other European countries, with accompanying growth in sales (e.g. in 2005, 102% growth in France; 50% in Belgium and 60% in Italy).
