Today, the International Co-operative Alliance is among the more than 250 organizations around the world uniting to launch an International Fair Trade Charter. It sets down the fundamental values of Fair Trade and defines a common vision towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Business as usual will not deliver the step change needed to meet the SDGs, adopted by the world’s nations. Far from marching a steady course to reach these global goals by 2030, in some areas we are even going backwards.  A recent United Nations report shows that hunger has actually risen in the past three years after a long period of decline, leaving  one  in  nine  people  undernourished (The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018).

The International Fair Trade Charter sets out a different  vision:  a  world  in  which  justice,  equity  and  sustainable  development  are  at  the  heart  of  trade  structures,  business  models  and  practices  so  that  everyone,  through  their  work,  can  maintain  a  decent  and  dignified  livelihood  and  develop  their  full  human  potential.