4. WFTO Annual Report 2013 Web.Pdf
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I. Table of Contents I. Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................. 1 I. Letter from the President ..................................................................................................................... 2 II. About WFTO ......................................................................................................................................... 3 A global network of Fair Trade Organizations .......................................................................................... 3 Our vision and mission ............................................................................................................................. 4 A membership organization ..................................................................................................................... 4 The Goals of WFTO ................................................................................................................................... 5 III. Our achievements and activities ...................................................................................................... 6 a. Credibility and Identity ......................................................................................................................... 6 b. Learning ................................................................................................................................................ 8 c. Market Access ...................................................................................................................................... 9 d. Voice ................................................................................................................................................... 10 e. Capability ............................................................................................................................................ 13 IV. The WFTO enlarged family: WFTO Regions .................................................................................... 16 V. Our supporters ................................................................................................................................... 19 VI. ANNEXES ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Financial Overview for 2013 ................................................................................................................... 20 List of WFTO members, as of 31 December 2013. ................................................................................. 22 List of WFTO individual associates, as of 31 December 2013. ................................................................ 28 1 2013 WFTO Annual Report – All Rights Reserved 2013. I. Letter from the President It is a privilege and pleasure for me to reach out to our members, friends and supporters trough this report and extend our sincere gratitude for contributing in Boards, Committees and Working Groups to make WFTO a vibrant and dynamic global membership organization. Expectations about what our organization should deliver are high, sometimes far too high if we consider that the global office has a total number of staff of four people working. Without the valuable contribution of many members and volunteers, it would have been impossible to deal with all the different issues we have to deal. Our mission to improve the livelihood and well-being of disadvantaged small farmers and crafts men and women in developing countries through linking and strengthening Fair Trade Organisations continues to remain relevant. Our vision of WFTO as a significant movement of FTOs promoting social and economic development, sharing ideas, finding solutions, debating issues, denouncing injustice and encouraging long- term partnership trading relationship seems to continue to be not just a fine idea, but an appropriate and realistic one. 2013 has been characterized by the first world Fair Trade week, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in May, in which the WFTO global conference and AGM were highlights. During the conference in Rio, the new global Guarantee System for FTOs was presented to the public and the WFTO AGM approved the global standards for Fair Trade Retailers. Two crucial milestones for the global fair Trade movement. This report highlights also the new strategies which have been developed and our achievements and activities related to each of the five main goals of our Strategic Plan. It gives also an overview of the development of our membership and the severe financial crises WFTO went through in past years and which, luckily, is part of history. We are now ready and able to prove the common identity of Fair Trade Organizations fully committed to Fair Trade, for which the traditional Fair Trade values continue to be the main guideline and target, and to promote this at a global level. Rudi Dalvai WFTO President. (July 2014) 2 2013 WFTO Annual Report – All Rights Reserved 2013. Kumbeshwar Technical School (KTS), Nepal) II. About WFTO A global network of Fair Trade The global, regional and country network Organizations structures aim to facilitate core services to WFTO is a global network of local Fair Trade members on market access and market Organizations, national Fair Trade networks and development, capacity-building (Fair Trade Fair Trade support organizations, including compliance and business development) and associate organizations and individuals in advocacy and campaigning for Fair Trade, and around 75 countries across the globe. It has a serve as a facilitator and a platform for small dynamic secretariat for global exchange and communication between coordination. Five regional networks in Africa members, as well as being the focal point for (including Middle East), Asia, Europe, Latin alliances with external stakeholders. America and the Pacific Rim support the WFTO. These branches have their own respective operational structures and offices and are legally independent. There are growing country networks that coordinate with the regional networks mostly in advocacy and campaigning activities. 3 2013 WFTO Annual Report – All Rights Reserved 2013. Our vision and mission Table 2: Membership Balance 2013 WFTO has a vision of a world in which trade 16 structures and practices have been transformed 11 to work in favour of the poor and promote sustainable development and justice. 6 1 WFTO’s mission is to enable producers to improve their livelihoods and communities -4 AF/ME ASIA EUR LA PAC through Fair Trade. WFTO is the global network NEW EX and advocate for Fair Trade Organisations, ensuring producer voices are heard. The During 2013 WFTO had to say good bye to 45 interests of producers, especially small farmers members. These departures from membership and artisans, are the main focus in all the can be divided into three categories: those policies, governance, structures and decision- choosing to withdraw (21), those merging or making within the WFTO. ceasing to exist (8; 2 members ended their business dealings, but the majority will remain A membership organization members through a larger WFTO member) and By the end of 2013, the WFTO had 361 those terminated (16) mainly due to unpaid fees members and 46 individual associates in 76 dating back to 2011. countries. The 361 member organizations WFTO welcomed 17 new members in 2013. consisted of the following: 313 Fair Trade Trading Organizations (FTO), 23 Fair Trade Support Organizations (FTSO), 24 national Fair Trade Networks (FTN), and 1 Associate Organizations (AO). Almost 70% of the members of WFTO were based in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Table 1: Membership Types per Region 120 70 20 AF/ME ASIA EUR LA PAC -30 FTO FTN FTSO AO 4 2013 WFTO Annual Report – All Rights Reserved 2013. The Goals of WFTO The 2013 WFTO AGM approved what are the current main strategic goals for WFTO for the period 2013- 2017. These have been further developed by the Board of Directors and are currently divided into the following: CREDIBILITY & IDENTITY To be the global membership body for all fully committed Fair Trade Organisations (FTOs) seeking to empower groups of vulnerable producers, farmers and workers through trade. LEARNING To be a space where members connect with each other – to work together, to cooperate, create synergies, and share innovative ideas and learning. VOICE To create a common voice that speaks out loudly for Fair Trade and trade justice – and is heard. MARKET ACCESS To enable members to access tools and training to improve market access locally, regionally and internationally. CAPABILITY To have the internal leadership, capacity, resources and structure/s for good network governance which enable the WFTO to be dynamic, flexible and healthy. 5 2013 WFTO Annual Report – All Rights Reserved 2013. III. Our achievements and activities 2013 was an important year for WFTO. It included several noteworthy activities and achievements that are briefly listed below, per WFTO main area of work/goal. a. Credibility and Identity To be the global membership body for all fully committed Fair Trade Organisations (FTOs) seeking to empower groups of vulnerable producers, farmers and workers through trade. Along with our internal identity, one of the most important areas of work for the WFTO in the past years has been to develop our internal and external credibility. The year 2013 developed within a similar international context as previous