Conférence débat animée par M. Philippe Adaime: les Jeudis du MEREF

Le Jeudi 22 Mars 2012 :

M. Philippe Adaime, trésorier administrateur de Fair Trade Lebanon, a animé une conférence débat sur le thème "le commerce équitable au Liban" dans le cadre des Jeudis du MEREF (le Mouvement des Entreprises et Représentations Economiques Françaises au Liban).

La conférence a été suivie d'une dégustation des produits de Fair Trade Lebanon: vin rouge équitable, confitures, sirops, mana'ishs...

Ces conférences ont lieu une fois par mois à l'université de l'ESA!

Fair Trade Lebanon at Balamand University

Dear Students and Advocates,

Today FTL was be present at the University of Balamand to give a conference about the concept of Fair Trade, its opportunities and challenges. The event was organized by the university's Interactive student Club, which we deeply thank for their interest, motivation, and communication work.

If you are a student reading this blog and wish to launch the same event at your own university, then Fair Trade Lebanon would be more than glad to hear from you!

Those small little things...

...take the time to look for them and the time to experience them.

Fair Trade Lebanon has spent yesterday 3 hours in a classroom with 28 graduate students in Advertising and Marketing at the USJ University. The discussion was about Responsible Marketing (Benoit and myself participated from FTL) and Eco-Tourism (explained by M.Pascal Abdallah, a pioneer & consultant in Eco-Tourism in Lebanon).

We had set forward the importance of marketing...marketing not only a product, but a story, a reality, a person. Our approach is to quench the thirst of a consumer with a deeper experience, a social impact. And the small thing in this is the satisfaction that comes from a state of mind, that of choosing to support long-term sustainability. Our society has imposed on us a very fast rhythm of life...we consume, work and live so fast that we forget and often refuse to take the time to Stop. and See the small things.

Eco-Tourism is about contributing financially, physically and scientifically to the well being of our protected natural sites. It's about hearing the story behind the smallest elements defining our ecosystem. Believe it or not, if we don't react to the incompetence reigning in our country, we will head right into the wall. Our children and grandchildren will hold us responsible for our passiveness. And we will live with the guilt.

The society as a whole must take action; M. Everyone will not save Lebanon alone and we know that, but Universities and Students, Governments and Researchers, Specialized NGOs and Careful citizens WILL. I want to thank Professor Zeina Adaime for having chosen to point out the small things and for proposing new solutions and ideas to her students. It is about capacity building and about completely assuming the role of education for a greener and more responsible future.

Sometimes it takes one leap to create a thousand others, just like a ricochet on water. Isn't that simple?

Thank you for having taken the time to read…

Press Conference 17th of May 2010

Fair Trade (FT) continues expanding in Lebanon and Fair Trade Lebanon strengthens its position as a key player in sustainable development in Lebanon.

In fact, Fair Trade Lebanon (FTL), the NGO founded in January 2006 by Philippe Adaime, Samir Abdelmalak, Johanne Karkour, Gabriel Debbané and Jad Bitar in order to support small producers in the South, the Bekaa valley and the North of Lebanon, finds itself today rewarded by the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which recognizes it as a member of this organization.

The motto of Fair Trade being "Trade not Aid", it entails its actors to offer fair prices to producers, adopt the principles of transparency and preserve agreement and continuity in trade partnerships. It aims to help small producers –located in the South in general- to sell their products in "Northern" countries, without intermediaries, in a transparent manner from producer to buyer.

Thus, during its short history, FTL has successfully developed more than fifty food-processed products from a dozen cooperatives, which are now distributed in France and Canada. Over 72% of sales revenues go directly to producers' cooperatives, and this activity affects approximately 350 direct beneficiaries. Also, by being present at the National Forum of Fair Trade in Lille, France, during the Fair Trade fortnight, FTL has managed to establish new partnerships in Belgium and Germany.

Finally, and following the growing Lebanese demand for products of quality and social solidarity, FTL launches its brand Terroirs du Liban in local market, through selective outlets, small supermarkets and over the internet.

For more information about our activities, you may visit our website and follow our Facebook page.

Join us in Paris on the 12th of May 2010

Paris Paris here we come...

Fair Trade Lebanon will have the pleasure to meet you at the SIDI (Solidarite Internationale pour le Developpement et l'Investissement).
You're most welcome to come and take part of the discussion around Fair Trade in Lebanon, its opportunities and challenges.

Address:
12 rue Guy de la Brosse – 75005 Paris (Metro Jussieu)
Date and time:
Wednesday 12th of May, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm.


You can join the event on Facebook here.

Promoting Fair Trade in Lebanon

Article by Dana Halawi:

Zurayk praised the role of FTL but said that fair trade in itself cannot remain in the realm of NGO's. "We strive to make changes toward global justice, and this cannot come from only 50 farmers out of 200, 000," he said. Instead, he argued, fair trade can only become powerful when it becomes the dominant form of trade, and everyone should work to achieve that.

Zurayk also exposed the problems facing farmers around the world with respect to commodities such as coffee, rice, and tea. He argued that the stock exchange market, and not the farmers, is setting prices--which often prove to be unfair to farmers.

Read the full AUB News Highlight here.

Around Town, TimeOut Beirut Magazine lists our event!

I just found out that the magazine Time Out Beirut had listed our event in AUB on their website: it was the conference held on the 10th of March about FAIR TRADE : OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

In their section Around Town, they listed:

"AUB's Human Rights and Peace Club is hosting a conference today about fair trade. Discuss the importance of fair trade in Lebanon and help secure the rights of marginalized producers and workers in our country. Fair Trade Lebanon, a non-profit NGO, wants to offer a viable economic model to the farmers and workers and give you an idea of a day in the life of a worker in Lebanon."

Click on image to access the page.

How fair can we go?

Each year, millions of tons of coffee, tea, cocoa and rice are sold, transported and purchased worldwide. Most of these raw materials are produced in the south but it is the North that provides the processing and distribution.
Prices of these commodities are imposed on producers in the South by future markets in the North...

Today, the dominant economic thinking is that "Free trade" works to the benefit of all. However, developing countries have increasingly impoverished in the past 40 years and many are being excluded from world markets. Fair Trade is a system created to combat this phenomenon of exclusion and the laws of single market.

Fair Trade aims to introduce moral rules in economy and trade.

On the scale of global trade, FT only represents 0.01% of world trade. Nevertheless, this share has been growing over the years and applies to 7.5 million individuals in 2008 that directly benefit from Fair Trade Certified production (according to Fair Trade Labeling Organizations).

Our conference at the American University of Beirut has highlighted the principles of Fair Trade as well as the activities of Fair Trade Lebanon.
Around 50 students attended and took part of the discussion. Doctor Zurayk has shared some valuable insights about the global movement of FT and its act of resistance in the Middle East, he added that many questions must be tackled: "Why is most trade unfair? How much power do we have as single individuals and consumers? Also, what or who stands in the way of changing the current global system?".

Fair Trade should become the rule rather than the exception.

The local NGO, Green Line for sustainable development, represented by M. Safieddine was also a participant and has emphasized on the need for civil society to be part of the trade rounds and have a say in order to apply pressure and protect the rights of small producers in this untamed globalization.

And the poster is out!

Marketing campaign will be launched in AUB starting Monday the 1st of March.
Poster, teaser, flyer are all designed by Zeina Koreitem, AUB architecture student and member of the Human Rights and Peace Club.
Thank you loads!

Your presence means to us

Join the event on Facebook.

Preparation for conference in AUB

We're on fire! Between choosing clubs, societies and professors to invite, preparing the posters, flyers and invitation texts...we are trying to set things right for the upcoming conference in the American University of Beirut around the theme of Fair Trade: Opportunities and Challenges.
It will be hosted by the Human Rights and Peace Club in collaboration with Fair Trade Lebanon. Much thanks to Fouad, Zeina and Hala for their effort and efficiency!

Conference will take place on the 10th of March at 5:30 pm, in Auditorium A, West Hall.

Fair Trade Lebanon in Damascus

Syria, Damascus, on the 4th of Feb: Fair Trade Lebanon presents its experience in E-Services and E-Marketing in a conference coordinated between the Syrian Telecommunication Establishment and the UNDP (Reef net program).

ESCWA : Workshop on Delivery of e-Services in Civil Society

28th and 29th of December 2009 : Fair Trade Lebanon is present at the two-day workshop on e-services organized by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, one of the five regional commissions created by the United Nations.

This workshop is mainly targeting NGOs and aiming at developing their E-Marketing and E-Services in a very competitive information society : Show cases and presentations are offering advice and tricks about reinforcing websites, promoting services, building trust, selling products online etc.

Flashback : NDU conference

Awareness raising is vital and we are dedicating several events for that. Our presence at the Notre-Dame University on the 10th of November 2009 was organized by the Club of International Relations.