Fair Trade is a Human Right

“…act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

On this day in 1948, the U.N. signed the Declaration of Human Rights. Today, many people are still lacking these undeniable rights. As we gear up to the holiday season, let the spirit of brotherhood/sisterhood surround you and remind you to think of all others as your brothers and sisters. Take pause to think of those who make the things you buy, eat and consume on a daily basis and especially in this giving season. Do you consider everyone on our shared Earth-home to be your family? Do you wish others the same rights you enjoy yourself? To enjoy the freedom to be treated equally with dignity and respect? Then we must demand trade to be fair and just.

Fair trade works in a spirit of collaboration and celebration of the diverse sisterhood of our planet. It is a fair system of trade that respects the rights of all workers and aims to end the injustices of unfair trade that are so widespread across the economic landscape.

We want to thank all of our fair trade partners for working tirelessly in their efforts to spread this sisterly spirit. At the end of the day, that is what we’re doing; we’re working “in a spirit of brotherhood.” Fair trade is about people deserving the right to a fair wage, the right to have a voice in their community, the right to not die in a factory collapse, the right to go to school as children should, the right to not be taken advantage of by a system that strips their dignity and denies their equality.

We will continue these efforts until all of our brothers and sisters around the world can feel that their rights are being respected. We hope you continue to join us in this effort. When you buy fair trade, you respect the human rights declared inalienable by the U.N. many decades ago and help create a world where the spirit of sisterhood guides all action.