Patricia Ferguson, the Scottish Executive’s Minister in charge of international development, will be in Greenock on Wednesday night, reporting back on her visit to Malawi and setting out how Scotland is to become a Fair Trade nation.
7th
July 2006
Minister
to Report on Malawi and Fair Trade Nation Plan
Patricia Ferguson, the Scottish
Executive’s Minister in charge of international development, will be in
Greenock on Wednesday night, reporting back on her visit to Malawi and setting
out how Scotland is to become a Fair Trade nation.
She will also tell the
meeting in the Wellpark Mid Kirk how Scotland has joined forces with Wales to
draw up a detailed set of criteria to help workers in the developing world
receive fair prices for their goods and enjoy decent working conditions.
MSP for Greenock and
Inverclyde, Duncan McNeil, said that, with a level playing field, developing
countries could trade their way out of poverty:
“People in places like
Malawi don’t want to live on handouts. They
want to work their way out of poverty, but they’ll never do that while
they’re being exploited in an unfair marketplace.
But, with a level playing field, a living wage, decent working conditions
and a fair price for their goods, they will be able to stand on their own two
feet and move towards economic prosperity.
“I’m looking forward to
hearing what the Minister has to say about the part we in Greenock and
Inverclyde can play in bringing this about.”
The meeting will take place
in the Wellpark Mid Kirk on Wednesday 12th July at 7pm in the
Wellpark Mid Kirk, Cathcart Square, Greenock.
Anyone wishing to attend can contact Mr McNeil’s constituency office on
791820.
ENDS
Notes
The measurable criteria for Scotland to
become a Fair Trade nation are:
100%
of local authorities to have active Fair Trade groups working towards Fair
Trade status;
55%
of local authority areas to have Fair Trade status, with 10% annual increase
in following years;
All
of Scotland's cities to have Fair Trade status;
Minimum
of 55% of Scottish towns to have active Fair Trade groups working towards
Fair Trade status;
60%
of Higher Education institutions to have active Fair Trade groups working
towards Fair Trade status;
Increase
by 5% each year the proportion of the population who know about Fair Trade
(currently 45%);
75%
of people to buy a Fair Trade product every year; and
40%
of people who regularly buy Fair Trade products.
Last March the First Minister
made a commitment for Scotland to work towards becoming a Fair Trade Nation. He
asked Ms Ferguson, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport (who has
responsibility for international development) to establish and chair a
cross-party working group of MSPs to consider how this might be achieved.
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