21 Mar 2017
“World Fairtrade Challenge” wins Award for Global Mobilization
The German Council for Sustainable Development recognizes the World Fairtrade Challenge campaign as a "Sustainability Project 2017”
World Fairtrade Challenge, a global awareness raising campaign led by the Fairtrade movement, has been awarded the "Projekt N Award" by the German Council for Sustainable Development. World Fairtrade Challenge is one of 67 projects, out of 240 applicants, which received the award during a ceremony held in Düsseldorf on 17 March.
The "Project N Awards" aim to recognize ideas and initiatives that shape society in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and contribute to sustainable development in Germany and worldwide. The World Fairtrade Challenge campaign impressed the jury with its success in mobilizing more than 1.8 million citizens across the world in favour of better living conditions for coffee farming communities. "We are impressed by the commitment and innovative power that people around the world are striving for a sustainable future. It is the task of the entire society to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals," stated Marlehn Thieme, Chairwoman of the Council for Sustainable Development and a member of the jury.
"We are very honoured to receive this award in recognition of the work Fairtrade does both on improving farmers’ lives, but also, very importantly, on drawing the attention of more than 1.8 million citizens worldwide to the important issue of climate change and its mitigation. The World Fairtrade Challenge was only made possible through the deeply rooted relations that national Fairtrade organizations have with local communities, as well as the support and enthusiasm from citizens and supporters worldwide", said Elena Vamvakousi, International Marketing Manager for the World Fairtrade Challenge.
Successful premiere of the "World Fairtrade Challenge"
The World Fairtrade Challenge took place for the first time in May 2016. Fairtrade coffee-lovers in more than 50 countries held the largest coffee break in the world, drinking more than 5.5 million cups of Fairtrade coffee between them.
The worldwide reach of the campaign was demonstrated particularly by the #fairtradechallenge hashtag. In many countries, thousands of posts, tweets and pictures were shared over social media channels and bundled on a Social Media Wall. Political, economic and civil society actors from across the world were also involved, including Fair Trade Towns, Schools and Universities.
The campaign drew public attention to the difficult conditions faced by coffee farmers due to the effects of climate change. Fairtrade supports coffee farmers by helping them to access technical knowledge and funds which they can use to successfully adapt to, and mitigate against, the worst effects of climate change. There are more than 800,000 Fairtrade coffee farmers in 30 countries worldwide. In 2013–14, they received more than 49 million euros of Fairtrade Premium money, the extra sum of money paid on top of the selling price for farmers to invest in business or community projects of their choice.
World Fairtrade Challenge 2017
On 12-14 May, the World Fairtrade Challenge will take place once more and will further strengthen the awareness of sustainable consumption among citizens across the world. Under the motto "Celebrate Fairtrade", millions of people will host coffee breaks, breakfasts in public places and other events to promote Fairtrade products worldwide.
Find out more about the Awards at www.tatenfuermorgen.de.