RESOLUTION - R6

TITLE:                 Fair Trade Coffee

ORIGINAL SOURCE: World Affairs Committee

CONFERENCE ACTION:Carried

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

SOURCE OF FUNDS:Conference, annual meeting and local arrangement budgets

STAFFING IMPLICATIONS: satisfaction from participation in a just economic relationship distribution of list to Pastoral Charges of Trans Fair/FairTradeMark products

VOLUNTEER IMPLICATIONS: satisfaction from participation in a just economic relationship

MOTION BY Allan Baker/Frances Combs that this 77th annual meeting of the Toronto Conference of The United Church of Canada
•adopt a policy of serving coffee and tea with the TransFair/Fair TradeMark seal at its annual meeting, Conference committee and executive meetings, and Conference sponsored events;
•encourage all Presbyteries and congregations to serve coffee and tea with the TransFair/ Fair TradeMark seal at their regular meetings;
•and encourage Presbyteries and congregations to include in their Annual Reports a statement of whether or not coffee and tea with the TransFair/Fair TradeMark seal has been served at their meetings.


Rationale and Faith Base:
Ten Days for Global Justice, one of the ecumenical coalitions in which The United Church of Canada participates as a partner, undertook an initiative in 2000 to promote coffee with the TransFair / Fair TradeMark seal.

Coffee is an important agricultural export of nations of the 2/3 world. It is also a beverage that is commonly consumed at meetings of people in our church. This means that our consumption decisions are linked with the incomes of farmers in the 2/3 world.

Coffees with the TransFair / Fair TradeMark seal have been purchased directly from farmers or farm co-operatives at guaranteed fair prices.  Higher incomes mean that local communities can construct schools, medical facilities and other community infrastructure.

The FairTrade label stipulates :
•a price that covers the cost of production;
•a social premium for development purposes;
•partial payment in advance;
•contracts that allow long term production planning.
•
Our faith and ethical principles call us not to exploit our sisters and brothers in any part of God's world, but to conduct our economic relationships on a moral basis. We are all in this together and we are called to treat the whole of creation with respect and dignity.