The Fair Traders Cooperative supports
the International Year of Cooperatives 2012

The United Nations has declared 2012 as the International Year of Cooperatives, in order to highlight the contribution cooperatives make to socio-economic development, and to recognise their impact on reducing poverty, generating employment and improving social integration.

Specific goals of the International Year of Cooperatives are:

• to increase public awareness about cooperatives and their contributions to socio-economic development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals
• to promote the formation and growth of cooperatives
• to encourage governments to establish policies, laws and regulations conducive to the formation, growth and stability of cooperatives.

As well as being a cooperative ourselves, many of the fairly traded products that we stock at The Fair Traders Cooperative are supplied by small producer and artisan cooperatives around the world. Working through cooperatives enables small producers to work together, control their own businesses, ensure all workers have an equal say, earn a decent income and invest together to improve life for their whole community.

The Fair Traders Co-operative will of course be supporting the International Year of Cooperatives initiative with events, offers and information on the cooperatives who supply us. Watch this space!