Ghent wins inaugural EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award
(Brussel) – Ghent has been declared winner of the EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award 2019.
Announcing the winning city, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Trade, and Arancha González, Executive Director for the International Trade Centre (ITC), said that the jury had landed on Ghent for its clear strategy, and especially its long-standing and wide-ranging efforts to promote fair and ethical trade.
As winner of the EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award 2019, Ghent will be working with ITC to implement a development project on sustainable trade. ITC will work with the city to define the project of its choice – which will take place in the global south – and will provide technical assistance towards its implementation. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade will support ITC with €100,000 to benefit this city project.
According to the jury, Ghent has demonstrated that the values represented by fair and ethical trade are deeply engrained in the city’s vision. The city has proven that it actively creates a thriving environment for fair and ethical trade initiatives. A highly interconnected city, Ghent promotes multi-level action having put in place a strategic and sustainable public-procurement approach that motivates businesses and engages civil society. The jury noted that these efforts advance the transformation of the city’s business eco-system towards more sustainable production, consumption and trade.
In her introductory remarks at the Award Ceremony held in Brussels today, Arancha González, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre (ITC) remarked, “We need cities to be part of the solution to achieving our shared global compass of the United Nations Global Goals. This 2030 agenda is not just a nation state agenda or a UN agenda. It is your agenda as well. Inclusive and sustainable trade- what I often call ‘good trade’ – is a mechanism to achieve the SDGs. And this is why the EU Cities supporting fair and ethical trade matters.”
In addition to Ghent, six other European cities were shortlisted for the Award: Dortmund, Lyon, Madrid, Malmö, Saarbrücken and Vitoria-Gasteiz. The seven cities were selected following a competitive process, which saw 18 EU cities bid for the Award.
In addition to Ghent, four other candidates were given Special Mentions for their achievements for outstanding efforts to promote fair and ethical trade.
A Special Mention for Innovation went to Lyon for its comprehensive and holistic approach towards fair and ethical trade and sustainable development, spearheading many innovative ideas for impact.
A Special Mention for Education and Community Participation went to Dortmund for pursuing a fair-trade municipal kindergarten certification project that helps support a new generation of sustainably conscious consumers – as well as for other inspiring projects engaging local communities.
A Special Mention for Global Partnerships went to Madrid for its vast global connectedness and leadership in cross-continental city networks, spearheading the values represented by fair and ethical trade.
A Special Mention for Inspiring Procurement Practice went to Saarbrücken for its extensive sustainable public procurement policy promoting compliance with conventions of the International Labour Organization, and covering non-traditional procurement categories.
All the short-listed cities will help sow the seeds of a new EU Fair and Ethical Trade network, which sets out to share best-practices and other forms of cooperation among European cities and in partner countries. The first network meetings will be held in late 2018.
To find out more about the individual initiatives in the short-listed cities, see the official Trade City Award website at www.trade-city-award.eu.
Note for the Editor
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The International Trade Centre is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. ITC assists small and medium-sized enterprises in developing and transition economies to become more competitive in global markets, thereby contributing to sustainable economic development within the frameworks of the Aid-for-Trade agenda and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. For more information, visit www.intracen.org
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