Speech by President of the Republic Tarja Halonen at Fairtrade Finland's 10th-anniversary seminar at Finlandia Hall on 27 March 2009

Among the most important objectives of Finland's development policy are eliminating poverty and promoting sustainable development. This is a major challenge, since over 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty according to UN statistics.

Poverty manifests itself in many ways. Undernourishment increases susceptibility to illness and drives people to desperate acts. Poverty particularly afflicts women and children who are in the most vulnerable position and for whom education is unaffordable. Work is not always available or income from work is not sufficient to support families. Child labour is used to make ends meet, which endangers children's health and keeps them out of school. Poverty thus forms a vicious cycle that must be broken.

Fairtrade principles are based on the same objectives as Finland's development policy. Fighting poverty is about shared responsibility. To promote developing countries' economic and social development, broad measures are needed. Our prosperity and sharing it with others are part of our common world.

Achieving sustainable development requires respect for human rights. Fairtrade criteria concerning compliance with the International Labour Organization's agreements, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Declaration of Children's Rights are a demonstration of solidarity. Consumers' own choices have also managed to awaken large companies' interest in improving workers' conditions. The right to decent working conditions, legitimate payment for work and the freedom to organize belong to everyone.

Fairtrade criteria also take environmental protection into account. Strict environmental criteria draw attention to environmental friendliness throughout the production chain. The good supervision and monitoring of criteria help ensure compliance, but as the range of products expands this will become more challenging.

Through Fairtrade concrete measures have been taken to make things better. What is most essential is to improve people's living conditions through their own work, which increases people's possibilities to control their own lives. Paying farmers a guaranteed price for products also brings longer-term economic stability. The rise in the standard of living is directly reflected in families' welfare and plays a key role in fighting poverty.

The best preconditions for achieving broader changes are based on local needs and action, in which case society is strengthened from within. The Fairtrade premium has been used to meet the needs of the whole village community by building wells and schools and educating people. Meeting needs has been up to the village community. People should have the right to decide matters locally and to feel empowered.

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The strength of Fairtrade is broad cooperation among different actors from the very beginning. Work has been encouraging for instance with regard to solidarity between the business world, civil society and the public sector. It is a question of strong commitment to the same sustainable values.

All of us must also bear responsibility for our world's well-being as consumers. Many of the foods we eat daily are grown in developing countries, so Fairtrade products with their broad range give people an opportunity to perform small acts every day to promote world development.

Fairtrade has taught consumers to act fairly towards people and nature. The growth in the number of Fairtrade cities, municipalities and congregations is an indication of increased shared responsibility. At the official residence in Mäntyniemi and at the Presidential Palace we also drink Fairtrade coffee, and it is served to guests at the Independence Day reception.

I wish to express my warmest thanks to all of you who are involved in Fairtrade. Over the years the Fairtrade label has become a familiar and reliable guarantee of ethical products. The choices made by individuals thus have real significance. I wish you all the best in your work for shared values and in meeting the growth objectives you have set for Fairtrade.