Hansard

At the outset, I thank Clare Adamson for lodging her motion. I wish her well and hope that she has a speedy recovery. I also thank my colleague Gordon MacDonald for stepping in so well.

In addition, I thank colleagues from all parts of the chamber who have shared stories from their constituencies, which has highlighted—as Gordon MacDonald set out so well—the level of support that exists for the fair trade movement in communities up and down the country.

I will reflect on some of the contributions that we have heard. Gordon MacDonald was absolutely right to congratulate the Balerno fair trade village group and the schools in his constituency, as well as those that he mentioned in Newmains and Morningside in Clare Adamson’s constituency; I previously represented those schools when I was in the House of Commons.

Sharon Dowey mentioned the Scottish Fair Trade Forum, which I will come to, and rightly congratulated the Honeybee and the Hare cafe in the region that she represents. I pay tribute to Colin Smyth for his work in Parliament and his region on promoting and prioritising fair trade. I also echo his thanks to those who campaign in schools and communities to promote fair trade.

Paul McLennan reminded us why the issue is important, given the horrific events that we are seeing in Ukraine. As we know, the human cost of that is not felt by Ukraine in isolation—it is spread much more widely. As we look to ensure food supplies around the world, we must do so with fairness and with producers in mind.

Maggie Chapman rightly reminded us all of our collective and individual responsibilities, and pointed out that fair trade is not about charity but is about justice and rights.

Ruth Maguire mentioned the North Ayrshire Fairtrade zone group—I, too, congratulate the group—and reminded us of the work that we still have to do to extend availability of products to ensure better treatment for, for instance, the cocoa farmers in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana.

Sarah Boyack highlighted some real examples of the benefits—in Bolivia, Rwanda and Malawi—that fair trade delivers for people. She was right to say that we have more to do.

In my constituency of Airdrie and Shotts, Airdrie became a Fairtrade town in 2015 and North Lanarkshire Council achieved Fairtrade status in 2020. In addition, many organisations such as Shotts healthy living centre and St Andrew’s Hospice sell fair trade goods. Members are absolutely right to draw on those experiences. I thank those organisations for the work that they are doing.

Nevertheless, as Sarah Boyack and other members have said, we have more work to do. The year 2023 will mark 10 years since Scotland achieved fair trade nation status. We were rightly proud of that accolade back in 2013, and we continue to take pride in it as we prepare to renew our commitment to fair trade for a second time. Next year, an expert panel will decide whether we can continue to call ourselves a fair trade nation.

However, what does being a fair trade nation mean? How does it help the 700 million people around the world who still exist on less than $2 a day; the 63 million children who still do not have access to education; or the 55 per cent of people living in rural areas who do not have access to soap and water? Being a fair trade nation means that, in everything that we do as a country, the principles of fairness, social justice and gender equity are at the forefront of our minds.

It also means that, as a Government, those principles must be at the heart of our policies. Gordon MacDonald set out perfectly the impact that that has on people around the world. That includes policies such as our commitment to ensuring that more of our funding goes directly to our partner countries, thereby shifting the balance of power and supporting people in Malawi, Rwanda and Zambia to build more resilient and equal communities.

At the 26th United Nations climate change conference of the parties—COP26—we committed to increasing our climate justice fund to £36 million over the current session of Parliament, thereby providing additional support for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable communities.

From April 2022, we will start to increase our international development fund by 50 per cent, to £15?million per year, with the first increase, to £11.5 million, being due next month. In doing so, our programme will continue to recognise the needs of communities in our partner countries that are impacted by Covid-19, and we will carry on with our efforts of the past two years to provide them with support as they build back from the pandemic.

We also remain committed to responding to global crises through our £1 million per year humanitarian emergency fund, which has, over the past two years, been activated for Lebanon, Niger, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Afghanistan and, most recently, Burkina Faso.

Nevertheless, our funding is only one part of our contribution and support for the global south. Our approach on policy coherence for sustainable development makes it clear that our wider policies in Government, and how people in Scotland embrace active global citizenship, also play huge parts in Scotland’s global impact and contribution. Our buying choices and our commitment to fair trade are a key part of that.

Being successful in our bid to renew our fair trade nation status will be due in no small part to the efforts of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum. The forum, which has been core funded from the international development fund since 2007, has worked tirelessly to build support for the fair trade movement across all sections of Scottish society. In all that it does—its engagement with fair trade groups from the Borders to the islands; the annual Fairtrade awards, which recognise the achievements of individuals, community groups and businesses; and its work in schools, helping teachers to educate the next generation about being good global citizens—the forum has been driving forward change.

The work of schools has been a thread in the debate, so I should say that my oldest two children, Isla and Finlay, have been learning about fair trade in their school. That is so important because they have become not just advocates but—-to be frank—evangelists for ensuring that we buy fair trade goods when we are out getting the messages.

I am proud of all that has been achieved since we became a fair trade nation, but it is vital that we keep up the momentum. That is why I am pleased to announce, in addition to the £1.7 million that the Scottish Government has already provided to build its capacity, the Scottish Fair Trade Forum will be provided with another £324,000 over the next two financial years to take forward our fair trade nation work. In addition, I have—like many of my fellow members—signed the Scottish Fair Trade Forum’s pledge. In doing so, I am committing to take action to promote Scotland’s fair trade nation status.

When global catastrophes occur, whether they be natural disasters such as the recent devastation that was caused by tropical storm Ana in Malawi, or acts of aggression such as the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, we feel compelled to act. However, while pictures of the daily struggles of fair trade farmers and producers rarely make the headlines, the challenges that they face, day after day, simply to put food on the table, are a harsh reality for millions of people.

Sometimes it can feel like there is little that we can do to change that, but the simple fact is that there is something that we can do. We can make a huge difference just by choosing products that carry the Fairtrade mark, the next time we shop. The Fairtrade premium ensures that farmers and producers can feed their families, build homes, buy medicines and send their children to school. Those are basic human needs—things that many of us take for granted—but for some, they are luxuries that remain out of reach.

Together, we can change that. Time and again, the people of Scotland demonstrate that we are a caring nation. Whenever there is a cry, whether it be from close to home or from the furthest corners of the earth, we will do all that we can to help. I thank Clare Adamson, Gordon MacDonald and colleagues for their leadership in that regard today.