CEBU CITY – Advocates of the fair trade movement in the Philippines are encouraged to collaborate with international counterparts in a bid to influence leaders in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to support their cause.

“We are getting together the support of fair trade groups around the world, including the Philippines to participate in pushing the fair trade principle to the WTO. The advocacy is meant to create equality in trade between world economies,” said Rudi Dalvai, former President of the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), and now head of the Consorzio Ctm Altromercato, the principal organization of fair trade in Italy.

According to Dalvai, the WFTO, whose membership has grown to 70 countries worldwide with 360 member organizations, could now create a unified stand in seeking for WTO intervention. He added that as a global organization, they will be presenting the best practices of fair trade to WTO, hopefully next year.

Fair Trade is a global movement aimed at alleviating poverty, providing opportunities to disadvantaged producers, ensuring fair and equitable working conditions and helping address climate change while generating profits.

Dalvai, in his recent trip to Cebu, visited different fair trade organizations here including the Southern Partners and Fair Trade Corp., which operates the country’s first fair trade retail shop.

“Fair trade advocacy is growing in Cebu,” he said. “We hear of commercial retail stores now wanting to partner with fair trade groups. If we could get a solid support from the Philippines, then together with the fair trade movement around the world, we will have a stronger voice in the WTO.”

According to Dalvai, opening trade within the WTO139 member-countries “may be unfair, if fair trade practice will not be given importance by the WTO.”

He said that opening trade barriers through “unfair trade” or lower tariff would disenfranchise local industries especially in developing and under-developed economies.

With fair trade products now entering into the mainstream market, Dalvai believes that the WTO should now look into the benefits of the fair trade movement to the world economy.