Tag Archives: President Bill Clinton

Sustainable Sourcing and Fair Trade for All

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Earlier today, I was at the William J. Clinton Foundation in New York attending a conversation on Sustainable Sourcing and Fair Trade for All. The event brings together a small group of prominent leaders who, together, are transforming supply chains around the world. Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari was invited to the event on behalf of Skoll Foundation, Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, Avina Foundation and Fair Trade USA. Unfortunately, Pierre was unable to attend, but I was pleased to accept on behalf of Heifer.

Bill Clinton and Paul Rice

President Bill Clinton (right) and Fair Trade USA President and CEO Paul Rice (left) at the William J. Clinton Foundation in New York on Dec. 11, 2012.

The Fair Trade concept can be traced to cooperation in the 60s, 70s and 80s that was formed out of a shared sense of justice and solidarity for coffee producers in Latin America. The result of this solidarity led (and still leads) to tangible improvements in the income, health and education of coffee growers. From there, simple technologies and support from various organizations transformed producers into processors and later into exporters. Income grew for coffee farmers, and so did the organizations supporting them. As momentum for Fair Trade increased, additional crops or goods were included, such as bananas, cacao, handicrafts and others.

Years later, what began as an expression of solidarity is now generating significant revenue and demanding more and more professional support for the organizations involved. That means the Fair Trade conversation has changed, although it retains its spirit.

At the William J. Clinton Foundation today, we talked about “sustainable sourcing,” which takes environmental and social responsibility into account when procuring resources like coffee, and the barriers that keep sustainability from full integration into supply chains. Additionally, we discussed Fair Trade USA’s Fair Trade for All vision, which sets out to double “the impact of Fair Trade for farmers” in the next decade and “improv(e) lives throughout the global coffee supply chain.” Fair Trade USA’s vision is centered on: 1) strengthening farming communities by investing in cooperatives and partnering with others to provide support services, with a focus on quality and business capacity, 2) including more farmers, farm workers and communities in the benefits of Fair Trade, and 3) engaging consumers to increase market demand for Fair Trade Certified products and grow sales and impact.

According to Paul Rice, president and CEO of Fair Trade USA, these elements provide a “new model for capitalism that aligns the interest of farmers, consumers and the Earth where everybody wins. The journey begins with the farmer/producer and brings the heart back into business and awakens the mind of consumers.”

As you might expect, today’s conversation was engaging and motivating. Tune in later this week to read my perspective on the event and how Heifer International fits into the picture.

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Abastecimiento sostenible y Comercio Justo para todos

Hoy más temprano, estaba en la Fundación de William J. Clinton en Nueva York, asistiendo a una charla sobre Abastecimiento Sostenible y Comercio Justo para Todos. El evento juntó a un pequeño grupo de líderes prominentes que juntos, están transformando las cadenas de suministros alrededor del mundo. El Presidente Ejecutivo de Heifer International, Pierre Ferrari, fue invitado al evento de parte de la Skoll Foundation, Clinton Giustra Sustainable Growth Initiative, Avina Foundation y Fair Trade USA. Desafortunadamente, Pierre no pudo asistir, pero yo estaba encantado de aceptar de parte de Heifer.

El concepto de Comercio Justo se remonta a la cooperación en los años 60, 70 y 80, el cual se formó desde el sentido compartido de justicia y solidaridad por los productores de café de América Latina. El resultado de esta solidaridad condujo (y todavía conduce) a mejoras tangibles en el ingreso, salud y educación de los cultivadores de café. Desde ahí, tecnologías simples y apoyo de varias organizaciones transformaron a los productores en procesadores y después en exportadores. El ingreso creció para los agricultores de café, como también las organizaciones que los apoyaban. Mientras que el ímpetu del Comercio Justo aumentaba, se incluyeron cosechas y bienes adicionales, como las bananas, el cacao, artesanías y otros.

Años después, lo que comenzó como una expresión de solidaridad, ahora genera beneficios significantes y exige más y más apoyo profesional de las organizaciones involucradas. Esto significa que el discurso del Comercio Justo ha cambiado, aunque mantiene su espíritu.

En la Fundación de William J. Clinton hoy en día hablamos de “abastecimiento sostenible”, que toma en cuenta la responsabilidad medioambiental y social  en la búsqueda de recursos como el café, y las barreras que evitan que la sostenibilidad se integre por completo en las cadenas de suministros. Además, discutimos la visión del Comercio Justo para Todos de Fair Trade USA, que propone doblar “el impacto del Comercio Justo para los agricultores” en la siguiente década y “mejorar vidas a través de la cadena global de suministro del café.” La visión de Fair Trade USA se centra en: 1) fortalecer las comunidades agricultoras invirtiendo en cooperativas y asociaciones con otros, para proveer servicios de apoyo, con un enfoque en la calidad y en la capacidad de negocios; 2) incluir más agricultores, trabajadores agrícolas y comunidades en los beneficios del Comercio Justo y 3) comprometer a los consumidores a aumentar la demanda en el mercado de Productos de Comercio Justo Certificados y aumentar las ventas e impacto.

De acuerdo a Paul Rice, Presidente Ejecutivo de Fair Trade USA, estos elementos proporcionan un “nuevo modelo para el capitalismo que reune los intereses de los agricultores, los consumidores y la Tierra, donde todo el mundo gana. El trayecto comienza en el agricultor/productor y trae el corazón de vuelta al negocio y despierta la mente de los consumidores.”

Como seguramente espera, la conversación de hoy fue comprometedora y motivadora. Sintonízate esta semana para leer mi perspectiva sobre el evento y cómo Heifer International encaja en la imagen.

Clinton Global Initiative: Designing for Impact

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It has been a whirlwind of events lately. First, I had an amazing three-week visit to Asia (India, Nepal, and Cambodia), then I traveled to California to be a part of Heifer International’s first “Beyond Hunger: A Place at the Table” event, and last week I was honored to attend the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York.

Young girls in Haiti participating in a Heifer International project

Project participants of Heifer International's goat value chain program proudly display their work. Photo courtesy of Heifer International

CGI is an extraordinary event that brings together an amazing group of individuals working in different fields to “turn ideas into action.” Heifer has had a presence at CGI since its inception in 2005. Last year was my first time to attend, and Heifer was privileged to present our Commitment to REACH: Rural Entrepreneurs for Agricultural Cooperation in Haiti.

Heifer International breeding center in Haiti

Heifer International's Tet Kole breeding center breaks ground near Port-au-Prince as part of its commitment to develop livestock micro-enterprises in Haiti. Photo by Dave Anderson, courtesy of Heifer International.

With our CGI Commitment, Heifer is working to strengthen social capital, support community building and develop rural enterprises in Haiti. REACH will improve the economic opportunities of 20,250 rural households over a period of five years in Haiti through Heifer’s proven approach of sustainable development. We are working with farmers to train them to develop their own livestock micro-enterprises.

The theme of this year’s CGI meeting was “Designing for Impact.” The charge is that we all need to be more efficient, more effective, and making the best uses of our resources. Heifer is already moving in this direction and has defined priorities that will help us increase our impact to help more families than ever before. In addition to reaffirming Heifer’s Commitment to REACH, I also looked this year to connect with potential partners for our some of our largest projects that would support our efforts in turning small farmers into business people on a scale large enough to transform entire communities and industries. We currently have successful partnerships, including Green Mountain Coffee, DANONE, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

An additional topic at CGI was gender equity. If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you know that women’s empowerment is an important and recurring theme for Heifer. Our approach, impact and success demonstrate that when we work in partnership with women, families benefit, communities advance and positive change occurs exponentially.

On a final note, I’d like to congratulate President Clinton on an amazing event. The energy was captivating, and I can’t wait to build on the relationships that have been formed.

Behind the Scenes at Heifer International’s Beyond Hunger Event

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Last Friday evening, Heifer International hosted its first ever Beyond Hunger event. I attended to provide support as Heifer’s PR manager, and I’d like to give you an insider’s view of the night. Stay tuned later this week for video clips of the evening’s highlights. Photos courtesy of Heifer International.

Ted Danson and Mary SteenburgenLiving the Hollywood event was a bit of a blur – the stars walking the “green” carpet, the reporters asking questions, ladies posing in pretty dresses (and high heels) for the cameras, and then me, decidedly unglamorous, there with a head set not so discreetly attached to my dress. My job was to prep, escort and in some cases stall our celebrity guests as they taped a short video public service announcement for Heifer International. I’m happy to report all the stars gladly sang our praises and gave personal accounts of how and why Heifer resonates with them.

Once the dinner got started, so did the speeches. All were impressive, but I was most in awe of Heifer’s own Beatrice Biira. I’ve read Beatrice’s Goat many times, but hearing her tell the story of receiving a goat at age 9, in her own words, her own voice, describing her dreams of going to school to learn that “funny” language they speak (she was referring to English) was truly mesmerizing. She spoke about her parents not having enough money to see a doctor for malaria medication and that having the $20.00 needed to pay for a semester of school would have been a luxury. That all changed when a goat, Mugisa, meaning “blessing,” came to her family, providing her with nutritious milk and means to make money by selling the surplus.

Beatrice Biira

She ended her speech stating that is was with humble gratitude that she thanked Heifer donors for their support allowing her to be a success story. Her speech was so emotionally inspiring that Mechad Brooks, turned to me and said, “I want to go on a trip with Heifer.”

We were fortunate to have videos from the Most Reverend Desmond Tutu and President Bill Clinton praising Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson, honorees of the evening and recipients of the FIRST Noble Globe, for their commitment and dedication to Heifer’s mission.

 

 

 

Colbie CaillatThe most entertaining part of the evening was the performance by Colbie Calliat. As she addressed the crowd, she admitted she had only recently been introduced to Heifer International, but because of Beatrice Biira’s story she was inspired and impressed by Heifer’s impact on communities. She rocked the room and brought the crowd to their dancing feet with her hit “Brighter Than The Sun.”

At the end of the night I felt proud of the work that went into the event by the entire team (those present and those in Little Rock) and thankful to be part of an organization that seeks to empower women and transform lives for generations to come.