Five allies* have volunteered to promote a new thematic group within the Alliance workshop "a socio-economy of solidarity" (see Caravan N°2, p.16). The ambition of the Fair Trade thematic group is to establish a fruitful dialogue between allies, producers, organizations, and other fair trade players. The results of these exchanges will be a contribution to the meetings of the Earth Citizens’ Assembly, and have an influence on fair trade practices.

The main objectives of the thematic group are:

• To build a space for debate and exchange (of information, experiences and proposals) on fair trade
• To raise awareness about fair trade among the signatories of the Platform for a responsible and united world
• To put challenges of fair trade into perspective

Lavinia Sommaruga and Federico Ceratti, two fair trade activists and allies, point out that fair trade and ethical consumption can be federative themes within the Alliance because they simultaneously question production, exchange and consumption conditions of goods and services on an international basis. Fair trade and ethical consumption offer a perspective from which several socio-economical challenges at the heart of the allies’ preoccupations can converge.

A background document is currently distributed within the Alliance, with the goal of creating a list of persons who are involved or interested in this area. Information about the Alliance will also be sent to other fair trade activists. From these contacts and exchanges will come a meeting of approximately fifteen people in 1999, with the objective of contributing to the collective process of the year 2001 Assembly.

* Members of thematic group: Lavinia Sommaruga (Communauté de travail Swissaid, Action de Carême, Pain pour le prochain, Helvetas, Caritas et Fondation Max Havelaard - Suisse); Michele Papagna (ACEC - Associazione per un consumo etico e consapevole - Italie); Federico Ceratti, Presidente (ACEA - Associazione per un consumo etico e alternativo e Goirnale della Natura - Italie); Laurent Fraisse (ADSP - Association pour le Développement des Services de Proximité ADSP - France); Pierre Johnson (Mexique)

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Following the international meeting of the Alliance for a Responsible and United World in Bertioga, Brazil, in December 97, a group was formed to pursue the considerations that were broached during the meeting and to spark off a discussion among people and groups working on the Humankind / Biosphere theme. Polis - International Network in Environmental Education (Greece) has taken responsibility for carrying out the project and has opened a discussion forum on the relations between Humankind and the Biosphere. The forum takes place on an electronic mailing list via e-mail, but it also uses more traditional means of communication (regular mail and fax).

The forum has started with a paper on Soil management and its cultural components, proposed by Professor Rabah Lahmar, Coordinator of the Soil Campaign of the Alliance. Further discussions will focus on the following subjects: Genetically Modified Organisms, facilitated by Robert Ali Brac de la Perriere (France); Marine Resource Management, facilitated by Sebastian Matthew (India); Cross-disciplinarity in Environmental Education, facilitated by Jean-Paul Braux (France); Water Management, facilitated by Larbi Bouguerra (Tunisia - France); The Sustainable-development Concept, facilitated by Larbi Bouguerra; Citizenship, Autonomy, and Social Justice in Environmental Education, facilitated by Marcos Reigota (Brazil).

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Alfredo Morbelli (Italy) proposes to start a working group - an international group, if possible – with the aim to present the situation of world population, its predictable development and its ecological, social and economic consequences to the allies before 31^st December 2000.

The working group must have at least three members preferably of different nationalities who will be able to communicate via fax or email.

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The Italian group of the Alliance met on 23^rd and 24^th January 1999 at Florence (Italy) and initiated a thought process on the possible expression of the European continent during the 2001 Assembly. "What kind of Europe do we want?" is the title of the proposed European Workshop which should link all the allies of the continent in a European project (What are Europe’s priorities?).

Dates for future meetings have already been scheduled where allies can meet and work out this idea.

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In the previous issue of Caravan, Cécile Sabourin, an ally and professor at the University of Quebec, had initiated the debate on women and Socio-Economy of Solidarity. This concern is also shared by l’Agence pour le Développement des Services de proximité (ASDP – France) which is planning to organise a meeting on the Role and place of women in a Socio-Economy of Solidarity in 1999 along with its Francophone and European partners.

This falls in line with the concern expressed by numerous women allies during the international meeting at Bertioga in 1997 where the inevitable role of women in globalisation for constructing a sustainable international alliance was expressed.

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