Face of Fair Trade: Fair Trade Federation Executive Director, Carmen Iezzi

by zarah

Published October 16, 2008 @ 10:18AM PT

Being the incredibly busy lady that she is, I was grateful that Carmen Iezzi, Executive Director of the Fair Trade Federation, was able to take some time to answer a few questions for me.

Aside from managing all the strategic, administrative, and programmatic aspects of the evaluating body that is the FTF, she is a freelance writer and researcher, acts as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Ten Thousand Villages of Alexandria, and chairs the Millennium Development Goals Task Force for the UN Association of the National Capital Area. Somewhere along the way, I hope she finds the time to breathe, because I was running out of breath just typing all that out. That's not all! I haven't even listed what she did prior to all this. More on her superwoman abilities here.

Probing her mind about Fair Trade, much as I did with Manish, here is what she had to say.

How did you first get involved with Fair Trade?

I became involved in Fair Trade in graduate school at American University. While studying international development and international politics, I was  frustrated by the models we were learning about. None of them seemed to effectively break the cycle of poverty and dependency. Then, a friend of mine - who was working for SERRV International at the time and founded one of the first Fair Trade Student Associations in the US - introduced me to Fair Trade, because he thought it would address some of the concerns that I had.

Why is Fair Trade important to you or in general?

I appreciate Fair Trade's emphasis on partnership and respect; its attempts to create trading relationships that work for everyone in the supply chain and empower producer communities to help themselves. In addition, I find the spillover effects that result from Fair Trade partnerships one of its most important benefits: schools are builts, wells constructed, children fed by their parents who have not received an hand out from someone, but had an opportunity worthy of the dignity of a human person to take care of themselves.

What do you see as the challenges of the Fair Trade movement?

I think Fair Trade's greatest challenge in the next few years will be to clearly articulate its distinct - if complementary - approach to trade from other initiatives with which it is frequently mistaken (such as organic, buy local, and so-called green). We believe that trade should be used as a tool to help alleviate poverty, reduce inequality and create opportunities for people to help themselves. While these values may be shared by other groups, our approaches are different and it will be important for consumers to understand how their decision to choose products from Fair Trade Organizations (fully committed companies) make a difference and offer a holistic approach to trade justice.

Anything you want to add about Fair Trade, the movement in general and the Fair Trade Federation's role in it all?

The Federation envisions a just and sustainable global economic system in which purchasing and production choices are made with concern for the well-being of people and the environment, creating a world where all people have viable economic options to meet their own needs.  We seek to alleviate poverty by continually and significantly expanding the practice of trade that values the labor and dignity of all people.

For that reason, we take a different approach to some of the questions within Fair Trade and trade in general. We believe that credibility comes from demonstrating, through open and transparent interactions, the promises we make. We seek to maintain the highest standards and expectations of ourselves; and, we value organizations that aspire to fully embrace fair trade principles.

By dedicating our work to organizations which have Fair Trade at the heart of what they do, we seek to strengthen and distinguish them from others who may only have a partial (or no) commitment to Fair Trade and to making trade a force for positive change.

In the final Presidential Debates last night, when asked why he thought Sarah Palin would make a good Vice President, John McCain described her as a role model to women and reformers in the U.S. While for me, Ms. Palin doesn't fit my role model criteria, it made me reflect on role models in general, and I do believe that Carmen serves as a true role model in the Fair Trade movement. Thanks for your time, and everything you do, Carmen.