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Contributions from
the Column
Facts and trends
World Bank Board endorses
management response
A parliament for Somalia
Common Code for the
Coffee Community
Corruption: World Bank sanctions Acres Ltd.
Development policy
and terrorism
Peaceworkers wanted
Lending guidelines overhauled
Wieczorek-Zeul pledges
German assistance
Bad marks for the IMF
10/2004
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Common Code for the Coffee Community
After a year and a half of talks, representatives of coffee producers, coffee traders, NGOs and trade unions agreed on a code of conduct for sustainable coffee production and trade, the Common Code for the Coffee Community. The idea of the code is to have basic social, environmental and economic standards observed in the coffee sector – from better pay and accommodation for seasonal workers to environmentally acceptable use of chemicals and protection for tropical forests.
The multi-stakeholder dialogue was launched early 2003 by the German Development Ministry and the German Coffee Association. The negotiating parties also agreed on a process for verifying compliance with the code. Nevertheless, human rights organisation FIAN, which participated in the dialogue on behalf of German development NGOs, refused to endorse the code as it stands. It wants to see traders required to steadily increase the amount of certified coffee they buy. To strengthen the negotiating position of small producers, FIAN also believes the trade should be required to publish the (freely negotiable) premiums prescribed by the code. (ell)
Further information:
http://www.sustainable-coffee.net/
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