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May 2012 - Vol 4 #5 GFI Newsletter: Job Creation and Fair Trade
2010 Fairness Award Recipient Honored by Georgetown University Ela
Bhatt, founder of the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in
India and recipient of the inaugural GFI Fairness Award, was awarded
an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Georgetown University's
Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service on May 19, 2012. In her
address, Ms. Bhatt spoke about the importance of questioning the
absurdities and inconsistencies the graduates will see in their
lives. Her own questions led to her decades-long efforts to ensure
recognition and protection for all workers. She encouraged graduates
to "serve," stressing that development is an overarching means of
"restoring balance" in the world.

Click on the link below to view Ms. Bhatt's address:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/22c86bc0a1

... And Leads Discussion on Women's Trade, Labor and Finance

On Friday, May 18th, GFI honored Ela Bhatt at a luncheon bringing
together President Jose Maria Figueres of Costa Rica,
Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer, and
other leaders from labor, business, government, and the development
community. Ms. Bhatt spoke of the challenges poor women around the
world face as they struggle to improve, or even maintain, their
livelihoods and the economic conditions of their families. Attendees
then engaged in a lively discussion of these barriers and of the need
to establish a council that would act as a single powerful voice for
women workers and producers. This council of women leaders from all
sectors would advocate for policy change ensuring women access to
finance, markets, labor and human rights, and decent work. With the
insights and recommendations offered by participants, GFI will work
to make this proposed council a reality.

Ms. Ela Bhat with GFI supporter Mary Galetti

G8 Nations Need Greater Focus on Formal Job Creation
During the 2012 Camp David Summit from May18-19, the G8 nations
agreed to promote economic growth through job creation. Leaders from
Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the
United States concurred that job expansion offers the best hope for
the future. U.S. President Barack Obama noted that the serious
economic downturn in the Eurozone affects the U.S. as well as other
countries far removed from Europe. Thus, the success of these goals
depends on coordinated collective action. This united effort to
stimulate job creation must avoid the short-term solution of informal
employment, which provides little opportunity for advancement, and
instead focus on expanding the formalized workforce.

Although informal employment can supplement struggling economies in
the short-term by bolstering production and income levels,
informality is associated with long-term economic stagnation.
Informal workers have little or no protection from labor abuses under
national legislation, often receiving severely reduced wages in
potentially unhealthy and unsafe work environments. Incomes earned
and assets procured through informal work can't be used as collateral
to obtain a loan, limiting the ability of both workers and firms to
increase wealth and raise investment capital. Informality is also
associated with a myriad of economic ills, including income
inequality, high prevalence of poverty, and misappropriated tax and
foreign aid funds. These issues can become systemic, affecting every
aspect of society if left unaddressed. Moving toward formalized job
creation is more essential than ever from the G8 during these trying
economic times.

While strategies seeking to reduce informality and transition workers
to the formal sector must be country-specific, they require
collaboration from all levels of society, including the private
sector, governments, and laborers. These strategies generally focus
on reforming existing business regulations to create an incentive for
informal firms to register their activities and hire more workers
formally. Additional strategies involve revising tax codes, and
adding to social security measures like unemployment insurance.
Overall, reducing informality would not only expand the job market
but also help to alleviate other issues G8 leaders cited at the
summit, including food shortages, high unemployment, and severe
poverty.

"Sustainable long-term solutions require a mentality change. If we
can see that we are all a large family living in the same world, we
realize
that the struggle of 15 million waste pickers is our struggle."

Albina Ruiz
2011 Fairness Award Honoree

Get Involved: Can $40 Really Make a Difference? -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/11d110bbd5 Have you seen the video? The impact you see there starts with
just a $40 investment in a small irrigation technology that has made
a big difference. The Global Fairness Initiative launched the BeFair
Campaign to bring low-cost technologies that improve livelihoods.
Farmer Livelihood Kits use low-cost drip irrigation and specialized
trainings to help farmers improve their nutrition and increase their
incomes by as much as 50%. Your contribution of $40 will deliver one
irrigation kit plus technical trainings to an indigenous farming
family in Guatemala and lay the path to real opportunity and
empowerment.

Donate just $40 or more and receive a
BeFair water bottle!

LEARN MORE AT
-
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/ca6ea19434 BEFAIRCAMPAIGN.ORG

DOES YOUR BUSINESS OFFER
MATCHING FUNDS? -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/0186d015d3 Together we can make a big difference in the lives of thousands of
farmers. Want to engage your colleagues in a high-impact campaign?
EMAIL Aalap at ashah@globalfairness.org and find ways your office can
help improve food security and economic opportunity in Northern
Guatemala!

News: Join the BeFair Campaign on June 22 at Josephine's in DC! -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/99a27cde21 The 30s and 40s group has been a strong suporter of the BeFair
campaign since the beginning, and on June 22 they will once more join
GFI at Josephine Lounge to raise awareness of affordable technologies
for the working poor.
Spread the word!
Josephine Lounge
June 22, 2012
1008 Vermont Ave, Washington DC
MAP -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/96f238f896/q=1008+Vermont+Ave+NW%2C+Washington%2C+DC

On Monday, May 21, our VCEP program was featured in Guatevision!

See a quick video and hear farmers' opinions on the progress made so
far! Click here -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/63fd0553e6/v=JKEYjvlghK4&feature=g-upl

-
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/a39daa9011/utm_content=hbiden%40rosemontseneca.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=Text%20Version%20-%20Link%208&utm_campaign=Job%20Creation%20and%20Fair%20Trade
Follow us!

The Global Fairness Initiative - 2122 P St NW Suite 302 - Washington,
DC 20037 -
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?GlobalFairnessInitia/8771cbcdf4/b91e6a0e30/cc0214c971/GlobalFairnessInitia/0e53e17f77/TEST/6a53ca102f www.globalfairness.org - - info@globalfairness.org
info@globalfairness.org - 1 (202) 898-9022

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