Fair Trade and Gender Justice (Spring 2009)

Project Description: In spring 2009, the Leitner Clinic focused on fair trade and gender  justice in partnership with the Collective for Research and Development-Action (CRTD.A), an NGO based in Beirut, Lebanon. The Leitner Clinic served in a consultancy capacity and researched and drafted a strategy and advocacy document for CRTD.A that focused on fair trade, human rights, and gender justice within  the Lebanese context. The Leitner team consisted of Fordham Law students Fawyziyya Fox (`10) and Mani Mostofi (`09) and was supervised by Prof. Chi Mgbako.

Partner Organization: The Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action (CRTD.A) is a  non-governmental organization based in Beirut. Whether working in Lebanon or across the Arab World primarily in Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria, CRTD.A seeks to contribute to the social development of local communities and organizations through enhancing capacities in gender analysis, gender and development, and poverty and exclusion, for the purpose of contributing to creating a more just and equitable environment.

Project Outcome: The Leitner Clinic students and faculty served in a consultancy capacity and researched and drafted a strategy and advocacy document for CRTD.A that explored the following key issues:

1) How different organizations in the Global South have organized workers into co-ops for fair trade export  marketing of their products and formed subsidiary businesses to market and distribute the products in the Global North;

2) How different organizations in the Global South have engaged in advocacy around the issue through, for example, lobbying at the United Nations, research and report-writing, and other advocacy methods aimed at engaging in the dialogue on gender equality and trade; and

3) Applied these comparative lessons to the Lebanese context by exploring ways that CRTD.A can establish an advocacy platform regarding gender and fair trade and most importantly, concrete steps that CRTD.A can take to establish co-ops for fair trade marketing among the rural women cooperatives in CRTD.A’s  program.