Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to help to tackle global poverty through Fairtrade principles.

The UK government is committed to tackle global poverty through the Fairtrade principles of decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. These principles are included throughout our work and show that between 2015/16 and 2018/19 we have supported 3.9 million people to raise their incomes or obtain or maintain better jobs or livelihoods.

The UK government has also been a strong supporter of the Fairtrade Foundation. DFID provided £20 million to Fairtrade International between 2010 and 2016 to make the global Fairtrade system stronger, including activities to improve traceability and transparent reporting within Fairtrade tea, coffee and cocoa supply chains. DFID also supported Fairtrade through the £30.3 million Responsible Accountable and Transparent Enterprise programme, funding Fairtrade to help them develop Fairtrace, a supply chain mapping tool. The UK government continues to be a vocal champion of their work.