Maine Fair Trade Campaign's Mission Statement

Mission Statement and Purpose

The mission of the Maine Fair Trade Campaign is to oppose unjust, unsustainable international trade policies and to work for the creation of socially, economically, and environmentally just trade policies and a fair global economy.

The purpose of the Maine Fair Trade Campaign (MFTC) is to educate, organize and mobilize organizations and individuals to work for the creation of just trade policies and a fair global economy that respects working people, family farmers, our environment, and our democracy. We forward this purpose through education, statewide organizing and coalition building, state and national legislative work and lobbying, and the promotion of local and global fair trade alternatives. The MFTC works to help make the connections between international trade and economic policies and their local impact on Maine workers and small businesses, Maine's environment and Maine's democracy. In all of our work as a coalition, we do not take any actions that would injure member organizations in the coalition.

Statement of Principles

We believe that the current global economy and current international trade policies are not random, inevitable creations of nature, but are the product of political decisions often driven by powerful corporate and economic interests. We recognize that the real issue in the debate over US trade policy is what rules should govern the global economy, whose interest they should serve, and who should set these rules. We support the development of rules that benefit the many rather than the few, to be written and enforced as democratically and openly as possible.
We are united in a common belief that international trade and investment are not ends unto themselves, but instead must be viewed as a means for achieving other societal goals such as economic justice, human rights, healthy communities and a sustainable environment. We fully support fair trade policies that move towards those goals.