The International Fair Trade Towns Conference is an event that brings together campaigners, organisations, enterprises and communities from around the world to plan together to strengthen the global fair trade movement. It was attended this year by Wycombe for Fairtrade steering group chairman, Mike King, and its treasurer (his wife), Sheena King.

The theme for the conference this year was Your Town, Our World – Fair Trade Communities & Local Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Hosted at The Nucleus Building at the University of Edinburgh’s King’s Buildings Campus, the conference programme is full and aims to meet the following goals:

• To bring together local and global stakeholders committed to sustainability and wellbeing to highlight Fair Trade’s role in the drive for sustainable development and a new economy
• To share stories that exemplify local action for global change from local Fair Trade procurement, enterprise, political support and campaigning to global trade justice
• To platform Fair Trade Nation status as a grassroots campaign that can leverage a local and national commitment to the global goal of fairness, equity and sustainability

Click here for more information on the conference’s programme.

There follows as outline of the event.

Welcome to the International Fair Trade Towns Conference delegates at the Scottish Parliament building on Friday 29 th Aug 2025 by the Scottish Government.

Impressive architecture of the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.

Mike and Sheena King were among 60 delegates welcomed to Edinburgh by two ScottishMembers of Parliament in the afternoon, Foysol Choudhury SMP, and Sarah Boyack SMP.

They spoke to us in a committee room prior to the tour and were very proud that Scotland has a “Fairtrade Nation” status and that the Scottish government as well as Edinburgh City Council were two of five major sponsors of the Conference. Delegates had opportunities to ask the MPs questions before being taken on the tour of the Parliament building.

The light and spacious Scottish Parliament debating chamber.

The semi-circular debating chamber was very impressive and had spaces at the back for
public viewing. Fairtrade is an integral part of the Scottish government’s procurement policy.

Welcome to the International Fair Trade Towns Conference delegates at the Edinburgh City Council Chambers on Friday 29 th Aug 2025 at 6.30 pm by the Depute Lord Provost, Lezley Marion Cameron.

Scottish piper welcoming delegates to Edinburgh City Chambers with the IFTTC banner in the background

Edinburgh City Hall was a very impressive historic building where we were treated to wine and canapes and prior to the speeches, we were piped in by a woman in full highland dress.

Edinburgh City Council’s commitment to Fairtrade is highly commendable, while there are another 31 local authorities registered as Fairtrade counties, boroughs, towns, etc. who all support sustainable practices, environmental protection, fairness, and endorse the principles
of Fairtrade.

Welcome to the International Fair Trade Towns Conference delegates to Edinburgh City Chambers by the Scottish Fair Trade Conference Chairperson.

18th International Fair Trade Towns Conference – University of Edinburgh 29th August to 1st September 2025. Welcome

Mike and Sheena King attended this excellently organized Conference in Edinburgh in late August 2025. Over 250 delegates, from all over the world, attended the 18 th International Fair Trade Towns Conference in Edinburgh. People travelled from as far away as Japan, Nepal, South Korea, Peru, Bangladesh, and from many countries in Africa. The Conference theme was “Your Town, Our World – Fair Trade communities and Local Action” to achieve the 17 United Nations Development Goals. People began networking straight away.

Tabitha Nyariki, head of Scottish Fair Trade opened the conference, stated that “Human
Dignity” was at the centre of the Fairtrade movement. Bruce Crowther, founder of the Fair Trade Towns movement in Garstang, Lancashire, and the director of the Fig Tree Chocolate Company stated that when people say “you can’t do
that”, he believed that you “SHOULD STEP OUT AND DO IT ANYWAY”!