The Swedish city of Malmö has been declared the winner of the EU Cities for Fair and Ethical Trade Award 2021.
EU Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, announcing the winning city on 16 October at an event live-streamed from Ghent, Belgium, said that Malmö won for its holistic approach to integrating fair and ethical trade into its multicultural community of consumers, businesses and civil society, innovative policies and a forward-looking strategy.
The Geneva-based International Trade Centre (ITC) will provide technical assistance to implement a development project proposed as part of the winning bid. The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade will support ITC with €100,000 to help implement the project.
‘This award recognizes that in today’s interconnected world, making more sustainable choices at the local level in the European Union will have positive ripple effects on people’s livelihoods and the environment,’ ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said. ‘My hope is that we can scale up these kinds of interventions all across the globe and other cities can learn from the excellent example set by Malmö.’