Today, on the third anniversary of the UN's launch of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all, the global fair trade movement has come together to launch the International Fair Trade Charter.

Just as the SDG address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice, the International Fair Trade Charter sets out a vision of a world in which justice, equity and sustainable development are at the heart of trade structures, business models and practices so that everyone, through their work, can maintain a decent and dignified livelihood and develop their full human potential.

The Charter, initiated by Fairtrade International and the World Fair Trade Organization, defines new models that build a stronger economy and environment for all. It has been recognized by an escalating number of diverse local, national and international organizations from across the cooperative, social enterprise, organic, farmer and global solidarity movements.

Mayan Hands is enthusiastically joins members of the Fair Trade Federation and the global fair trade movement urges policy-makers, business leaders, citizens and consumers to embrace the vision of the International Fair Trade Charter, to create a global trading system populated by supply chains and models of business that leave no one behind.

By supporting fair trade producers and businesses, advocating to transform the rules of global trade and buying fair trade products, we can all act to make sustainable and fair development a reality, and give the world a fighting chance of reaching the goals it set for itself three years ago.