From the 17 th to the 19 th of September 2007, the MFA Forum hosted its fourth international Convening. The meetings took place in London during the Fashion week and provided the opportunity for over 80 participants representing international brands and retailers, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, international institutions and donor agencies to get together address how to establish responsible practices of competitiveness in mitigating the negative impacts of the end of quota agreements.
The primary purpose of this meeting was for the MFA Forum to review the progress it has made in the past 6 months in countries, Bangladesh, Lesotho, Morocco and the Americas region, and discuss key policy and strategy decisions for the Forum as a whole. Please see below for slides from the Strategy and planning meeting and relevant Documents, Minutes and Action report will be available shortly.
On the 19 th in the afternoon the Forum hosted a public event ‘Positive buying: confronting the challenge between buying practices and workers’ rights’. Brands, civil society representatives and manufacturers debated the ethical challenges faced by the high street fashion industry. Please see slides and participant list below for more info.
Retailers face call to inform consumers about ethics The Independent, 19th September 2007
Ethical Trading Initiative members reach consensus on ethical buying decisions Newconsumer.com, 24th September 2007
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Action Report
Executive Summary MFB
Logical Framework
What constitutes a participant
What Success Looks Like
A Comparative Analysis between the Bangladesh Labor Law 2006 and the 7 General Codes of Conduct
Updates from the Multistakeholder Forum Bangladesh
Agenda
Participant list
Slides: Dan Rees, ETI
Slides: Jacki Belchambers, New Look
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Bangladesh Stakeholders Group
Lesotho Working Group
Morocco Working Group
Purchasing Practices Working Group
Responsible Transition Working Group
The MFA Forum’s Bi-Annual third International convening took place in Toronto in April 16th – 18th. The 3-day event provided the opportunity for over 80 participants representing international brands and retailers, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, international institutions and donor agencies to get together.
The primary purpose of this meeting was for the MFA Forum to review the progress it has made in the past 6 months in countries, Bangladesh, Lesotho, Morocco and the Americas region, and discuss key policy and strategy decisions for the Forum as a whole. Please see below for minutes from the individual group meetings, Action report, press releases and slides from the Public event and from the Strategy and Planning meeting.
Minutes from the Americas Working Group meeting
Minutes from the Open Bangladesh Buyers' Group meeting
Minutes from the Closed Bangladesh Buyers' Group meeting
Decisions from the Strategy & Planning meeting
Presentation from the Strategy & Planning meeting
Action Report from the Strategy & Planning meeting
Minutes from the Face to Face Morocco Romania Group
Outputs from the Public Event April 17 th PM:
The public event examined developments and trends since trade liberalization and explored what we can expect over the next three-year transition period, plus the challenges that the industry faces at this crucial time in it’s history.
Panel Discussion: How to create responsible competitiveness - Market Drivers – Critical Issues
Presentations by panelists:
Susan Hayter, ILO - Creating decent work in global supply chains (Powerpoint slides 560K)
Susan Proudman, Marks and Spencer, ‘Plan A - Because there is no Plan B’ (website link)
Michael Kobori, Levi Strauss & Co – Driving responsible competitiveness in global supply chain. (Powerpoint slides 115K)
Presentation from the group meeting - Leshotho:
ALAFA (Powerpoint Presentation 22MB)
Press Releases:
April 10th 2007. (77K)
April 12th 2007. (77K)
April 16th 2007. (77K)
Please contact Signe Jensen at the Secretariat for further information on +44 (2) 207 549 0400
Sustaining decent work in the textile and garment sector in the face of increased global competition
On Tuesday 5th September 2006 the MFA Forum hosted a public seminar in London on: "Sustaining Decent Work in the Textile & Garments Sector in the Face of Increased Global Competition." The public seminar provided a forum for an informed debate about responsible competition in the global garments industry, with a focus on the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garments sector. An esteemed delegation representing Bangladesh industry (BGMEA, BKMEA, and BEPZA), government, trade unions, and NGOs discussed the work that has been done in the last year with the international MFA Forum to improve working conditions and competitiveness in the industry, showcasing the work taking place in the MFA Forum's Bangladesh engagement. The MFA Forum's work in Bangladesh, and the public seminar, was sponsored by GTZ and DFID.
On September 5th-6th 2006, the MFA Forum had its biannual Strategy meeting. The meeting provided the opportunity for more than sixty participants representing governments, industry associations, international buyers and retailers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), trade unions and international institutions and donor agencies to convene to discuss the MFA Forum's current activities and next steps. Notably, delegations from Bangladesh and Lesotho were in attendance. The MFA Forum's Strategy Meeting and the conference report were sponsored by USAID. We would like to also thank Oxfam International for supporting trade union and NGO participation at the two-day event as well as the Levi Strauss Foundation and GAP for their support.
Download Action Report (168kb pdf)