Pope Francis Presented with Luxembourg Gold Coin during Audience with Fairtrade International

A delegation from Fairtrade International met this week with Pope Francis at the Vatican Palace to introduce him to the work the Fairtrade movement is doing around the world to promote fairer trading conditions for more than 5 million producers and workers for the benefit of their families and their communities. 

The delegation of five Fairtrade representatives from Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, Africa and Latin America also presented the new global Fairtrade strategy for the next five years to show Pope Francis what Fairtrade sets up to achieve - more social and environmental justice for the world's most vulnerable populations.

The Fairtrade International delegation presented Pope Francis with a box set containing a selection of Fairtrade certified products, each of them accompanied by messages of support and gratitude from producers and workers around the world, inviting His Holiness to become an eminent voice to recall the issues that affect the living conditions of millions of producers and workers around the world. 

Among the products that were presented to Pope Francis, Jean-Louis Zeien, president of Fairtrade Lëtzebeurg, presented a special gift from Luxembourg, namely a Fairtrade certified gold coin, made on the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the independence of Luxembourg by the Banque Centrale du Luxembourg. This collector's item is more than a symbol of independence: it helps the miners and communities of Peru to overcome poverty - a symbol to show that behind each product hides a producer and / or a worker who deserves respect and fair trade.