EUROBAN is a network of European civil society organisations that work collaboratively with civil society organisations in other continents to help achieve socially just, economically viable and environmentally sound tropical fruit industries.
There are 12‐15 active member organisations from 10 European Member States. EUROBAN works closely with Southern partners (the Caribbean Farmer’s Association (WINFA), the Latin American Regional Coordination of Banana and Other Agro Industrial Worker Unions (COLSIBA), the Fako Agricultural Workers Union, Cameroon (FAWU), the General Agricul tural Workers Union of Ghana TUC (GAWU), FARMCOOP, Philippines, and the Regional Union of Campesinos of Litoral, Ecuador (UROCOL) who represent the beneficiaries of EUROBAN activity; plantation workers and small producers.
EUROBAN also works closely with the International Union of Food and Allied Workers (IUF) and the International Labor Rights Forum, USA (ILRF).
Strengthening the EUROBAN network is a key activity of Make Fruit Fair, to improve living and working conditions for people who grow, pick and pack tropical fruit. Objectives of the Make Fruit Fair project relating to EUROBAN include involving more organisations (from New Member States), developing a sustainable funding strategy, and empowering project partners to engage in World Banana Forum. A number of Make Fruit Fair partners, including BanaFair (Germany), Banana Link (UK) and Peuples Solidaires (France) are already active members of EUROBAN.
EUROBAN and our partners, WINFA, COLSIBA and the IUF, helped drive the creation of the Forum. EUROBAN members and our Southern partners participate in the Working Groups of the Forum, on Sustainable Production Systems and Environmental Impact; Distribution of Value; and Labour Rights.
EUROBAN is also represented on the Steering Commitiee of the Forum.
EUROBAN members log in below to the secure EUROBAN section of this website.
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If you would like to find out more about EUROBAN, contact: coord.euroban@gmail.com
The vision of EUROBAN is to work towards:
1. full respect for social, human and labour rights throughout tropical fruit supply chains;
2. full respect for women’s rights throughout tropical fruit supply chains;
3. secure livelihoods for female and male workers and female and male small‐scale producers;
4. fair commercial conditions for producers in tropical fruit industries with an overall sustainable distribution of income along value chains;
5. the elimination of environmental damage caused by tropical fruit industries;
6. a change in corporate behaviour, including the abuses of retailer buyer power that currently damage the environment, the rights and livelihoods of female and male workers and female and male small‐scale producers and consumers, along the supply chain;
7. overcoming the inequity and unsustainability of the current trade policies of national governments, the European Union and other multilateral entities in matters concerning tropical fruit production and trade, to enable other objectives to be met; and
8. synergy with organizations that share our objectives, whether or not their core activities are in the same or other social, economic or geographical areas as EUROBAN.
EUROBAN supports and facilitates its members and partners to:
1. cooperate closely with other civil society organisations, particularly trade unions and small‐scale producer organizations, to develop alternative proposals and take international action, whilst also developing dialogue and joint proposals with tropical fruit companies and retailers.
2. back initiatives to reduce the negative environmental impacts of tropical fruit industries including measurable reduction and strict control of the use of agrochemicals (including encouragement of organic production and consumption), better waste and water management, protection of biodiversity and better health and safety protection for female and male workers and female and male small‐scale producers.
3. lobby policy makers to stop the negative impacts of corporate behaviour and to ensure the voices of female and male workers and female and male small‐scale producers are heard in the decision making of companies, governments and other policy makers.
4. promote responsible consumption and awareness of consumers through public education activities and the proactive dissemination of information about what goes on in tropical fruit industries.
5. constructively engage with voluntary certification schemes to ensure that these standards actually deliver tangible benefits for both female and male workers and female and male small‐scale producers, including payment of prices that cover real costs of production and the payment of living wages.
6. develop, disseminate, and advocate for innovative trade policy reforms by national governments, the European Union and other multilateral entities.
7. cooperate with other civil society organisation networks and facilitate communication and action channels between them in order to achieve common goals.
8. actively participate in the World Banana Forum (WBF)
