About GFI

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Informality

• Partner with local organizations to understand the challenges informal workers face
• Educate local and national governments about how informality affects workers and the economy
• Create decent working conditions
• Engage various stakeholders to build consensus around critical issues of informality

Over the past several years GFI has increasingly focused on the challenges facing informal workers. Within these projects GFI, in partnership with local organizations, conducts surveys of workers to better understand their background and the challenges they face. This information is used to help educate local and national governments about how informality affects workers and the economy. Informal workers often represent a large part of a country’s economy and are rarely understood or considered during the policy and decision making process. Through raising awareness on how to create decent working conditions and engaging various stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and nonprofits, GFI’s projects build consensus around critical issues of informality and push for policy and regulatory changes.

Example:

In Tunisia, GFI’s local team collected information from informal workers on their backgrounds, needs, and obstacles, and used that information to engage key stakeholders to build consensus around solutions for integrating informal workers into the formal economy. Through this process, GFI’s project has changed the national dialogue around informality and has put informality on the national policy agenda.

Our programs that focus on market-access and prosperity include:

Tunisia Inclusive Labor Initiative

Promoting Informal Labor Rights

Verapaz Community Empowerment Program

Verapaz Action for Sustainable Agro-Industry

Responsible Competitiveness

• Partner with governments, donors, and corporations
• Identify opportunities in the supply chain to adopt socially responsible practices
• Create market demand for socially responsible products and working conditions
• Increase competitiveness among a more socially conscious society

Corporations, donors, and governments are increasingly being held accountable for the working practices of the value chain of products they purchase or produce. As highlighted in our core values, using GFI’s multi-stakeholder approach to address decent working conditions through a market lens, GFI partners with governments, donors, and corporations to identify opportunities in the supply chain where these social responsibilities can be best addressed. By adopting socially responsible practices or using one’s leverage to create market demand for socially responsible products, governments and corporations increase their competitiveness among a more socially conscious society.

Example:

In Nepal, GFI is working with donor governments, domestic and international buyers to create a demand for socially responsible bricks that are child labor, bonded and forced labor free. GFI also worked with the Government of Cambodia to improve working conditions in its garment factories so that multi-national corporations would be interested in locating their manufacturing centers there.

Our programs that focus on responsible competitiveness include:

Building Inclusive Shea Economies

Central American Labor Rights Project

Better Brick Nepal

Salt Workers Economic Empowerment Program

Sustainable Forestry Program

Better Factories

Workforce & Enterprise Development

• Prepare individuals to enter the workforce
• Strengthen entrepreneurs’ ability to manage their small businesses
• Leverage GFI’s expertise to help workers and small businesses better meet market demands

GFI's informality-focused programs prepare individuals to enter the workforce or strengthen entrepreneurs’ ability to manage their small businesses. These programs leverage GFI’s expertise in understanding the needs of the market to help workers and small businesses position themselves to better meet these demands. This approach is reflected in our core values of creating decent working conditions for the poor through economic opportunities. GFI’s workforce development programs have focused on providing training to workers to be more competitive candidates in the marketplace as well as conducting financial and marketing training for small businesses.

Example:

In India, GFI’s Retail Opportunity Training Initiative (ROTI) is providing retail, communication, and confidence training to individuals, mostly women, interested in talking advantage of the jobs available in India’s rapidly growing retail sector. GFI is also pursuing several proposals to strengthen small and medium enterprises and educational services for job seekers.

Our programs that focus on workforce and enterprise development include:

Building Inclusive Shea Economies

Verapaz Community Empowerment Program

Verapaz Action for Sustainable Agro-Industry

Sololá Agro-Industry Initiative

Promoting Informal Labor Rights

Retail Opportunity Training Initiative

Salt Workers Economic Empowerment Program

Market-Access and Prosperity

• Promote market access and improving the productivity of small-holder producers
• Work with governments and buyers to create economic opportunities
• Facilitate better access to existing markets
• Help to increase the value of farmers’ crops

The majority of GFI’s projects have focused on facilitating market access for small-holder producers and improving their productivity. Reflecting our core values, these projects prioritize working with governments and buyers to create economic opportunities through new markets or facilitate better access to existing markets, help to increase the value of farmers’ crops, and diversify crop production to better meet market demands and fluctuations.

Example:

In Guinea Bissau, GFI is working with a women’s cooperative to improve the quality of their crops – mainly rice, onions, and cashews – so they can increase the price and profit they receive while also working with the government of Guinea Bissau to better take advantage of their African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) partnership with the United States. Both activities are focused on increasing incomes for the poor by improving their products and increase opportunities to sell those products at higher prices.

Our programs that focus on market-access and prosperity include:

The Guinea-Bissau Livelihood Initiative

Sololá Agro-Industry Initiative

Salt Workers Economic Empowerment Program

Women Farmers with Global Potential

GFI's Approach

Identify

When we start a project, we partner with a local organization that is closely linked with the working poor to identify problems and the solutions because we believe the poor have valuable insights to their challenges and should be equal partners in defining the project.

Design

Once we have identified the problem, we design an economic development project that integrates decent working conditions and access to opportunities for the working poor.

Implement

GFI designs and implements projects through a multi-stakeholder framework that celebrates different perspectives and emphasizes genuine partnerships between local organizations, government, and the private sector.

Spotlight: Tunisia Inclusive Labor Initiative (TILI)

GFI partnered with the Tunisian Association for Management and Social Stability (TAMSS) to identify risks associated with Tunisia’s informal sector and solutions for mitigating them.

TAMSS and GFI designed a program that built consensus around recommendations for transitioning Tunisia’s informal sector to the formal economy so that informal workers could benefit from social security and labor protections.

TAMSS and GFI implemented TILI in cooperation with the ILO, government ministries, local NGOs, municipal authorities, informal workers, and private sector businesses.

GFI’s Tunisia Country Director, Asma Ben Hassen Darragi, speaks with a member of the press after the first TILI conference in Tunis, Tunisia. (June 2013)

Program Focus

Informality	Market Access & Prosperity
Through raising awareness on how to create decent working conditions and engaging various stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and nonprofits, GFI’s projects build consensus around critical issues of informality and push for policy and regulatory changes.	GFI works with governments and buyers to create economic opportunities for small-holder producers through new markets or facilitate better access to existing markets, helping to increase the value of farmers’ crops, and diversify crop production to better meet market demands and fluctuations.
Promoting Informal Labor Rights developed strategies that encouraged informal workers to formalize in Nicaragua and Guatemala.	Guinea-Bissau Livelihood Initiative is increasing productivity, incomes, and market access for 2,000 women smallholder farmers.

Workforce & Enterprise Development	Responsible Competitiveness
GFI prepares individuals to enter the workforce or strengthen entrepreneurs’ ability to manage their small businesses by providing training to workers to be more competitive candidates in the marketplace as well as conducting financial and marketing training for small businesses.	GFI partners with governments, donors, and corporations to identify opportunities in the supply chain where social responsibilities can be best addressed, increasing their competitiveness among a more socially conscious society.
The Retail Opportunity Training Initiative is preparing 36,000 Indian youth to enter the workforce through retail and on-the-job training.	Through a multi-stakeholder engagement process, GFI helped the Gov’t of Cambodia create the foundation for the ILO’s Better Factories Program.

Program Focus

Informality

Through raising awareness on how to create decent working conditions and engaging various stakeholders, including the government, private sector, and nonprofits, GFI’s projects build consensus around critical issues of informality and push for policy and regulatory changes.

Promoting Informal Labor Rights developed strategies that encouraged informal workers to formalize in Nicaragua and Guatemala.

Market Access & Prosperity

GFI works with governments and buyers to create economic opportunities for small-holder producers through new markets or facilitate better access to existing markets, helping to increase the value of farmers’ crops, and diversify crop production to better meet market demands and fluctuations.

Guinea-Bissau Livelihood Initiative is increasing productivity, incomes, and market access for 2,000 women smallholder farmers.

Workforce & Enterprise Development

GFI prepares individuals to enter the workforce or strengthen entrepreneurs’ ability to manage their small businesses by providing training to workers to be more competitive candidates in the marketplace as well as conducting financial and marketing training for small businesses.

The Retail Opportunity Training Initiative is preparing 36,000 Indian youth to enter the workforce through retail and on-the-job training.

Responsible Competitiveness

GFI partners with governments, donors, and corporations to identify opportunities in the supply chain where social responsibilities can be best addressed, increasing their competitiveness among a more socially conscious society.

Through a multi-stakeholder engagement process, GFI helped the Gov’t of Cambodia create the foundation for the ILO’s Better Factories Program.

GFI’s Model & Approach in Action

Spotlight: Better Brick Nepal (BBN)

Utilizing the local expertise of a Nepalese coalition, the Brick Clean Group Nepal (BCN), GFI and BCN jointly developed the “Better Brick Nepal” Program.

The BBN Program is establishing a market-based incentive system for kiln owners to create decent working conditions by linking them to buyers interested in purchasing socially responsible bricks.

GFI signs a tripartite agreement with the Nepal Social Welfare Council and BCN. December 2014.

GFI builds and supports multi-stakeholder partnerships that are collectively working toward creating a “better brick” for Nepal.

Girls move bricks on a kiln in Nepal. October 2014.

GFI’s Mission

The Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) promotes a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development for the world’s working poor by advancing fair wages, equal access to markets, and balanced public policy to generate opportunity and end the cycle of poverty.

Participants in GFI’s Verepaz Community Empowerment Program (VCEP) attend a training on community leadership skills and financial management. (April 2011)

Multi-stakeholder Partners

Government

• National Ministries of Economy, Social Affairs, and Labor
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Department of State

Private Sector

• Industry associations
• MNCs, exporters, and importers
• Local businesses
• National and Regional Chambers of Commerce

Civil Society

• Local grassroots organizations and networks
• Workers associations
• ILO, Fair Labor Association

Our Core Values

GFI believes that:

1. The poor, especially women, have the potential to solve their own problems

2. Solutions should be rooted within the economy

3. Government and private sector participation are essential for a solution to be sustainable

4. Success is more likely when multiple stakeholders – i.e. government, private sector, nonprofits, and working poor – are engaged throughout the project

5. Economic based solutions must include the conditions for Decent Work

Asma Ben Hassen Darragi

Regional Director

Asma Ben Hassen Darragi is an economist from Tunisia. She holds a postgraduate degree in economic sciences and is working on a doctoral thesis showing the relationship between regional development strategies and employment, particularly for young people. She has ten years of experience in higher education, where she specialized in macro and microeconomic issues in labor economics, project management and evaluation, and business creation. Her work focused on creating sustainable economic development through the promotion of self employment and entrepreneurship. Asma has also worked as a consultant, diagnosing needs and developing training programs for various Tunisian companies.

Anais Dicroce

Program Manager

Anais brings over eight years of experience in international education and development, with experience ranging from project management and operations, to university affairs. Prior to joining GFI, she facilitated business development processes at the International Center for Research on Women. Anais has also supported international student and scholar exchange programs at Temple University, Japan Campus and the Institute of International Education. She holds a B.A. in Public Communication from American University..

Nancy Donaldson

Senior Advisor

Nancy Donaldson served from 2010 to 2017 as director of the Washington office of the International Labor Organization (ILO), a specialized agency of the United Nations. She was the ILO’s liaison to the United States government, U.S. employers’ and workers’ organizations, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank Group and other multilateral and international finance institutions. Donaldson has advised governments, nonprofits, labor unions and corporations on government and public affairs for over 25 years. Earlier in her career, she was a vice president at Dutko Global Advisors representing corporations, governments and NGOs. She also worked for AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and served as director of legislation at the Service Employees International Union under President Andy Stern. Donaldson holds a BA in communications from Baldwin Wallace University and a JD from Emory University Law School.

Rania Hadji

Program Manager

Rania has worked with the Global Fairness Initiative for the past four years, ensuring GFI’s technical operations and financial management in North Africa. Rania holds a B.A. in Finance and M.A. in Monetary Banking and Economics. She has held numerous positions at Tunisian Banks, and gained valuable leadership and project management experience during her time as a member of AIESEC. Rania also participated in Young Arab Voices, a debating program focused on equipping young Tunisians with skills to promote peace and tolerance in post-revolutionary Tunisia. As a YAV master trainer, she trained hundreds of students and CSO members in debate.

Camila Manrique

Creando Tu Futuro Program Coordinator

Camila has multiple years of project management with the last four years focused on social impact, managing projects with annual budgets of one million dollars, impacting approximately 60,000 beneficiaries per year on issues such as gender empowerment, education, economic development, and employability, among others. She received her degree in Marketing from Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano and Master´s candidate in sustainable develpment projects from Universidad EAN.

Asha Metcalf

Program Manager

Asha began at GFI in 2020, and is focused on helping connect services to underserved communities. Prior to GFI, Asha served as an Americorps Volunteer at the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for 2 years working with refugees, then continued as a Case Worker, assisting in creating women’s empowerment groups, promoting health and safety, and forwarding economic development. She has also gained valuable ethnographic field work experience in collecting and analyzing qualitative data through her work in India and through her post-graduate studies. Asha holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Brigham Young University and a MSc in Sociology from the University of Oxford.

Suresh Pandit

Nepal Country Director

Suresh Pandit has two decades of experience in governmental and international agencies. He worked at the United Nations in Nepal in technical and management positions in the development and humanitarian spheres. He also served at UNICEF Nepal (2015-2018) as the head of a sub-national office and managed 2015 earthquake multi-sector response and recovery programs. He also worked with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (2010-2015), assisting with development and humanitarian coordination. He has also aided in the development and implementation of United Nations Development Assistance Framework and enhanced government and UN capacity for disaster preparedness and response.

Prior to the UN, he was Monitoring and Evaluation and Advocacy Manager to the Norwegian Refugee Council (2007-2009) and served on the Social Welfare Council (2000-2007) as assistant director. He also has consulting experience with USAID, IFRC, Government Ministries, and INGOs. Mr. Pandit is from the Tanhun district, Gandaki Province in Nepal and holds Masters degrees in Business Administration and Human Rights.

Caleb Shreve

Executive Director

Caleb is Executive Director of the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), an organization committed to creating more just and equitable economic and labor conditions working poor communities around the world. Before joining GFI, Caleb was founder of Tidewater, an initiative supporting the growth and impact of NGOs and foundations on the forefront of international development. During his 6 years at Tidewater, Caleb worked with clients around the globe on initiatives to help vulnerable communities gain access to essential services, knowledge and financing. Prior to Tidewater, Caleb served on the White House staff of former President William J. Clinton and on the leadership team of New York University's Wagner School of Public Service. He has also held senior positions with the Corporation for National Service, the International Broadcasting Bureau and the Democratic Presidential Campaigns of Senator John Kerry and Barack Obama. A native of Washington, DC, Caleb attended the University of Pennsylvania and the College of Wooster and received his degrees in English Literature and Political Science.

Jessica Yarrow

Regional Director

GFI's Latin America Regional Director, Jessica Yarrow, has been in Guatemala since 1997 working for human rights organizations supporting local initiatives to improve labor rights, access to justice, economic development and to end human trafficking. She also has experience interpreting and translating for visiting funders and academic groups. She holds a master’s degree in International and Intercultural Management from the School for International Service and a B.A. in Spanish/Latin American Studies from American University in Washington, DC.

GFI created a Market Access Fund to address the problem of global poverty by funding trading networks to bridge the gap between poor producers and markets. Synapse makes investment-grade grants and cultivates long-term financial relationships with scalable initiatives, helping to build the strength and capacity of grassroots producers and rural communities.

Synapse operates on the cutting edge of philanthropy by applying investment strategies to charitable giving. It identifies organizations with viable business models and innovative approaches to opening new markets and cultivating opportunities for grassroots producer products. Candidates for funding in this new model of venture philanthropy are measured by three fundamental criteria:

• Scalability
• Sustainability
• Impact

With these pillars in place, modest initiatives grow into robust and far-reaching market access solutions. And once funded, investments are carefully monitored, guided and supported by Synapse in order to achieve long term success and self-sufficiency.

Who are “Grassroots Producers”?
There are currently over one billion self-employed workers in the global informal economy, operating without a social safety net and almost totally disengaged from their nation’s formal structures of taxation and regulation. Yet these workers are an integral part of a globalizing economy.

“Grassroots producers” are the working poor in the informal economy. Throughout the developing world, grassroots producers have banded together to form grassroots producer organizations (GPOs), which build the collective capacity of poor producers to leverage capital and facilitate trade.

Why Trading Networks?
The advent of micro-credit investment has made capital available to GPOs around the world. GPOs have used this capital to invest in productive assets and to produce an array of consumer and commodity goods. Yet while microcredit has addressed fundamental financing issues, it remains inadequate to meet the broader needs of market development. So, despite the powerful growth engine of microcredit, GPOs have not fulfilled their commercial potential due to their lack of market access.

Trade Barriers:

• Small size and lack of bargaining power
• Lack of market information
• Inadequate technical capacities
• Policy barriers
• Exploitative relationships
• Under-capitalization of infrastructure

The formal business sector circumvents these challenges through trade associations, chambers of commerce and special interest groups that facilitate global trade and investment. No such support exists for poor producers.

Reliable access to regional and global markets is critical to long-term income growth and the alleviation of poverty and subsistence living. The Synapse Market Access Fund addresses this lack of access and support by investing in trading networks to ensure that poor producers in low-income countries have an opportunity to sell their goods.

The Synapse Value Proposition
Despite the great potential of trading networks, multilateral organizations and other donor sources are only just beginning to explore trading networks as a tool in the fight against poverty. There are currently no substantial funding mechanisms for projects that build trade infrastructure and trading networks that directly benefit grassroots producer groups.

The Synapse Market Access Fund aims to fill the funding gap by raising funds to invest in trading networks for poor producers.

Sustainable economic development with a genuine and large scale impact requires the engagement of a well-trained and productive workforce. Organized labor and engaged workforce communities have always been a cornerstone of civil society and leaders in social equity and human rights movements. By engaging unions and other organized formal and informal worker groups, GFI seeks to expand the reach of our economic development initiatives and broaden the impact of social services in the countries where we work.

Promoting labor rights and peaceful labor relations is important for attracting investments that create growth and improve livelihoods. Growing trends such as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the importance of brand reputation means that multi-national companies now view decent working conditions and protection of local community rights as fundamental to the longer term sustainability of their operations. In Guatemala and El Salvador, GFI brought fair labor standards to the forefront of national agendas by leveraging bilateral trade agreement labor obligations and CSR interests. In bringing together such diverse actors as labor unions, international textile and apparel brands, and local private sector and government representatives, GFI helped pave the way for an unprecedented set of agreements that have created the basis for improved conditions and competitiveness in the textile and apparel industries.

GFI also realizes that the majority of poor workers are not covered by national and international labor laws and standards. In fact, in most developing countries nearly all of the poor, almost 75%, work in the “informal sector” and most are women and girls. When developing countries cannot transition or integrate informal workers, economic growth remains low and poverty remains high. In Nicaragua and Guatemala GFI is working to extend social insurance programs and government services while simultaneously creating incentives for workers to formalize their businesses. In a unique model that includes government and private sector participants, this project is addressing the rights of the working poor to access equal economic opportunity.

GFI’s experiences have demonstrated the importance of workforce development for achieving tangible results such as improved working conditions, fair wages, empowered women, and increased market access. Whether in post-conflict Guatemala, or in the challenging political environment of Nicaragua, GFI creates the common linkages that bring Government, Private Sector and Workforce communities together to solve economic challenges and broadly impact poverty reduction goals.

Agricultural and textile production, carried out primarily by women, is the foundation of most developing country economies. In many developing economies as much as 80% of women are employed full or part time as small-scale producers in the agricultural sector and account for the majority of food security production for both their families and the communities where they live. Despite carrying such a heavy burden of the productive work, women are often marginalized to the informal sector of developing and even established economies where they find themselves ineligible for social services and social protections afforded the formal sector. The result is a deep cycle of poverty and social inequality experienced by women producers that keeps them isolated from mainstream capital markets and government social programs.

At GFI we see a deep and sustained investment in women producers as one of the single most effective strategies to break the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Empowering women farmers and textile workers requires a multi-faceted, multi-stakeholder engagement process aimed at creating opportunities for improved input, access to credit, removal of institutional and supply chain barriers, access high-value markets and policy reform targeted at enabling women to sustain real economic growth and improve livelihoods.

GFI brings a core set of tools to our programs aimed at improving livelihoods for woman producers and we follow a process that targets barriers and creates opportunity through the following steps:

1) Building Local Capacity
The implementation of GFI programs is based on local input and agreement on design of the project. Once a coalition and consensus is built we then tailor each activity according to our strength or engage key GFI partner to implement strategies outside of our expertise. Activities both target specific obstacles identified during the design phase as well as work cross-functionally on interrelated strategies. GFI uses a multi-stakeholder engagement to bring together a core group of local actors committed to advancing project goals and activities. The group will include actors such as producer and related business representatives, government officials and community leaders.

2) Technical Assistance
In collaboration with GFI partners and appropriate local organizations we develop a program for providing technical assistance on issues such as enhancing production, meeting industry quality and packaging requirements and the development of sales strategies. Private sector partners offer expertise and client networks to help construct more effective and profitable supply chains with a focus on the use of technical assistance overall to enhance production, quality, sales strategies, and supply chain management.

Production
Increasing the productivity of land and farming practices or textile production is one of the largest potential areas for gain in small producer communities. This can be done through higher quality inputs, improved land management and better use of technology. This may include the sustainable use of appropriate technologies such as fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides for agriculture or fabric, machinery and design for textiles. Local and international best practices are drawn upon and analyzed for their appropriateness for each situation.

Quality
To be competitive, producer groups must address issues of uniformity and quality guidelines demanded by global markets. This requires more uniform inputs of quality seeds or fabrics. Associated activities can include setting up community seed banks, agricultural information centers or design trainings for textile workers.

Sales Strategy
Smallholder textile and agricultural producers do not have the capacity to develop marketing campaigns to promote their products. GFI program participants benefit from improved market research and professional partnerships to create sales strategies and materials to ensure the competitiveness of the products in key markets.

Supply Chain Management
Limited storage capacity and difficult product transport remain two principle constraints in the supply chain for poor producers. Few small-holder producers have the physical space or knowledge of the necessary conditions for proper long-term preservation of such things as produce or other product inventory; in the case of agricultural products this can mean that they are forced to immediately sell their commodities during seasonal harvest periods when supplies are highest and prices are low. Improved storage capacity allows farmers to take advantage of lower supply periods when their products can earn a higher return.

3) Market Analysis
GFI market analysis strategies include a range of activities such as determining market demand and working with local officials to incentivize production of strategic products and promote coordination of rural distribution networks. This is done in parallel with multi-stakeholder activities that are helping producers to understand their role in the supply chain, as well as maximizing their leverage in local and global markets.

4) Policy Evaluation
It is clear that economic development projects do not operate in a policy vacuum. However, there is little to no formal representation of women small producers in policy-making processes. GFI and its Women’s Trade and Finance Council (WTFC) work with local women’s organizations to represent and raise the voice of women producers in national and international policy forums. The WTFC develops clear policy goals and an agenda to achieve them. The Wolfensohn Center for Development and the Brookings Institution, a recognized world leader in policy analysis, work directly with GFI and the WTFC to identify and prioritize the policy challenges being face by small producers. Counter- productive international policies are also examined and reform recommendations are developed and highlighted. Additionally, GFI works with local research organizations to help develop lessons and to build capacity. The overall goal is to improve policies that effect poor women producers throughout the developing world to inform a large educational campaign or support broader recommendations.

In the modern global economy the greatest challenge developing countries face is to create fair opportunities for their people to access the benefits that globalization brings. As nations struggle to define fairness, GFI has led the way to broaden inclusion in the free trade process by extending economic opportunity to traditionally-excluded workforce stakeholders including women, the marginalized poor and informal sector workers. Engaging governments and large private interest holders GFI help worker communities tap into the opportunities created in a free trade environment.

Modern, risk adverse markets are attracted to stability and counties that represent “best practices” of workforce standards and government commitment to social services and economic development become “darlings” of the globalized economy. Unfortunately, many limiting factors are prevalent in developing economies that seek to uphold high standards and compete in the global economy. In order to eliminate these barriers free trade must be closely aligned with both social services and capacity building investments to help developing countries meet the standard that foreign investors require. Further, foreign government assistance and multi-lateral investments must address core capacity issues and seek to align trade program with aid and capacity building initiatives so that developing economies can meet the goals and reap the rewards that trade agreements bring. To help achieve this goal, GFI’s works with developing countries to attract meaningful and secure foreign investment by helping establishing high standard of social services, protections and environmentally sustainable practices. To ensure that these standards can be met and enforced, programs are designed around a multi-stakeholder process that seeks to build core capacity within government, the private sector and civil society.

At GFI we believe that truly effective livelihood development programs that are both sustainable and broad based require the earnest engagement of local, national and in some cases international government. Government as a partner or a major stakeholder in poverty reduction initiatives helps create linkages that extend beyond the lifecycle of a project and open opportunities that create lasting development impacts. With our unparalleled international network of leading experts, including former Presidents, high-level trade and commerce officials, and prominent labor leaders, GFI works with national and international decision-makers who influence policies at multiple levels. Through careful assessment of the political factors that play into the success of our programs, GFI is able to reach scale and ensure sustainability of outcomes by building capacity of local institutions to assume their responsibilities and provide services for their constituent communities.

Development projects do not operate in a policy vacuum and currently there is little to no formal representation of the working poor in policy-making forums. GFI’s Women’s Trade & Finance Council works to alleviate poverty by fostering greater inclusion of women’s productivity in global trade flows. In addition to advocating for the working poor through influencing trade and finance policies at the international and national levels, the Council seeks to cultivate linkages that expand market and business opportunities that contribute in measurable terms to sustainable livelihoods. The Council is structured to examine and develop solutions to such practical issues as financing terms, market access barriers, production constraints and supply chain management challenges.

Identifying relevant policy barriers and prioritizing them locally, nationally, and internationally is also an important component of policy and program activities. GFI’s strategic partnership with the Wolfensohn Center for Development at the Brookings Institution allows us to better understand the policy barriers small producers face as they seek to export their products. A recognized world leader in policy analysis, the Brookings Institution and GFI together present a unique and inclusive model for designing policy frameworks and development programs that provide the full range of tools necessary to promote sustainable economic growth.

GFI remains a leading innovator in the development of public policy interventions that support small producers and create economic opportunities for the working poor. Through targeted programming and partnerships, GFI engages governments on strategic initiatives that incentivize participation and create lasting links between our constituent worker groups and the governments that serve them.

The current era of globalization has brought unparalleled growth in trade and market development throughout the globe, opening opportunity and generating wealth in developed and developing nations alike. Yet despite this tremendous economic growth the global poverty rate has only continued to rise creating the largest generation of marginalized peoples today than we have ever seen. For many working poor the modern, global market structure has created greater marginalization and less opportunity then the previous system grounded in local and regional trade. Improving access to markets for the poor has consistently been stymied by the great gap that exists between small-holder production capacity and global supply requirements and mechanisms. Furthermore, small-holder producers face enormous challenges to in trying to meet standards of processing, transportation packaging, etc., prevent many cooperative farming communities with potential supply capacity from accessing high-value markets. Finally, even when the production capacity and standards are met, small-holder producers have great difficulty accessing global supply chains and are left out of important market negotiations or trade agreements leaving their interests unrepresented and their communities further marginalized.

GFI’s work to improve Market Access for marginalized communities starts from a rights based perspective focusing on access not just to the markets themselves, but to the decision making bodies and mechanisms that control the trade and market environment where small-producers work.

At GFI we begin all of our work by engaging the right players who will best create opportunities for economic empowerment in the communities where we work, and not just the available players who regularly cycle through development programs. This is what ultimately sets GFI apart. We believe that opportunity is created by engagement and that interventions are sustained by creating lasting linkages between all stakeholders that engage with or impact the communities with whom we work.

GFI’s works with developing countries to attract meaningful and secure foreign investment by helping establishing high standard of social services, protections and environmentally sustainable practices. To ensure that these standards can be met and enforced, programs are designed around a multi-stakeholder process that seeks to build core capacity within government, the private sector and civil society.

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Global Fairness Initiative

2000 P Street, NW
Suite 210
Washington, DC 20036 U.S.A.

Telephone:(1) 202 898 9022
Fax:(1) 202 733 4192
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Content

Transparency

Our Mission: The Global Fairness Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization founded for the purpose of creating a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development for the world's working poor.

Disclosures: Central to all of our work and core beliefs, both as an organization and as individuals, GFI is committed to providing full disclosure on who we are, how we are supported, what we do, and most importantly why. As a small NGO committed to putting the majority of our funding into the programs we operate, we do not dedicate significant resources to promoting our work or populating our website with documentation beyond what is necessary to track and inform on our work and to provide information on the sources and uses of our funding. Our key disclosure documents can be found through the links below, but we encourage you to contact us anytime if you would like additional information about anything regarding our organization or our work. We have a great deal more available in the way of reports, documentation, data and just plain old lessons learned that we are happy to share at your request. As with any organization exempted under section 501(c), GFI is committed to service of the public good, and we believe that with this comes the responsibility to be transparent in our work, a standard that all exempt organizations should hold to. To learn more about us, our programs, initiatives and finances please follow the links below or on the right side menu.

Board of Directors

HE Kabine Komara (Guinea) - Board Chair

Guinea’s former Prime Minister is a well-known banker in the African continent and a former director at the African Export-Import Bank in Cairo, Egypt. Born and raised in Guinea, Mr. Komora studied management in Guinea’s capital Conakry, and then abroad in France, the United States and Egypt. He began his banking career at the Central Bank of Guinea and served as Assistant Director for Personnel in the Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée as well a as Director of the Alumina Company of Guinea Aluminum. Rising in business and government, he was appointed Guinea’s National Director for Investment, a Member of the National Treasurer Committee Council and the Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Planning and Finance. In December 2008 H.E. Komara was appointed Prime Minister of Guinea and chose not to affiliate with any political party, but instead served the people and country of Guinea directly with a level of dignity and decorum that was widely regarded nationally and throughout the world. Following his Prime Ministership H.E. Komara was High Commissioner of the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) and authored a book that continues to serve as a key reference point on hydro diplomacy. Along with the Global Fairness Initiative, H.E. Komara serves on the Board of international foundations that address peace, security and environmental and water management.

Anna Eliasson (United States)

Anna Eliasson Schamis (Washington DC) is a fundraising and marketing professional with nearly 20 years of experience in international policy, development and humanitarian issues. Previously, Anna served as Vice President of Development and External Relations at the Atlantic Council where she quadrupled the Council’s revenue and led a $25M fundraising campaign for the creation of the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. Anna has also served as development directors of both the Aspen Institute and Cornell University. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). She served until recently as Vice Chair the Board of Directors of the United States Association for UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). She holds an A.B. from Harvard University and an M.A. and M.Phil. in political science from Columbia University.

Sarah Fox (United States)

Sarah Fox is internationally recognized for her work on labor issues in the United States and throughout the world. As Special Representative for International Labor Affairs at the US Department of State 2015 Ms. Fox led the Department’s effort to promote workers’ rights and improve economic security and working conditions for workers abroad; liaise with the global labor movement, U.S. and multinational companies, and other stakeholders on these issues; and, support and strengthen the labor diplomacy function at American embassies worldwide. In this role she was critical in ensuring that American foreign policy and programs advance internationally recognized labor rights and improve living standards across the globe.

Prior to her appointment to the State Department, Ms. Fox served as legal counsel to the AFL-CIO and as the AFL-CIO’s representative to the International Labor Organization (ILO). From 2010 to 2015, she was a member of the ILO Governing Body and of its Committee on Freedom of Association. She previously served in government from 1990 to 2000, first as Chief Democratic Labor Counsel to the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, on the staff of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (1990-1996), then by appointment of President Clinton as a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (1996-2000). Prior to that, she was counsel to the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Union and was a reporter at the Courier-Express in Buffalo, NY, where she grew up. She is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School.

Jan Jones Blackhurst (United States)

Jan Jones Blackhurst is Executive Vice President of Government Relations & Corporate Responsibility for Caesars Entertainment, Corp. In that capacity, she oversees all worldwide government affairs, corporate communications, community relations and corporate-social responsibility programs for the $9 billion corporation. Prior to joining Caesars in November 1999, Jones Blackhurst served two terms as Mayor of the City of Las Vegas. She was the city’s first woman chief executive, and among the most popular mayors in its history, having won reelection in 1995 by a 72 percent margin. While in office, Jones Blackhurst presided over an unprecedented period of economic, social and cultural expansion, one in which the city’s population increased 66 percent, making Las Vegas the fastest-growing major metropolitan area in America throughout much of the 1990s. Today, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She sits on the board of directors of Nevada Public Radio, the Women’s Campaign Fund in Washington, D.C., and is a member of the Gaming Law Advisory Board at the UNLV Boyd School of Law. She is also a member of the Human Rights Campaign’s Federal Club and of Nevada Advocates for Planned Parenthood. In 2012 she was appointed the Vice Chair of the Clark County Public Education Foundation. Jones Blackhurst graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in English.

Reema Nanavaty (Rebublic of India)

Reema Nanavaty has been working with the Self Employed Women's Association - SEWA - for over 35 years, expanding its membership to over 2.1 million members, making it the single largest union of informal sector women workers in the world. In her role at SEWA Ms. Nanavaty facilitated rebuilding the lives and livelihoods of 6,0000 earthquake-affected rural women and 40,000 riot-affected members. She leads the rehabilitation programs in Afghanistan, and has helped train over 5,000 Afghani women on livelihood skills and facilitated facilitating the creation of a local Association of SEWA. Similarly, she has led the rehabilitation program for war-affected widows in Sri Lanka, providing over 6,000 rural women with vocational training to secure their livelihoods. Ms. Nanavaty facilitated rebuilding lives and livelihoods of 6,0000 earthquake-affected rural women and 40,000 riot-affected members. She is leading the rehabilitation programs in Afghanistan, and helping train over 5,000 Afghani women on different livelihood skills and facilitating the creation of a local Association. Similarly, she has also led the rehabilitation program for war-affected widows in Sri Lanka, providing over 6,000 rural women with vocational training to secure their livelihoods.

Ms. Nanavaty oversees 4,813 self-help groups (SHG), 160 co-operatives, and 15 economic federations in 16 states in India and in 7 South-Asian countries. These collections focus on women’s economic empowerment by building women owned enterprises, building women led supply chains, introducing modern ICT-based tools to improve businesses, and facilitating Green-Energy initiatives and livelihoods. In 2003 Ms. Nanavaty was honored with the fourth-highest civilian award the Republic of India, the Padma Shri, for her contribution in area of Social Services. She is currently the member of the Advisory Council on Gender of the World Bank Group. Ms. Nanavaty was also a member of the International Labour Organization’s High Level Global Commission on Future of Work, and the only member of the commission representing the informal sector workers, women workers, self-employed workers, and the rural workers’ union. In addition, she served as a member of the Working Group for the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and as a Gender Lead in the working group for the UN's Food System Summit, and was one of the only worker’s representative invited to speak alongside UN secretary General Antonio Gueteras at the UNGA's Official Opening Ceremony of the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021.

Andrew Natsios (United States)

Since 2012 Andrew S. Natsios has served as Executive Professor at the George H.W. Bush School of Government at Texas A&M University, and since 2013 been Director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs. He was Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University from 2006-2012 and former Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2001-2006. He serves as Co-Chairman Emeritus of the Committee on Human Rights in North Korea, a research center in Washington DC. He also served as US Special Envoy to Sudan in 2006-2007 to deal with the Darfur crisis and the implementation of the North South Sudan peace agreement. Retired from the US Army Reserves at a Lt. Colonel after twenty-three years, Natsios is a veteran of the Gulf War. From 1993 to 1998, he was vice president of World Vision US, the international non-governmental organization. Earlier in his career, Natsios served in Massachusetts State Government as a member of the House of Representatives in Boston for 12 years and later as Secretary of Administration and Finance, the chief financial and administrative officer of the Commonwealth. He also served in 2000-2001 as the CEO of Boston's Big Dig, the largest construction project in American history, after a cost overrun scandal.

He is the author of three books: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1997); The Great North Korean Famine (2001); and his latest book, Sudan, South Sudan and Darfur: What Everyone Needs to Know, published in 2012 by Oxford University Press, and has contributed to 13 other books, including two on North Korea. His areas of research are in food security, famines, human rights, foreign aid, humanitarian assistance during civil conflicts and natural disasters.

Sally Painter (United States)

Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Blue Star Strategies LLC, Ms. Painters has over 27 years of experience advising corporations, governments, NGOs and multilaterals on international investment opportunities, poverty reduction and on foreign and security policy issues. She has served as a founder of the US Committee on NATO, as Executive Director of the Business Coalition for US-China Trade -- where she helped secure passage of Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China, as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration, and as the Director of International at Tenneco Inc., a fortune 500 company. Ms. Painter has received numerous awards for her work, including The Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Republic of Hungary and The Minister of Defense’s Award for Distinction from the Republic of Latvia. Ms. Painter has an extensive track record working with Central Europe on security and policy issues, including successfully representing many of these countries on their NATO and EU bids as well as a Visa Equity Coalition of seven countries where legislation was passed in the U.S. Congress which allowed their citizens to enter the US visa-free.

Aivis Ronis (Latvia)

Ambassador Ronis is currently an independent business and NATO consultant. Mr. Ronis has served with distinction in the Latvian diplomatic service since its re-establishment in 1991 after Latvia restored its full independence. His civil service to Latvia has included multiple leadership positions within government including as Latvia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Transportation Minister, and Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He has also had a robust careering representing Latvia as a diplomat in the Foreign Service, holding positions as Ambassador to the United States, Ambassador to Mexico, and Ambassador to Turkey, as well Latvia's Ambassador to NATO in Brussels. Ambassador Ronis has worked actively in Latvia’s private sector since his government service, and serves as a consultant to multiple companies and organizations representing Latvia’s interests and promoting investment and engagement in Latvia’s public and private sector. Early in his career Ronis was a TV journalist and a Latvia youth chess champion.

Lamia Senousi (Denmark)

LLamia Senousi is the Chief Communications Officer at Systemiq, based in London, UK. Prior to joining Systemiq, Lamia was the Managing Director of communications and events at C40 Cities, and prior to that the Global Director of Communications, Public Affairs & Events at the London Business School, where she oversaw a team of public relations, communications, events and government affairs experts in London, New York, Dubai and Hong Kong. Lamia also served as a Global Communications and Strategic Partnership Lead at EY (formerly Ernst & Young), where she worked under the former Secretary of State for Finance in Spain and led the development and implementation of a global communications and partnership agenda for the Global Climate Change & Sustainability Practice.

Previously, she worked at Deloitte, LLP in London and PR Newswire. She was also the Campaign Manager & Election Agent in 2015 for the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Cities of Westminster and London. Lamia has served in a advisory roles globally and is fluent in Egyptian Arabic, Danish, English, and German.

Rashad Shawa (Kuwait)

Rashad Shawa is Founder and Chairman of the Board, and Chairman of the Founders Committee of the International Water Bank - IWB Holdings. Mr. Shawa also serves as Chairman of the Board of Mai Resources International (Switzerland) AG, and is a Member of the World Water Council in France, and of the Arab Water Council (Egypt). A Senior Executive and International Banker, Mr. Shawa has held a number of positions on the Executive Board and Head of the Middle East of several International Banks in the UK and Switzerland. He was also formerly the Chairman of The International Organization of Private Bank owners and was a Senior Advisor to Bank Privee Edmond de Rothschild. Mr. Shawa serves as a Member of the Board of a number of regional and international institutions and companies, including as past a Member of the International Advisory Board of Babson College in Boston, USA, the world’s number one university for business leaders and entrepreneurs. He also currently sits on the Board of Medurable in France, the International Organization focused on sustainable development goals, climate change and water resources management.

Nik Slingsby (United Kingdom)

Nik Slingsby works as a lawyer and helps the Legal Action for Women Network which provides free legal service for low income women advising on domestic abuse and parental custody issues. He is also involved in the People to People Project building accommodation and sanitation facilities for refugees in Calais. He has a degree in Mandarin Chinese and Economics and has spent a number of years living and working in Asia.

He was the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Cities of Westminster and London in 2015 and Chairman of the Westminster Constituency Labour Party.

Zohreh Tabatabai (Iran)

Zohreh Tabatabai is a familiar face in the diplomatic and global business arenas, having spent many years in high profile positions in the United Nations (UN) system. As the chief coordinator of the UN’s Fiftieth Anniversary Celebration, she created new strategies for assembling publicprivate partnerships to assure the success of the event, and she coordinated the activities of more than 100 heads of state who travelled to New York to participate. During her 20 years at UN headquarters, Ms. Tabatabai also served as Focal Point for Women and as Chief of the Public Services Section. Throughout her tenure, she pioneered methods for bringing in outside partners to work on extending the UN’s visibility and effectiveness across a broad range of initiatives. In the year 2000 Ms. Tabatabai moved to Geneva to take up the post of Director of Communication and Public Information at the International Labour Organization, the Geneva-based UN agency that promotes rights at work. Upon leaving the United Nations System, she created a communications and marketing company with special emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). She undertakes various CSR projects for a number of Global companies. Ms. Tabatabai currently serves on the boards of a number of non-governmental organizations, non-profit institutions and charitable foundations.

Karen Tramontano (United States)

Karen A. Tramontano is the Founder of the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI), a non-profit organization working to promote a more equitable, sustainable approach to globalization to ensure its benefits reach all people, including the working poor. Before founding GFI, Ms. Tramontano served as Deputy Chief of Staff to President Clinton and counselor to two Chiefs of Staff, Erskine Bowles and John Podesta. Ms. Tramontano's White House portfolio encompassed a wide range of issues, including international trade, transatlantic relations, as well as economic and financial issues involving the U.S. Treasury and Commerce Departments. She played a major role in shaping policy concerning the WTO, OECD and other multi-lateral institutions, while handling public policy issues involving the World Bank and the IMF. Other specific accomplishments include spearheading the successful White House initiative to bring the Child Labor Convention into law and leading the team that developed the Comprehensive Steel Plan to rationalize global steel production. Additionally, she managed many of President Clinton's international trips, including his visits to India, Pakistan, and Viet Nam. In 2001, she served as Chief of Staff for President Clinton's transition, where she established his office and presence in New York.

Ms. Tramontano is currently the CEO and co-founder of Blue Star Strategies, LLC, which provides corporate, institutional and public sector clients with results-oriented strategies. Prior to founding Blue Star Strategies, she was a Principal at Dutko Worldwide, where she developed comprehensive multi-level government advocacy strategies for complex global issues. Ms. Tramontano also currently serves as Senior Advisor to Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labor Organization in Geneva, is on the Board of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) and is an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law School. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from Catholic University Law School and a B.A. from Boston College, and is a frequent commentator for Bloomberg News.

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Emeritus Board Chairs

William J. Clinton (Former President, United States)

GFI Founding Board Chair 2004-2008

Bill Clinton served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001, an era in which the U.S. enjoyed more peace and prosperity than at any other time in its history. Since leaving office, President Clinton has continued his work on many of the issues that defined his administration, including world trade, the economic empowerment of the poor, and the fight against AIDS around the world. His active involvement in issues of public concern is evident in his work of various foundations and organizations such as the Clinton Presidential Foundation.

José María Figures (Former President, Costa Rica)

GFI Board Chair 2008-2013

José María Figures served as President of Costa Rica from 1994 to 1998. He was the youngest President of a Central American country in modern times. During his tenure he created a comprehensive Sustainable Development strategy through investment in human development and the implementation of innovative environmental policies. Prior to serving as President he was Costa Rica’s Minister of Foreign Trade (1987-1988) and Minister of Agriculture (1988-1990). Has also served as President of the Carbon War Room and has been a leading voice behind the Paris Accords and international climate cooperation.

HE Danilo Türk (Slovenia)

Dr. Danilo Türk served as President of the Republic of Slovenia from 2007 to 2012. Dr. Türk was the first the Slovenian Permanent Representative to the United Nations and served as non-permanent member of the Security Council as well as a member of UN Human Rights Committee. Later he was appointed UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs before returning to Slovenia where in 2007 he was elected as the third President of Republic of Slovenia where he served until 2012. A former professor and director of the Institute for International Law of the University of Ljubljana, Dr. Türk served on the Constitutional Commission of the Slovenian National Assembly co-wrote the human rights chapter of the 1991 Slovenian Constitution.

Our Values

We believe that:

1. The poor, especially women, have the potential to solve their own problems

2. Solutions should be rooted within the economy

3. Government and private sector participation are essential for a solution to be sustainable

4. Success is more likely when multiple stakeholders – i.e. government, private sector, nonprofits, and working poor – are engaged throughout the project

5. Economic based solutions must include the conditions for Decent Work

Our Approach

The Global Fairness Initiative promotes a more equitable, sustainable approach to economic development for the world’s working poor by advancing fair wages, equal access to markets, and balanced public policy to generate opportunity and end the cycle of poverty. The GFI approach:

• Engage multiple players – workers, employers, private enterprise and government – to find economic solutions and create economic opportunity.
• Partner with locally established organizations to have the greatest impact and leave behind lasting results and institutions.
• Leverage international networks of experts, political and civil society leaders, trade and finance institutions, and the private sector to maximize the inputs and impacts of GFI initiatives.

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Our Work

Since 2002, GFI has partnered with hundreds of marginalized working communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia to enhance economic opportunities and build sustainable livelihoods. We have developed innovative programs to preserve and create jobs, empowered women by removing barriers to economic success, advanced fair wages, and expanded revenues so that communities of promise can become centers of prosperity. GFI programs achieve this success through targeted initiatives that:

• Engage Government

  GFI has become a leader in engaging government and driving public debate on programs and policies to support small producers and create economic opportunity for the working poor. Leveraging a network of leaders and unique vehicles like our Women’s Trade and Finance Council, GFI delivers strategic initiatives that incentivize participation and create lasting links between our constituent worker groups and the governments that serve them.

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• Invest in Women Producers

  Seventy percent of the world’s poor are women. Women and adolescent girls provide over 60% of all subsistence agricultural labor worldwide and make up more than 50% of the informal sector workforce. At GFI we believe that women represent the greatest potential for putting an end to the cycle of poverty that undermines development around the globe. GFI programs work with women agricultural and textile producers to remove the economic, technical, and public policy barriers preventing women from bringing their goods to sustainable markets at a fair price.

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• Build Workforce Capacity

  Sustainable economic development with genuine and large scale impact requires the engagement of a well-trained and productive workforce. Organized labor and engaged workforce communities have always been a cornerstone of civil society and leaders in social equity and human rights movements. By engaging unions and other organized formal and informal worker groups, GFI seeks to expand the reach of our economic development initiatives and broaden the impact of social services in the countries where we work. Whether in post-conflict Guatemala or in the challenging political environment of Nicaragua, GFI creates the common linkages that bring government, private sector and workforce communities together to solve economic challenges and achieve poverty reduction goals.

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• Improve Access to Markets

  Access to stable, high-value markets for the working poor is one of the most important poverty alleviation priorities in the developing world today. Building on our unique multi-stakeholder process, GFI is working with private sector leaders to identify market opportunities and remove the obstacles that prevent quality products from reaching markets and producers from earning a fair price. With partnerships built around innovative market data technology, efficient storage and transportation processes, and proven agricultural input technologies, GFI offers an efficient and highly strategic model for eliminating market access barriers for the working poor.

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• Bring Fairness to Free Trade

  In the modern global economy the greatest challenge developing countries face is to create fair opportunities for everyone to access globalization’s benefits. As nations struggle to define fairness, GFI has led the way to broaden inclusion in the free trade process by bringing traditionally excluded workforce stakeholders to the bargaining table. GFI has successfully created opportunities for worker communities to represent the interests of the working poor – who have the most to gain and lose in a free trade environment.

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• Catalyze Financial Innovation to Bridge the "Missing Middle"

  A major barrier confronting smallholder producers and start-up enterprises is the lack of access to essential financing that catalyzes growth and drives development. For too many promising small businesses a wide gap exists between the available capacity of micro-finance and the accessibility of larger commercial lenders who are often unable by regulation or unwilling by choice to invest in small-scale entrepreneurs. To bridge this “Missing Middle” and deliver leading-edge financial solutions and thought leadership, GFI founded and launched an independent sister organization, The Synapse Market Access Fund. Synapse leverages the work of GFI to deliver innovative financial products and programs that catalyze the expansion of market driven opportunity for the working poor. Learn more at www.synapsefund.org.

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Why GFI now

The world today is increasingly interconnected through global political, financial, and social mechanisms that create opportunity and drive innovation. These new global structures, however, have worsened economic isolation and significantly increased the income gap for the fifty percent of the population who try to survive on less than two dollars a day. Creating meaningful economic progress for the global poor requires people and programs that connect local knowledge and leadership with global innovation and structures. The Global Fairness Initiative leads the way in weaving together bottom-up capacity with top-down opportunity to create meaningful and sustainable livelihoods for small farmers, textile workers, and other marginalized poor communities around the world.

Where we are located

The Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) is headquartered in Washington, D.C.