Progress in Human Rights through coffee

2018 was the 70th anniversary of the United Nations adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Declared in 1948, the Declaration of Human Rights is the pursuit of peace, equality, justice, and freedom for all. This historic document stands as the most translated document (over 500 languages) in the world. It sets an international standard for how each individual human should be treated and respected by their governments and by one another.  The 10th of December each year marks this momentous occasion when in response to the traumatic atrocities of World War 2, the United Nations sought to defend the rights and freedoms for all men, women, and children.

“I perceived clearly that I was participating in a truly significant historical event in which a consensus had been reached as to the supreme value of the human person, a value that did not originate in the decision of a worldly power, but rather in the fact of existing—which gave rise to the inalienable right to live free from want and oppression and to fully develop one’s personality.  In the Great Hall…there was an atmosphere of genuine solidarity and brotherhood among men and women from all latitudes, the like of which I have not seen again in any international setting.”

Hernán Santa Cruz of Chile (a member of the drafting sub-Committee), speaking on the General Assembly meeting in Paris on 10 December 1948, during the adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights.

There have been many times when we have wondered if our decision to put human rights at the center of Montville Coffee's decision-making framework would make any difference at all. What we have learnt is that taking an action in solidarity with another human being especially in difficult times creates a ripple effect. When we started our business nearly 20 years ago, Fairtrade Organic Coffee was not yet available in Australia. Certainly, B-Corporations, a global community of businesses competing to be the best IN the world had not yet become a force for good. 

We talk frequently in this blog about having confidence in the Certified Fairtrade Organic supply chain, in the training of youth and our community-building activities because for us they are ways of creating a positive impact for our children and future generations. These are all ways that Montville Coffee a #BCorp puts human rights first.