Satellite event: EquiTrade 2025: building a fair world in International Business and building a Fair Trade Mural

EquiTrade 2025 is a mobilization initiative led by the Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut – Condorcet, aiming to raise awareness among 150 students from various academic programs about the challenges of fair trade in a changing world marked by North-South imbalances, climate pressures, and global socio-economic tensions. Running from September 22 to November 3, and potentially until November 10, 2025, the project combines critical analysis, collaborative creation, and diplomatic simulation, based on active pedagogy, solid academic resources, and a network of committed experts.

The project includes three main public events: an inaugural session featuring a conference-debate with experts on fair trade and international regulation; a Mock COP simulation replicating the dynamics of multilateral negotiations; and a closing session with public presentation of student work, participatory debate, and feedback. These events are prepared through supervised sessions outside regular credited courses and foster interdisciplinarity and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Students will take on the roles of negotiators representing states, NGOs, businesses, and institutions, debating realistic scenarios inspired by frameworks such as the UN Global Compact, OECD, and World Bank. Topics include trade governance, supply chain traceability, sustainable certification, and climate justice. The simulation will result in a jointly drafted charter of commitment reflecting negotiated compromises.

Simultaneously, students will create a Fair Trade mural consisting of 48 thematic cards featuring factual data, concrete examples, academic references, and visuals. This mural will be presented in interactive workshops during Fair Trade Week and made available as an open-source resource for broader audiences. 

The project follows a progressive engagement strategy alternating conferences, guided research, preparatory debates, world cafés, and collaborative productions.

Aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 8, 10, 12, 13, and 17), EquiTrade 2025 aims to develop critical and engaged citizens while enhancing higher education’s role in driving social transitions. 

The approach is pragmatic, inclusive, and replicable, rooted in a strong local presence in Charleroi and supported by an ecosystem of experienced actors, including the Belgian Climate Pact, partner universities, and sustainable trade practitioners. This project exemplifies how pedagogy can act as a lever for impact, social cohesion, and innovation toward a fairer global trade system.