countries, particularly those whose livelihoods depend upon the farming of a single crop, are unable to compete in a world market controlled by large multinational companies and distorted by the subsidies provided by rich countries to their producers. As a consequence, farmers in poor countries have few options for generating an income and many live in poverty often unable to meet even their most basic needs. Fair trade is a response to these conditions. This paper presents an Islamic perspective on fair trade. It does this by outlining the key principles upon which fair trade is based, such as sustainability, fairness, equity, and workers rights, and examines relevant Islamic teachings. It concludes that the principles of fair trade and the teachings of Islam are entirely congruent.

worldwide, and although religious identity is often an important factor in understanding communities, little work has been done to examine the work of faith-based organisations in the field of refugee assistance. This paper attempts to fill part of that gap by examining the work of Islamic Relief as a faith-based organisation providing assistance to refugees and IDPs in multiple and diverse contexts. The investigation concludes that in many cases Islamic Relief has an advantage over secular, Western and non-Muslim faith-based organisations in working with Muslim communities. However, in certain contexts, being identified as a ‘Muslim organisation’ may also complicate the experience of gaining entry into communities, especially with regard to local authorities and other international NGOs.

- this amount far exceeds any aid they have received. Indeed, indebted countries are paying around $118 million every day in interest and principal payments - although payments far greater than the original loan amount have already been made. Debt is one of the principal causes of poverty; it has hampered the economic development of indebted countries and prevented them from investing in essential services such as healthcare and education. Are there any additional insights that can be gained through analysing the debt crisis from an Islamic perspective? Are there any specific Islamic teachings and guidance that Muslims can refer to when considering solutions? This paper examines Islamic teachings on debt and, with references from the Qur’an and ahadith, argues that for Muslims there are indeed strong and clear faith-based reasons for advocating debt cancellation.

It sets in place an Accountability Framework in which we strive to improve the quality of our work in the eyes of our beneficiaries and the rest of the world. The IR Accountability Framework is built on five key principles; embodiment and compliance with ethics and standards, transparency, participation, performance management and providing

2. Provide moral, ethical and professional guidance to all our employees and partners we work with. 3. Set standards for the organisation against which we can measure and evaluate our performance
4. Inform our beneficiaries and donors of the standards they should expect from the services we provide.

This practical manual provides some well used tools for staff to use in the design of relief and development programmes in the field. It will help in ensuring that projects take into account the multi-faceted role that gender relations play in dictating a range of social, economical and political conditions that make up and affect both positively and negatively the lives of poor people.