PURPOSE: The United Nations General Assembly decided to designate 21 May as International Tea Day to promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour of the sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of the importance of tea cultivation in fighting hunger and poverty. Moreover, there is an urgent need to focus on the importance of tea for rural development and sustainable livelihoods, to improve the tea value chain and to contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
FORUM: “Honouring women around the world, from crop to cup.” International Tea Day 2024. The observance aims to raise awareness of the key role, the sector plays in reducing extreme poverty (SDG1), fighting hunger (SDG2), empowering women (SDG5), supporting the sustainable use of the terrestrial ecosystem (SDG15), and in contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #InternationalTeaDay; #tea, #21May.
EVENT: On May 21th, 2024 starting at 10:00 (GMT) a virtual event will be held to celebrate the International Tea Day 2024 by the FAO from Sheikh Zayed Centre. The event will provide an opportunity to promote international cooperation in tea industry in order to contribute to global green development and to achieve the Global goals. This year, we will highlight women and their role in the tea sector. Following the inauguration, there will be a dialogue featuring the participation of the FAO Director-General Mr. QU Dongyu and women representatives from the tea and coffee sectors. Watch the livestream!
EXHIBITS: An exhibition will be held in the Atrium, accompanied by tasting events for tea and coffee.
INITIATIVES: Tea cultivation is attractive to smallholders in many low-income countries because it creates jobs and income throughout the year and requires relatively little investment. They are responsible for 60% of global tea production. Learn about the FAO´s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme. For further informations, send a email to International-Tea-Day@fao.org.
PODCASTS: Moving Towards the sustainable production and consumption of tea. During the ceremony, speakers have been invited to select a variety of tea and talked about its properties while linking it to a typical cultural experience. Listen to the audio-podcasts!
CAMPAIGN MATERIALS : The Tea Council of the USA, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of a Drink Tea Campaign representing a consumer-friendly, business-friendly, social media-friendly approach to promoting the benefits of tea consumption in the USA. Get the campaign materials!
WHY WE CELEBRATE THE DAY?
We celebrate rhe Day in order to promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favor of the sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty. In parallel, there is a growing recognition of the need to contribute to climate change mitigation, by reducing carbon emissions from tea production and processing. The Day aims to raise awareness of the deep cultural, heritage and economic significance of tea around the globe. The celebration is an occasion to reaffirm the commitment of all stakeholders to support smallholder tea producers and help them overcome the challenges they are facing. The Day will also provide governments and other actors at global, regional and national level an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss collective actions for a resilient, sustainable and inclusive tea sector, to the benefit of both producers and consumers.
ACTIONS
Raise awareness of the key role the tea sector plays in reducing extreme poverty (SDG1), fighting hunger (SDG2), empowering women (SDG5), supporting the sustainable use of the terrestrial ecosystem (SDG15),
Draw the attention of the world’s public and political decision-makers to the importance of tea consumption.
Remind people that drinking tea in good for the immune system and meet the major demands of countries and societies.
Tackle the hot scientific and technical issues and the difficult problems in tea plant research.
Support, guide and promote the sustainable development of tea industry.
Help tea-producing countries to integrate climate change challenges, both on the adaptation and mitigation front, into their national tea development strategies.
PARTNERS
The International Tea Day is co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); the Fairtrade International; The Russian Association of Tea & Coffee Producers; the Tea Association of Italy (AdeMathe); The American Tea Masters Association (ITMA); The China Tea Science Society; The Tea Research Institute (TRI); The China Tea Marketing Association; The Darjeeling Tea Association; The German Tea & Herbal Association (Deutscher Teeverband); The Sri Lanka Tea Board; The Ethical Tea Partnership; The International Tea Sippers Society; The International Tea Committee (ITC); The Japanese Tea Association; The Japan Tea Central Association; The Tea Association of Canada; The United Kingdom Tea Council and The TeaUSA.