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: “Bringing people together over a cup of tea.” International Tea Day 2023. This year, the observance will focus on smallholder tea producers. The Day aims to raise awareness of the deep cultural, heritage and economic significance of tea around the globe. This year’s celebration will be 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. Follow the conversations with the hashtags #InternationalTeaDay; #tea, #21May.
EVENT: On May 19th, 2023 from 16.30 to 18:00 (EDT) in commemoration of the International Tea Day; The Permanent Mission of China and the FAO Liaison Office in New York co-host this thematic event entitled "A magic Leaf: Tea for Green Development" at the Conference Room 6. The event will provide us with a good opportunity to promote international cooperation in tea industry and exchange of tea culture, so as to contribute to global green development and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. On 19 May 2023, from 14:00 to 15:45 hours (Rome time) at FAO HQ, an hybrid event entitled “Bringing people together over a cup of tea.” will be held to mark the International Tea Day 2023. The event, to be opened by FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, will focus on smallholders and the importance of tea cultivation for their livelihood. 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. Register to participate to the event and Watch the 2023 celebration.
EXHIBITS: The observance also highlight the four tea sites recognized as part of world´s agricultural heritage and linked to the FAO´s Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme. For further infomation, 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?
The Day will promote and foster collective actions to implement activities in favour 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.
Therefore, tea-producing countries should integrate climate change challenges, both on the adaptation and mitigation front, into their national tea development strategies.
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.
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.