FWF has a vacancy per 1 December 2009 for the following position:

Senior International Verification Coordinator

Our verification coordinator Ivo Spauwen is in China, sitting in on some audits and meeting our local partners and stakeholders. He regularly keeps us informed of his progress…

As FWF is growing and becoming increasingly international, it becomes clear that there are two distinct kinds of members: those who do direct business with suppliers or agents in production countries, and those who contribute to better labour conditions through their choice of partners and their active recruitment of FWF members.

FWF recently published a paper on best practices in factory training in China. The content of this paper has been taken from the seminar FWF organised in Hong Kong in March. This seminar was well attended by representatives of labour and women’s NGOs from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Our verification coordinator Ivo Spauwen is in China, sitting in on some audits and meeting our local partners and stakeholders. He regularly keeps us informed of his progress…

1 October 2009, Bejing, China,
Hi folks,

Beijing was quiet and clean today because of the parades that were going across the city for the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. No cars allowed on the roads! The authorities celebrated this special day with huge fireworks, lots of weaponry rolling over the streets overlooked by an absurdly high number of uniformed soldiers and policemen.

This my 4th visit to Beijing and it starts to feel like home here. Today I spent most of the day in the city to practice my new language skills. The pronunciation may come out a little funny at times (as in any other language I try to speak :)), but I get what I want when I order, I can argue with taxi drivers, and I managed to buy a train ticket to Tianjin. All in Putonghua, so my efforts are paying off!

Attached a picture of the tuktuk which I - as an exception - rode on my way back to Chongwenmen.

Ivo out.