UN Global Advocate for Peace Endorses Humanizing the Value Chains Initiative
Amsterdam, 25 September 2025 – Ms. Maryam Bukar Hassan, renowned poet and UN Global Advocate for Peace, has formally endorsed the Humanizing the Value Chains (HVC) initiative of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC). Her endorsement underscores the vital connection between inclusive trade, social justice, and sustainable peace.
In her statement of support, Ms. Hassan emphasized that peace is sustained when dignity is protected and when the contributions of every human being are valued. She noted that the HVC initiative resonates deeply with her lifelong commitment to advancing peace and prosperity for underserved communities, particularly women and smallholder farmers in rural areas.
“For too long, the very communities that cultivate our food and fuel our economies have remained on the margins of global prosperity,” Ms. Hassan said. “The Humanizing the Value Chains initiative offers a profound and practical response by embedding equity, transparency, and shared value into commodity supply chains. This is more than an economic strategy; it is a peacebuilding imperative.”
The HVC initiative, launched by the CFC, seeks to transform global value chains by ensuring that producers are empowered as co-owners of the value they create. Through tools such as blockchain traceability, inclusive financing, and fair repatriation of value, HVC reimagines trade as a bridge linking dignity with prosperity.
This endorsement also serves as a broader call to action for all members of humanity. Each of us, as consumers, has the power to make justice tangible through every transaction we engage in. By choosing responsibly, we can ensure that dignity and fairness reach the hands of those who sustain our daily lives. At the same time, an open appeal goes to responsible brands and companies worldwide: step forward and pioneer a new era of fair trade by guaranteeing smallholders and workers their rightful share. We especially invite forward-looking brands to join a blockchain-based pilot under the HVC initiative, ensuring that the process is duly designed for global scaling up. In doing so, you will not only strengthen trust in global markets but also become champions of a more humane, transparent, and sustainable world economy.
Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the CFC, welcomed Ms. Hassan’s endorsement: “Ms. Hassan’s advocacy amplifies the central message of the HVC initiative, that transaction must serve as a pathway to peace, justice, and shared prosperity. We are honored to work alongside her to advance this vision.”
As a next step, Ms. Hassan and the CFC will collaborate on a dedicated advocacy campaign built around the Humanizing the Value Chains theme, engaging key stakeholders to promote fairer, more transparent, and more inclusive trade systems worldwide.
About the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC):
The CFC is an intergovernmental financial institution based in Amsterdam, working in over 100 countries to support inclusive economic development through impact investing in commodity value chains.
About the UN Global Advocate for Peace:
Ms. Maryam Bukar Hassan of Nigeria is the first-ever United Nations Global Advocate for Peace. A Nigerian poet and author of international repute, she is recognized for using art, storytelling, and advocacy to promote peace, justice, and dignity, with a particular focus on women, youth, and marginalized communities.
For media inquiries, please contact:
[CFC Media Relations Team]
[Email: managing.director@common-fund.org]
[Phone: +31 20 575 4949]