Sustainability standards and the increasing demand of consumers in both developed and developing countries for sustainably produced goods and services offer great potential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). At the same time, they can have an adverse effect if producers and exporters from developing countries are able to meet these requirements.
As sustainability demands increase, producers and firms of all sizes and at all levels and locations along the supply chain need to adjust and monitor practices in order to meet consumer expectations and their own Corporate Social Responsibility principles. Through sustainability standards, producers in developing countries can access new and/or more remunerative markets, whilst investing in better social and environmental production conditions. When they are successful, standards can help create decent work and economic growth. However, compliance to standards and technical regulations is especially challenging for small and medium enterprises (SME) from developing countries.
As standards proliferate, the needs for harmonization, conformity assessment and transparency become more evident. Effective partnerships and cooperation mechanisms can importantly contribute to better aligning the sustainability and trade agendas. These include cooperation between the private and the public sector, among standards setting organizations and between international organization working on trade and sustainability issues.
The session seeks to bring together different perspective to these issues and discuss what forms effective cooperation should take to ensure that sustainability standards contribute to sustainable trade and support the SDGs.
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