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VERSION:2.0
PRODID:unctad.org
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a5239e532030
DTSTART:20210922T110000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20210922T130000Z
LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:Workshop on trade and biodiversity: Evidence and options for using 
 sustainability standards to strengthen the post-2020 global biodiversity f
 ramework
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) are norms and standard
 s that are used to ensure that a product is harvested\, produced\, process
 ed and/or transported in accordance with certain sustainability metrics\, 
 such as environmental impact\, basic human rights\, labour standards and g
 ender equality.  With VSS increasingly being referenced in trade agreemen
 ts to foster sustainable development and good governance\, it can be an ef
 fective tool to provide incentives for governments and companies to adopt 
 practices that are in line with environmental\, social and economic object
 ives. VSS can also play a vital role in biodiversity conservation. Biodiv
 ersity is aggravating at a record pace and is among the global top threats
  according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The trade of unsustainable p
 roduction and consumption patterns of biodiversity based products and serv
 ices have been identified as one of the indirect drivers of biodiversity l
 oss in a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiv
 ersity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). In recent years\, there has been e
 vidence that VSS are playing an increasingly important role in biodiversit
 y conservation. For example\, the United Nations State of the World’s Fo
 rests 2020 report recommends using VSS to trace responsibly managed forest
  products\, improve environmentally friendly agricultural practices\, and 
 to support companies in meeting sustainability targets. With the Conventio
 n of Biological Diversity (CBD) currently negotiating its new global biodi
 versity framework\, VSS can be used as an effective tool for monitoring an
 d implementation of the new targets and indicators. Nevertheless\, VSS ar
 e often not well understood and have not played their full potential withi
 n the area of biodiversity conservation. Moreover\, the complexity of sust
 ainability standards can be challenging\, and can lead to inequalities and
  vulnerabilities\, especially for small producers and developing countries
 .  ObjectiveThe workshop will bring together leading experts and stakehol
 ders to emphasize and strengthen the importance of sustainable trade for t
 he post-2020 global biodiversity framework and how VSS can be used as effe
 ctive tools for achieving biodiversity targets. Through panel and discussi
 on groups\, the workshop will explore how sustainable and legal trade of b
 iodiversity-based products and services can create effective incentives fo
 r the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Additionally\, it 
 will look at ways on how VSS can be a vital component to strengthen the im
 plementation and monitoring mechanisms within the new framework based on e
 vidence-based studies and academic research. With UNCTAD having a specifi
 c mandate on trade and biodiversity\, and ISEAL with two decades of experi
 ence ensuring VSS are credible and impactful\, this workshop will bring to
 gether a multitude of issues on the table that are in line with the discus
 sions leading up to the  Fifteenth session of the United Nations Conferen
 ce on Trade and Development (UNCTAD 15) and the Fifteenth meeting of the C
 onference of the Parties to the CBD (CBD COP15).ApproachInteractive online
  workshop. The first hour will frame the global biodiversity framework sta
 te of play and then present the evidence\, opportunities and challenges of
  how voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) contribute to biodiversity c
 onservation\, followed by a question-and-answer period. The second hour wi
 ll provide an opportunity for biodiversity negotiators and related stakeho
 lders to join moderated discussions where they will share feedback about h
 ow sustainability standards can contribute to the implementation and monit
 oring of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework currently being negot
 iated. Workshop suggestions and findings will be compiled in a report.  C
 hinese simultaneous interpretation provided.This online workshop is organi
 zed with the financial support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic
  Affairs SECO. Watch the event recording Download the workshop report 
  /system/files/information-document/ditc-ted-24032021-post2020-report-5.p
 df\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nhttps://unctad.org/meeting/workshop-trad
 e-and-biodiversity-evidence-and-options-using-sustainability-standards
DTSTAMP:20260711T124109Z
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