BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:unctad.org
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a8f9cd65c217
DTSTART:20210914T120000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20210914T150000Z
LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:APEC Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sus
 tainability Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Context\n\nDebates over private standards on sustainability and
  their influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at t
 he local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations 
 are also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability 
 Standards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability c
 hallenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are
  used in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geogra
 phies such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS 
 could be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of
  some VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap pro
 motes healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundanc
 e of VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local co
 ntext\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, a
 nd generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market acces
 s and could become potential barriers to trade.\n\nWorkshop Objective\n\nT
 he Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainabili
 ty Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region is under the purview of the
  Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an ini
 tiative of Malaysia (The Department of Standards Malaysia)\, with the supp
 ort of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United
  Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be f
 ully virtual with participants from the public and private sectors as well
  as international organisations.\n\nThe workshop aims to:\n\n1.      
 Provide knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;\n\n2.      
 Function as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sector
 s in the APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VS
 S by APEC member economies\;\n\n3.      Publish a compendium of best 
 practices on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;\n\n4.  
     Explore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC regi
 on or continuous collaboration with other international organisations work
 ing on VSS.\n\n \n\nThis workshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member econ
 omies and the local time of the event per economy as stipulated below:\n\n
 \n\n\nTime Zone\nEconomy\nDate\nStart Time\nEnd Time\n\n\nUTC-3\nChile\n14
  - 16 September\n09:30\n12:00\n\n\nUTC-4\nCanada\; United States\n14 - 16 
 September\n08:30\n11:00\n\n\nUTC-5\nMexico\; Peru\n14 - 16 September\n07:3
 0\n10:00\n\n\nUTC+3\nRussia\n14 - 16 September\n15:30\n18:00\n\n\nUTC+7\nI
 ndonesia\; Thailand\; Viet Nam\n14 - 16 September\n19:30\n22:00\n\n\nUTC+8
 \nBrunei Darussalam\; China\; Hong Kong\, China\; Malaysia\; The Philippin
 es\; Singapore\, Chinese Taipei\n14 - 16 September\n20:30\n23:00\n\n\nUTC+
 9\nJapan\; Korea\n14 - 16 September\n21:30\n00:00 (+1 day)\n\n\nUTC+10\nAu
 stralia\; Papua New Guinea\n14 - 16 September\n22:30\n01:00 (+1 day)\n\n\n
 UTC+12\nNew Zealand\n15 - 17 September\n00:30\n03:00\n\n\n\n\n \n\nTo par
 ticipate\, please write to Ms. Aainaa Kamilah Roslee of Department of Stan
 dards Malaysia\, copied to Ms. Siti Rubiah Lambert of United Nations Forum
  on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) with the following information:\n\n 
 \n\n•    APEC Member Economy:\n•    Name (CAPITALISE surname): 
                     \n•    Title (Dr/Mr/Ms/Mrs):\n
 •    Position:\n•    Gender (M/F):        \n•    Org
 anization:    \n•    Email:  \n•    Telephone:       
                                      
                                      
     \n•    Government official: Yes / No\n\nEmail TO: kamilah@jsm.
 gov.my and CC: siti.lambert@unctad.org\n\n \n&lt\;h4&gt\;Context&lt\;/h4&
 gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;Debates over private standards on sustainability and th
 eir influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at the 
 local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations are
  also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability Sta
 ndards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability chal
 lenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are us
 ed in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geographi
 es such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS cou
 ld be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of so
 me VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap promot
 es healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundance o
 f VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local conte
 xt\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, and 
 generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market access a
 nd could become potential barriers to trade.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;h4&gt\;Wo
 rkshop Objective&lt\;/h4&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The Workshop on Understanding 
 the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) to Trade i
 n the APEC Region is under the purview of the Sub-Committee on Standards a
 nd Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an initiative of Malaysia (The Depa
 rtment of Standards Malaysia)\, with the support of Asia Pacific Economic 
 Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United Nations Forum on Sustainabil
 ity Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be fully virtual with participant
 s from the public and private sectors as well as international organisatio
 ns.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The workshop aims to:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&
 gt\;1.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Provide
  knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&g
 t\;2.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Function
  as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sectors in the
  APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VSS by APE
 C member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;3.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&
 amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Publish a compendium of best practices
  on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt
 \;p&gt\;4.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Exp
 lore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC region or cont
 inuous collaboration with other international organisations working on VSS
 .&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;&amp\;nbsp\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;This wo
 rkshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member economies and the local time of 
 the event per economy as stipulated below:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;table borde
 r=&quot\;1&quot\; cellpadding=&quot\;1&quot\; cellspacing=&quot\;1&quot\; 
 height=&quot\;225&quot\; width=&quot\;586\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nh
 ttps://unctad.org/meeting/apec-workshop-understanding-role-and-impact-volu
 ntary-sustainability-standards-vss-trade
DTSTAMP:20260827T021134Z
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a8f9cd65c249
DTSTART:20210915T120000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20210915T150000Z
LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:APEC Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sus
 tainability Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Context\n\nDebates over private standards on sustainability and
  their influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at t
 he local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations 
 are also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability 
 Standards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability c
 hallenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are
  used in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geogra
 phies such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS 
 could be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of
  some VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap pro
 motes healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundanc
 e of VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local co
 ntext\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, a
 nd generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market acces
 s and could become potential barriers to trade.\n\nWorkshop Objective\n\nT
 he Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainabili
 ty Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region is under the purview of the
  Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an ini
 tiative of Malaysia (The Department of Standards Malaysia)\, with the supp
 ort of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United
  Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be f
 ully virtual with participants from the public and private sectors as well
  as international organisations.\n\nThe workshop aims to:\n\n1.      
 Provide knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;\n\n2.      
 Function as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sector
 s in the APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VS
 S by APEC member economies\;\n\n3.      Publish a compendium of best 
 practices on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;\n\n4.  
     Explore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC regi
 on or continuous collaboration with other international organisations work
 ing on VSS.\n\n \n\nThis workshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member econ
 omies and the local time of the event per economy as stipulated below:\n\n
 \n\n\nTime Zone\nEconomy\nDate\nStart Time\nEnd Time\n\n\nUTC-3\nChile\n14
  - 16 September\n09:30\n12:00\n\n\nUTC-4\nCanada\; United States\n14 - 16 
 September\n08:30\n11:00\n\n\nUTC-5\nMexico\; Peru\n14 - 16 September\n07:3
 0\n10:00\n\n\nUTC+3\nRussia\n14 - 16 September\n15:30\n18:00\n\n\nUTC+7\nI
 ndonesia\; Thailand\; Viet Nam\n14 - 16 September\n19:30\n22:00\n\n\nUTC+8
 \nBrunei Darussalam\; China\; Hong Kong\, China\; Malaysia\; The Philippin
 es\; Singapore\, Chinese Taipei\n14 - 16 September\n20:30\n23:00\n\n\nUTC+
 9\nJapan\; Korea\n14 - 16 September\n21:30\n00:00 (+1 day)\n\n\nUTC+10\nAu
 stralia\; Papua New Guinea\n14 - 16 September\n22:30\n01:00 (+1 day)\n\n\n
 UTC+12\nNew Zealand\n15 - 17 September\n00:30\n03:00\n\n\n\n\n \n\nTo par
 ticipate\, please write to Ms. Aainaa Kamilah Roslee of Department of Stan
 dards Malaysia\, copied to Ms. Siti Rubiah Lambert of United Nations Forum
  on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) with the following information:\n\n 
 \n\n•    APEC Member Economy:\n•    Name (CAPITALISE surname): 
                     \n•    Title (Dr/Mr/Ms/Mrs):\n
 •    Position:\n•    Gender (M/F):        \n•    Org
 anization:    \n•    Email:  \n•    Telephone:       
                                      
                                      
     \n•    Government official: Yes / No\n\nEmail TO: kamilah@jsm.
 gov.my and CC: siti.lambert@unctad.org\n\n \n&lt\;h4&gt\;Context&lt\;/h4&
 gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;Debates over private standards on sustainability and th
 eir influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at the 
 local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations are
  also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability Sta
 ndards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability chal
 lenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are us
 ed in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geographi
 es such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS cou
 ld be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of so
 me VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap promot
 es healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundance o
 f VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local conte
 xt\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, and 
 generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market access a
 nd could become potential barriers to trade.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;h4&gt\;Wo
 rkshop Objective&lt\;/h4&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The Workshop on Understanding 
 the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) to Trade i
 n the APEC Region is under the purview of the Sub-Committee on Standards a
 nd Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an initiative of Malaysia (The Depa
 rtment of Standards Malaysia)\, with the support of Asia Pacific Economic 
 Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United Nations Forum on Sustainabil
 ity Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be fully virtual with participant
 s from the public and private sectors as well as international organisatio
 ns.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The workshop aims to:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&
 gt\;1.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Provide
  knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&g
 t\;2.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Function
  as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sectors in the
  APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VSS by APE
 C member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;3.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&
 amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Publish a compendium of best practices
  on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt
 \;p&gt\;4.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Exp
 lore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC region or cont
 inuous collaboration with other international organisations working on VSS
 .&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;&amp\;nbsp\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;This wo
 rkshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member economies and the local time of 
 the event per economy as stipulated below:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;table borde
 r=&quot\;1&quot\; cellpadding=&quot\;1&quot\; cellspacing=&quot\;1&quot\; 
 height=&quot\;225&quot\; width=&quot\;586\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nh
 ttps://unctad.org/meeting/apec-workshop-understanding-role-and-impact-volu
 ntary-sustainability-standards-vss-trade
DTSTAMP:20260827T021134Z
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:6a8f9cd65c250
DTSTART:20210916T120000Z
SEQUENCE:0
TRANSP:OPAQUE
DTEND:20210916T150000Z
LOCATION:Online\, 
SUMMARY:APEC Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sus
 tainability Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region
CLASS:PUBLIC
DESCRIPTION:Context\n\nDebates over private standards on sustainability and
  their influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at t
 he local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations 
 are also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability 
 Standards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability c
 hallenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are
  used in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geogra
 phies such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS 
 could be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of
  some VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap pro
 motes healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundanc
 e of VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local co
 ntext\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, a
 nd generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market acces
 s and could become potential barriers to trade.\n\nWorkshop Objective\n\nT
 he Workshop on Understanding the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainabili
 ty Standards (VSS) to Trade in the APEC Region is under the purview of the
  Sub-Committee on Standards and Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an ini
 tiative of Malaysia (The Department of Standards Malaysia)\, with the supp
 ort of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United
  Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be f
 ully virtual with participants from the public and private sectors as well
  as international organisations.\n\nThe workshop aims to:\n\n1.      
 Provide knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;\n\n2.      
 Function as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sector
 s in the APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VS
 S by APEC member economies\;\n\n3.      Publish a compendium of best 
 practices on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;\n\n4.  
     Explore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC regi
 on or continuous collaboration with other international organisations work
 ing on VSS.\n\n \n\nThis workshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member econ
 omies and the local time of the event per economy as stipulated below:\n\n
 \n\n\nTime Zone\nEconomy\nDate\nStart Time\nEnd Time\n\n\nUTC-3\nChile\n14
  - 16 September\n09:30\n12:00\n\n\nUTC-4\nCanada\; United States\n14 - 16 
 September\n08:30\n11:00\n\n\nUTC-5\nMexico\; Peru\n14 - 16 September\n07:3
 0\n10:00\n\n\nUTC+3\nRussia\n14 - 16 September\n15:30\n18:00\n\n\nUTC+7\nI
 ndonesia\; Thailand\; Viet Nam\n14 - 16 September\n19:30\n22:00\n\n\nUTC+8
 \nBrunei Darussalam\; China\; Hong Kong\, China\; Malaysia\; The Philippin
 es\; Singapore\, Chinese Taipei\n14 - 16 September\n20:30\n23:00\n\n\nUTC+
 9\nJapan\; Korea\n14 - 16 September\n21:30\n00:00 (+1 day)\n\n\nUTC+10\nAu
 stralia\; Papua New Guinea\n14 - 16 September\n22:30\n01:00 (+1 day)\n\n\n
 UTC+12\nNew Zealand\n15 - 17 September\n00:30\n03:00\n\n\n\n\n \n\nTo par
 ticipate\, please write to Ms. Aainaa Kamilah Roslee of Department of Stan
 dards Malaysia\, copied to Ms. Siti Rubiah Lambert of United Nations Forum
  on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) with the following information:\n\n 
 \n\n•    APEC Member Economy:\n•    Name (CAPITALISE surname): 
                     \n•    Title (Dr/Mr/Ms/Mrs):\n
 •    Position:\n•    Gender (M/F):        \n•    Org
 anization:    \n•    Email:  \n•    Telephone:       
                                      
                                      
     \n•    Government official: Yes / No\n\nEmail TO: kamilah@jsm.
 gov.my and CC: siti.lambert@unctad.org\n\n \n&lt\;h4&gt\;Context&lt\;/h4&
 gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;Debates over private standards on sustainability and th
 eir influence on trade have been rising. Other standards developed at the 
 local\, domestic or international level by public sector organizations are
  also voluntary\, and these are designated as Voluntary Sustainability Sta
 ndards (VSS). VSS have emerged as tools to address key sustainability chal
 lenges such as biodiversity\, climate change and human rights. They are us
 ed in global supply chains in various sectors\, industries\, and geographi
 es such as agriculture\, mining\, forestry and fisheries. Although VSS cou
 ld be an enabler of sustainably sourced products\, the proliferation of so
 me VSS has created an overlap in areas of focus. While this overlap promot
 es healthy competition by providing choices for selection\, an abundance o
 f VSS creates confusion of selection to the SMEs\, often lacks local conte
 xt\, causes difficulty of access by small producers in remote areas\, and 
 generates high cost of compliance. All these factors limit market access a
 nd could become potential barriers to trade.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;h4&gt\;Wo
 rkshop Objective&lt\;/h4&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The Workshop on Understanding 
 the Role and Impact of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) to Trade i
 n the APEC Region is under the purview of the Sub-Committee on Standards a
 nd Conformance (SCSC). The workshop is an initiative of Malaysia (The Depa
 rtment of Standards Malaysia)\, with the support of Asia Pacific Economic 
 Cooperation (APEC) Secretariat and the United Nations Forum on Sustainabil
 ity Standards (UNFSS). The workshop will be fully virtual with participant
 s from the public and private sectors as well as international organisatio
 ns.&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;The workshop aims to:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&
 gt\;1.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Provide
  knowledge on the various VSS in the APEC region\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&g
 t\;2.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Function
  as a platform to discuss issues related to VSS in selected sectors in the
  APEC region and sharing of best practices on implementation of VSS by APE
 C member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;3.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&
 amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Publish a compendium of best practices
  on implementation of VSS among APEC member economies\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt
 \;p&gt\;4.&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\;&amp\;nbsp\; Exp
 lore possible public-private partnership on VSS in the APEC region or cont
 inuous collaboration with other international organisations working on VSS
 .&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;&amp\;nbsp\;&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;p&gt\;This wo
 rkshop is exclusive to the 21 APEC member economies and the local time of 
 the event per economy as stipulated below:&lt\;/p&gt\;\n\n&lt\;table borde
 r=&quot\;1&quot\; cellpadding=&quot\;1&quot\; cellspacing=&quot\;1&quot\; 
 height=&quot\;225&quot\; width=&quot\;586\n\nView meeting on unctad.org\nh
 ttps://unctad.org/meeting/apec-workshop-understanding-role-and-impact-volu
 ntary-sustainability-standards-vss-trade
DTSTAMP:20260827T021134Z
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR