3rd International Convention on Sustainable Trade and Standards: Policy dialogue

Sustainability Standards as a tool for advancing global sustainability goals

[Video recording]
 

Excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you to this policy dialogue on “Sustainability Standards as a tool for advancing global sustainability goals”.

The Sustainable Development Goals – the SDGs – are the compass of our collective journey towards sustainability. In 2015, the world embraced the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. The agenda then was already ambitious but reflected the vision we had for a world of shared prosperity.

With the cascading crises of our time, the SDGs have come under immense pressure. At the midpoint of the 2030 agenda, only fifteen (15) percent of the SDGs are on track. On several SDGs, we have been moving backwards, not forward.

Thus, we desperately need tools that help us move towards the Goals. Voluntary Sustainability Standards – or VSS - offer a great tool. They can be powerful instruments for promoting sustainable production practices and trade. They are closely aligned with many of the SDGs.

However, while VSS present promising benefits, they also pose challenges, especially for stakeholders in developing countries. Challenges range from the high cost of compliance with the standards, fragmentation of regulation due to the multitude of standards, to the risk of excluding smallholders from supply chains owing to their inability to obtain certification.

To illustrate the challenge: Currently, there are between three hundred (300) to five hundred (500) voluntary sustainability standards.

Multi-stakeholder responses can help address these challenges. The United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards, of which UNCTAD serves as Secretariat, makes an important contribution by enhancing understanding of VSS in global value chains through research and analysis, policy dialogue and technical support to developing countries.

As part of the Forum, UNCTAD has led the setting up of national multi-stakeholder platforms to support knowledge exchange and capacity building on VSS. We have already created ten platforms: In India, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Colombia, Mexico, South Africa, the Caribbean Community - CARICOM, the Andean Community, and an African-continental platform.

The national platform in India has delivered concrete results. It has helped build capacity of Indian businesses, foster collaboration among stakeholders to meet sustainability goals, align with international standards, and enhance access to global markets.

A good example is the certification scheme called “India Good Agricultural Practices”. The scheme covers a range of issues, such as soil management, pesticide use, workers’ health, or planting techniques. To help smallholders get international certification and better access to international markets, UNCTAD has supported the benchmarking of this scheme with global Good Agricultural Practices certification schemes.

We are proud that our work has reached hundreds of local businesses in India.

And we are very pleased to partner with the Quality Council of India in organizing this global convention. Together, we want to:

• Highlight the current state and progress of VSS worldwide;
• Outline a roadmap for their implementation;
• Review the role of VSS in governing environmental and social aspects within global value chains; and
• Position VSS as a central element in policies and strategies promoting sustainability.

I would like to express my gratitude to the government of India and our partner – the Quality Council of India - for the excellent collaboration in organizing the convention and for your warm hospitality.

I wish you a fruitful meeting and thank you for your attention.