Policy Roundtables at the Leuven Conference: Chairs, Speakers and Participants

As part of the Leuven Conference on Voluntary and Mandatory Sustainable Value Chains Governance, three high-level policy roundtables will bring together leading experts from academia, international organizations, policymaking bodies and industry practitioners. Below is the list of roundtable chairs, speakers and participants.

Due Diligence, the New Regulatory Environment and Smart-Mix Policies

This roundtable will examine how due diligence-based regulations are reshaping sustainability governance and explore pathways to enhance coherence and coordination across public and private sustainability initiatives.

CHAIR:

Axel Marx

Deputy Director, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, KU Leuven

PARTICIPANTS:

Heidi Hautala

Former Vice-President of the European Parliament and a long-term MEP

Arianna Rossi

Senior Research and Policy Specialist for the International Labour Organization-International Finance Corporation (ILO-IFC) Better Work programme

Lauren Shields

Lead, Sustainability Initiatives Practice, Centre for Responsible Business Conduct, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Amaryllis Verhoeven

Deputy Director and Head of Unit in the Directorate General (DG) for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) at the European Commission

Daniela Fabel Glass

Programme Manager – State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO, Economic Cooperation and Development

Tytti Nahi

Business and Human Rights Director at Fairtrade International

Andrea González Nader

Ambassador of Ecuador to the European Union

Trade Effects of Sustainability Value Chain Governance Instruments

This roundtable will examine the trade implications of sustainability value chain governance instruments, with particular attention to their effects on producers in developing countries and potential policy responses to address emerging challenges.

Chair:

Bernard Hoekman

Director Global Economics at the Robert Schuman
Centre for Advanced Studies
European University Institute

PARTICIPANTS:

Aik Hoe Lim

Director, Trade and Environment at World Trade Organization (WTO)

Lucas Zavala

Economist in the World Bank’s Department of Development Impact

Miet Maertens

Professor of agricultural and development economics at the Department of Bio-economics, KU Leuven

Archna Negi

Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University

Cameron Plese

Head of Government Affairs & North America, RSPO

Virpi Stucki

Chief – Division for Fair Production, Sustainability Standards and Trade, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)

Reflection on Future Developments and Challenges

This roundtable will explore the future of sustainability governance in an increasingly complex geopolitical environment, examining key challenges, emerging opportunities and policy priorities for ensuring effective sustainability outcomes.