AAC Contributions

June 3, 2025

The 6th UNFSS Flagship Report: “The Future of Sustainable Trade: Due diligence initiatives, voluntary sustainability standards and developing countries”

As global trade evolves, so does the responsibility it carries. The latest UNCTAD report, “The Future of Sustainable Trade: Due diligence initiatives, voluntary sustainability standards and developing countries”, paints a picture of a world where sustainability is no longer optional—it’s becoming a requirement and ethical imperative. At the heart of this transformation is the rise of mandatory due diligence regulations. Countries, particularly developed ones, are enacting laws that require companies to ensure their supply chains are free from environmental harm

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May 19, 2025

The Changing Landscape of Sustainability Governance. What next for VSS? 

This article builds upon the discussions that were held at the UNFSS Academic Advisory Council meeting 2025, 31st March and 1st of April 2025, at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) . The global sustainability governance landscape is rapidly transforming. A new global order is emerging, more fragmented in nature and shaped by regulatory approaches. New due diligence now requires businesses to ensure their supply chains do not harm people or the planet. These laws require companies to

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February 14, 2024

Enhancing Expertise: UNFSS Academic Advisory Council Welcomes New Chair and Members

In a stride towards fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and enriching sustainability discourse, the UNFSS Academic Advisory Council unveils new leadership and a distinguished addition. Committed to advancing sustainability expertise, the council welcomes fresh perspectives to drive meaningful progress. Reflecting the UNFSS’s commitment to robust research in the domain of sustainability standards and global value chains, the Academic Advisory Council (AAC) stands as a cornerstone in advancing understanding and effectiveness of sustainability standards. Comprising renowned academic experts from diverse disciplines worldwide, the AAC functions

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November 30, 2023

The future of sustainable trade: VSS and due diligence regulations

This article builds upon the discussions that were held at the UNFSS Academic Advisory Council annual meeting 2023, 12 October 2023, European University Institute (EUI). Due diligence regulatory initiatives have been proliferating recently around the globe, aiming to advance the sustainability agenda through global value chains governance. Due diligence is an on-going, proactive and reactive process through which companies need to identify and address actual or potential risks in order to prevent or mitigate risks of contributing to adverse impacts associated

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March 21, 2023

Navigating the Landscape of Voluntary Sustainability Standards: Challenges and Opportunities for Developing Countries 

Countries are striving to implement sustainable practices in the face of multiple crises, including climate change and food insecurity, as well as disruptions in international trade. There is thus a clear need for a profound transformation to achieve sustainable development. There has been a growing interest in the role that trade and trade policy measures, such as voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), can play in advancing sustainable development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  Following this impetus, the United Nations Forum

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November 2, 2022

Sustainable Trade in a Globalized World: The time to reconcile development opportunities is now

On Wednesday, 26 October 2022, the United Nations Forum on Sustainability Standards (UNFSS) held its conference on Sustainable Trade and Development Opportunities in Brussels, Belgium to call on the expertise of the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange; Jamaica’s Ambassador-designate to Belgium and Head of Mission to the EU, Symone Betton Nayo; and ISEAL’s Director of Programmes, Kristin Komives; and moderated by Director and Professor of the Global Economics at the Robert Schuman Centre for

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