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WEBINAR: "Sustainability standards and social concerns: an academic roundtable discussion"

  • Published on April 9, 2021
UNFSS Academic Advisory Council and Evidensia organize a webinar on social concerns and its links with the design and effectiveness of sustainability standards.

DATE: 4 May 2021

TIME: 2pm – 3.30pm (CET)

The pursuit of sustainability, as it is known today, is one that balances the competing and complementary priorities of environmental protection, economic growth, and social equity. There will be no meaningful progress trying to resolve climate change and degradation of global ecosystems without also addressing social equity and the associated economic concerns.

Drawing more deeply on the importance of social sustainability, bringing awareness to the challenges of decent work, labor rights, fair wages, equal opportunities etc., social sustainability has been recognized as central to growth and poverty reduction.

Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) specify requirements that cover a wide range of environmental and socio-economic issues. On the social dimension, VSS cover issues related to improved working conditions, labor rights and safety, fair prices and benefit sharing, fair wages, community development, gender equality, and the promotion of responsible consumption and production, among others. In the last decades, products certified according to their environmental and social sustainability have become an important feature of production, trade, and consumption. Hypothetically, the compliance with these requirements will eventually lead to improved social sustainability in terms of empowerment and inclusion of smallholders in the value chains, food security, improved livelihood, job creation and poverty alleviation, among others.

The relevance of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) is reflected by a growing literature across social sciences, in particular economics and political science. Given their environmental, social, and economic potential impacts, sustainability standards may be expected to play an increasingly important role in complementing governments’ efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A Dialogue on VSS and Social Concerns

The UNFSS's Academic Advisory Council (AAC), in partnership with Evidensia, will be hosting the 2nd AAC Roundtable Series virtually on Sustainability Standards and Social Concerns on 4th May 2021, 14h-15h30 (CET).
 

Register here

Through knowledge exchanges and policy dialogues, this roundtable discussion will help in providing inputs and developing a common foundation upon which further research and discussion in this area could be conducted. This dialogue is compounded with questions namely:

  1. What is the role of VSS in promoting social sustainability? What do we know about the possibilities of VSS for social upgrading?
  2. On which social dimensions would VSS be a challenge to address, and which of these dimensions can VSS make a difference and/or should prioritize?
  3. What are some of the main knowledge gaps and where do we need more research/ type of research?

 

SPEAKERS

  • Rita Mendez, Senior Coordinator, Impacts and Evidence at Evidensia, ISEAL
  • Santiago Fernandez de Cordoba, Senior Economist and UNFSS Coordinator, UNCTAD
  • Verena Bitzer, Research Fellow, Maastricht University
  • Elizabeth Bennett, Joseph M. Ha Associate Professor of International Affairs and Director of Political Economy at Lewis and Clark College.
  • Miet Maertens, Senior Economist at LICOS – Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven
  • Siti Rubiah Lambert, UNFSS Secretariat, UNCTAD
  • Axel Marx, Deputy Director, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, University of Leuven
  • Vidya Rangan, Senior Manager, Impacts and Evidence, ISEAL

 

LEARN MORE HERE

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