Delegates to the UNCTAD XIII quadrennial conference were briefed
Wednesday on a soon-to-be-launched United Nations Forum on
Sustainability Standards (UNFSS). Voluntary sustainability
standards (VSS) – also called “private standards" related to
health, occupational safety, environmental, social or animal
welfare issues -- have become a critical issue in international
trade and in the promotion of sustainable development
strategies. Five UN bodies (UNCTAD, the Food and Agriculture
Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the
United Nations Industrial Development Organization, and the
International Trade Centre) have come together and plan an
imminent launch of the UNFSS. The Forum will be a platform for
providing information, analysis, and capacity-building
assistance on these standards, with a particular focus on their
potential value as tools for developing countries to achieve
their sustainable development goals and boost production and
exports of sustainably produced products. The Forum also