The EESC hosted the 2nd Civil Society Forum on Trade and Sustainable Development : ' The other side of trade: a bottom-up approach to sustainable development' on 14 November 2023.
Moving on from the fundamental question "Have we been listening?", the event examined Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) from different angles with a common approach: inclusive, bottom-up and solution-oriented.
Civil society representatives from developing countries, who are supposed to be the main beneficiaries of TSD policies, shared their views on concrete labour, environmental and human rights issues associated with trade, including practical proposals and success stories.
They were joined by high-level speakers from EU and multilateral institutions and EU civil society representatives, with the aim to bridge the perceived gap between what the EU is trying to do on TSD and related policies, and the true needs on the ground.
Panel discussions included:
- Trade and investment for development
- New supply chains and the balance between economic security and TSD
- Due Diligence: costs, benefits and strategies
The event was webstreamed