UNIDO & Fairtrade International partner for sustainable supply chains

Demonstrating a firm commitment to fostering sustainable supply chains, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Fairtrade International inked a new joint declaration at the 28th Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Dubai. The declaration, signed on December 10 by Gunther Beger, managing director of UNIDO, and Sandra Uwera Murasa, global CEO of Fairtrade International, marks a promising step in addressing the growing challenges facing global supply chains.

In the joint declaration, UNIDO and Fairtrade emphasise their shared commitment to promoting sustainable supply chains and enhancing the value addition of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), smallholder farmers and workers. The partnership will prioritise supporting suppliers in producer countries in key areas such as market access, impact investment, corporate sustainability, the implementation of human rights and environmental due diligence—including technical support to transition to agroecology and build climate resilience, UNIDO and Fairtrade International said in a joint press release.

“This partnership comes at a crucial time for producers facing growing pressure from legislative measures while their costs of sustainable production are escalating, together with climate risks affecting their production and profitability”, said Sandra Uwera Murasa, global CEO of Fairtrade International.

The joint declaration underscores the parties' intent to collect and share best practices in order to fortify the resilience and sustainability of global supply chains. UNIDO and Fairtrade aim to jointly raise awareness of the critical issues and engage in new projects, offering tailored assistance to producers and other relevant stakeholders in global supply chains.

“Addressing the challenge of making supply chains more sustainable requires strengthened cooperation among all actors and an increased commitment to support producers, particularly at the beginning of the supply chain. UNIDO and Fairtrade are building a coalition of partners dedicated to these shared goals”, emphasised Gunther Beger, managing director of UNIDO.

In this vein, the declaration highlights the need for collaboration and for an inclusive process, developed with SMEs, farmers and workers, as well as other relevant public and private stakeholders, to equitably share the burden and benefits of the sustainable transition in global supply chains.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DP)