United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
UNCTAD's Trade and Environment branch assesses the trade and development impact of environmental requirements and relevant multilateral agreements and provides capacity-building activities to help developing countries participate in and derive benefits from international negotiations on these matters.
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United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
UNIDO's Trade Capacity Building branch services are grouped in three clusters:
Competitiveness analysis and trade-related policies
Quality management and enterprise upgrading
Standards, metrology, testing and conformity
As part of its third cluster, UNIDO has developed a comprehensive programme to help developing countries and economies in transition to overcome the shortcomings of their standards and conformity infrastructure
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The adoption of more sustainable practices in agricultural production and trade is a primary concern for FAO. Voluntary standards and certification systems may benefit farmers and farm workers, as they can potentially lead to increased return on their labour, better working conditions and longer term environmental improvement. They may offer small farmers an opportunity to stay in business, through the support of consumers who are willing to pay a price premium. These initiatives may also benefit the local communities surrounding the farms and the environment. When they lead to local development through higher incomes, job creation and capacity building, they benefit society as a whole.
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Deutschen Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH
The services delivered by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH draw on a wealth of regional and technical competence and tried and tested management expertise.
Since 1 January 2011, GIZ has brought together under one roof the capacities and long-standing experience of three organisations: the Deutscher Entwicklungsdienst (DED) gGmbH (German Development Service), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH (German technical cooperation) and Inwent – Capacity Building International, Germany. As a federal enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.
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ISEAL Alliance
The ISEAL Alliance is the global association for social and environmental standards. Working with established and emerging voluntary standard systems ISEAL develops guidance and helps strengthen the effectiveness and impact of these standards. We also work with companies, non-profits and governments to support their referencing and use of voluntary standards.
ISEAL members are leaders in their fields, committed to creating solid and credible standard systems that give business, governments and consumers the ability to choose goods and services that have been ethically sourced but most of all help the environment and guarantee producers a decent living.
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International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) - Committee on Sustainability Assessment (COSA)
COSA is managed and implemented by the SCI with the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) with the partnership of the Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Ensenanza (CATIE), Centre de Cooperation Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Developpement (CIRAD), Centro de Estudios Regionales, Cafeteros y Empresariales (CRECE), and INCAE's - Centro de Inteligencia sobre los Mercados Sostenibles (CIMS).
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BSD Consulting
BSD is an international group of locally active consultancy firms. BSD focuses on innovative solutions to manage challenges and opportunities linked to sustainable development. They develop innovative tools and work with best practice to deliver long term value to their clients.
Large local and multinational companies benefit from their services as well as small and medium sized enterprises, development agencies, NGOs, social entrepreneurs, and scientific and educational bodies.
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Leading Standards GmbH