A virtual event on “Strengthening the (economic) partnership between Europe and Latin America for sustainable development” has just taken place, organised by the Graubünden University of Applied Sciences, Cnnoscoe.V., the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) and ADELA Regional Programme.
The event, which the entities developed together on Thursday (13.04.2023), offered conferences, round tables and workshops, within the framework of the European Latin American Forum (ELAF) 2023 strategy.
There he met the role of the multi-stakeholder platform which, as a collaborative workspace, aims to articulate and coordinate the actions of interest groups and public agents (for example: SECO, in Switzerland). The aim was precisely to find this holistic approach of the platform in the agricultural value chains of coffee and cocoa in Latin America, with the idea of sharing best practices and challenges in this regard (Division of International Trade and Integration. ECLAC).). Lessons learned for the sustainability of these agricultural value chains were also heard (the case of the Swiss Platform for Sustainable Cocoa). And the participation of major players in the platforms was evaluated (the case of Gino Sadler Marín Ciriaco, coffee producer from the province of Oxapampa, Pasco, Peru).
The round table gathered these key messages. The first refers to the existence of different multi-stakeholder platforms; the second highlights the importance of having clear objectives in the multi-stakeholder platform; the third, the relevance of having transparent communication criteria, monitoring and dialogue with actions. Finally, broad challenges were found for the implementation of the concept of sustainability in small agricultural producers in Latin America.
In parallel, a workshop addressed the importance of ““Services sector and sustainability”in the relationship between Latin America and Europe. And it revived the fact that the European Union is an important player in the region, but the United States remains the main one. This led to pointing out some challenges related to time zones, tax barriers, new European legislation, among others.
Likewise, another simultaneous workshop developed the “trade and sustainable development” in the bilateral relationship. And he suggested that Due Diligence (a concept referring to a legal audit, that is, a prior review operation of a person or company in order to assess possible risks when establishing an economic relationship with it) should consider principles of environmental precaution and prevention of human rights abuses. He highlighted the opportunity to learn about the European Green Deal in its entirety and the importance of making these reflections on human rights applied to the environment and water.
The event is free on the channel of the KAS – ADELA website.
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