On 16 November 2018, a learning session on shrinking civic freedoms and the position of human rights defenders (HRDs) was held at the Dutch development bank FMO. This session was one of a number of follow-up actions to the report ‘Increasing Leverage’, published recently by the Dutch Banking Agreement (DBA). Oxfam and Amnesty International were the initiators and the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands (SER) moderated the well-attended meeting.
Parties to the Dutch Banking Sector Agreement participated in the annual UN Forum in November. This Forum on business and human rights took place in Geneva, to which representatives of states and businesses attended. During the conference several panel discussions were organised about human rights and supply chain transparency.
'If the price you get to pay as a buyer is too good to be true, it most probably is'. On November 23, the workshop ‘Due diligence in your purchasing practices’ was held about how price quotation, terms of payment & forecasting can be done in a sustainable way. This workshop was organised by the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments and Textile, in cooperation with Modint and Solidaridad.
Het Convenant voor Duurzame kleding en Textiel heeft een brief gestuurd naar de premier van Bangladesh over het verbeteren en verzekeren van veilige werkomstandigheden in de Bengaalse kledingindustrie.
On 13 November, the ‘Sustainable Sourcing Seminar’ was held at Modint. During the seminar, various NGOs, trade unions and social initiatives briefly set out their expertise and explained what significance they could have for clothing companies, in the textile-producing countries as well as in the Netherlands. Participants in and supporters of the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile also attended the seminar.
The theme ‘living wage’ is addressed specifically in the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile. The Parties that drew up the Agreement together regard a living wage and social dialogue as essential themes. That is because progress in these two areas can have a positive impact on all the other themes. They are therefore of critical value and occupy a central place in the Agreement. Signatories can help support a living wage by adopting sustainable procurement practices.
How can multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Dutch IRBC agreements contribute to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals? That was the question addressed during the conference ‘SDGs and Initiatives for Sustainable Global Value Chains’ in Brussels.
The Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile has acquired a new signatory: Fabienne Chapot (Fab B.V.). Fabienne Chapot is a Dutch fashion brand for women and is known for their colourful collection with all over prints.
On November 6 the event ‘AGT’s Next Steps, towards increased impact in supply chains’ took place. The main objective of the day was the exchange of experiences and knowledge. Over a hundred participants to the Agreement for Sustainable Garments and Textile joined the event.
