Reflecting to the UNFSS research element cornerstone, the Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) Academic Advisory Council (AAC) (hereinafter “AAC”), composed of renowned academic experts from across the globe, has been established to function as a think-tank that brings together a wide variety of academic backgrounds, ranging from public international law, global governance, international political economy, economics and public management, to human rights and sustainability studies. This type of multidisciplinary approach not only reflects the implicit acknowledgement of the complexity and multi-faceted nature of analysing VSS effectiveness and the challenges associated therewith, it also offers researchers from different thematic and methodological schools a chance to collaborate with, and learn from one another. Such collaboration in turn, allows the academics involved to create a more comprehensive understanding, a fuller picture of their research topics around the governance of VSS systems.
The Inception Meeting (By Invitation Only)
- Developments in the field of VSS: Stagnation or Consolidation, Compliance or Learning – This session discusses the developments of VSS on two levels. First on the level of all VSS with a focus on the reasons and possible implications of the stagnation on the number of VSS in recent years. Second, on the development in governance practices of specific VSS by emphasizing the current developments in VSS governance models that interact more closely with standard-takers and what can be expected of them.
- Impact and effectiveness of VSS in achieving the triple bottom line of sustainability – social, economy and environment – The effectiveness of VSS is determined by the impact they generate on key sustainability metrics and their degree of adoption. This session discusses the conditions under which VSS generate the most significant impacts. It also converses the current adoption dynamics of VSS and how these different types of dynamics are communicated.
- VSS in Public Policy Possibilities and Constraints – VSS are increasingly integrated in different types of public policy including measures for export promotion, import restrictions, public procurement, etc. This session discusses the possibilities and constraints of integrating VSS in public policy based on current studies and insights. The panel aims to answer the following questions: What functions do VSS perform in the regulatory process (agenda-setting, implementation, monitoring and enforcement)? How do or can they complement, substitute or possibly antagonize public policies? And what are the strengths and weakness, threats and opportunities?
