CiSEP goes green! Level B training series on Trade and Sustainable Development launched in Lviv
The first CiSEP workshop of the new Level B training series “Trade and Sustainable Development” took place in Lviv from 14–16 May and was dedicated to the respective DCFTA Chapter 13.
A trade policy favoring sustainability makes sure that economic development goes hand in hand with protection of environment and labour rights. World leaders agreed on the Agenda 2030, a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and 169 targets proposed by the United Nations in 2015. The EU is fully committed to implement the SDGs and tries to promote Trade and Sustainable Development through its foreign trade policy. Therefore all modern EU Free Trade Agreements (FTA) comprise a chapter on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD).The same goes for the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA).
The respective Chapter 13 “Trade and Sustainable Development” envisages an active role for civil society in the monitoring of the implementation process and therefore great opportunities for civic engagement. That is why we together with Civil Network OPORA (Lviv) decided to dedicate the next training series for 23 Ukrainian change-makers and representatives of the civil society within the Civic School for Sound EU Practice (CiSEP) to this topic.
What is sustainable development exactly and what are its practical implications? How is it incorporated in EU’s foreign trade policy? How can green economy be realized in Ukraine and which opportunities does Ukraine have when it comes to green finance? The CiSEP fellows discussed these questions with Oleksandr Sushchenko, Head of the Center for Blended Value Studies, who perfectly introduced the group into this topic. Natalia Andrusevych, CEO of the Research and Analysis Center “Society and Environment” showed the place of ecological issues in the EU and Ukraine’s trade policy as well as in the Association Agreement between the two parties. In practical exercise the fellows debated about the EU’s ban on export of wood and studied the instruments of Sustainability Impact Assessment.
The next workshop will be held in Kyiv between 11–13 June in Kyiv and will focus on labour standards in DCFTA Chapter 13 and relevant stakeholders involved in the implementation process.
The Civic School for Sound EU Practice (CiSEP) is a training programme for active citizens and change-makers in Ukraine. It creates a network of Association Agreement specialists with the common goal of enhancing Ukraine’s European integration. CiSEP is kindly supported by the Federal Foreign Office.
