Sara Elder

In this report, we examine the potential role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in addressing three major sustainability challenges for South Asia’s cotton sector: pest management, water conservation, and farmers’ prices and incomes. The report provides analysis and guidance for policymakers in South Asia on how they might a) use VSSs to boost intraregional trade and improve conditions in cotton production and b) use public policy and trade agreements to increase the impact of VSSs in the region. The findings and recommendations are also relevant to standard-setting bodies in cotton value chains. In Section 1, we show why regional action

With an estimated 81 million jobs lost in 2020 and working-hour losses pushing an additional 22–25 million employed into working poverty, the report warns that the overall size of the fiscal response in the region has been insufficient to offset the costs of labour market turmoil. As countries in Asia and the Pacific continue to propagate policies to support recovery, the report promotes the areas of investment needed to navigate the crisis towards a human-centred future of work that aligns to the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Offers an analysis of 12 indicators from the ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market database. The aim is to look for progress or lack of progress towards the goal of gender equality in the world of work and identify where and why blockages to labour market equity continue to exist. Focuses on the relationship of women to labour markets and compares employment outcomes for men and women to the best degree possible given the available labour market indicators