Global value chains have become a dominant feature of world trade, encompassing developing, emerging, and developed economies. Consequently, multi-lateral fora like the OECD and the WTO have been following and to varying degrees, contributing to growing efforts to regulate in this area. 

Increasingly, the relationship between issues such as labour rights and environmental harm and trade are discussed in multilateral fora. For example, whereas the introduction of labour standards into WTO agreements has historically faced resistance, the specific issue of forced labour was raised as a multilateral issue in the context of the negotiations on fisheries subsidies in 2021 when the US tabled a proposal to “address the prevalent use of forced labor on fishing vessels.” Although the proposal did not make it into the final agreed text, these issues are creeping higher on the global agenda.

The EU participates actively in these multi-lateral fora and is contributing to the initiatives that are being developed in that context.