Transparency data

Minutes of the second meeting between the TSD DAG and DBT, 19 September 2025

Published 28 November 2025

1. Executive summary

The April 2025 plenary session marked the start of the Trade and Sustainable Development Domestic Advisory Group’s (TSD DAG) second term, where the focus was on maximising impact and strategic delivery.

The agenda featured items on:

• recent country engagements and a forward look
• policy ‘deep dives’ on important labour and environment issues
• a DAG-only session
• concluding with feedback and next steps

2. Opening remarks

The session began with reflections on the group’s transition into its second term, accompanied by a renewed commitment to maximising its impact through engagement at Civil Society Forums (CSFs) and deepening collaboration with partner country DAGs.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) thanked DAG members for attending and for the insights offered by the group. DBT outlined the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy and Trade Strategy, which were both published recently in June 2025.

DBT flagged that the government remains committed to maximising the economic benefits of all free trade agreements (FTAs) through implementation, and therefore values stakeholder input and views.

Emphasis was also placed on Chapter 6 of the Trade Strategy on ‘accountable trade’, which covers the government’s commitment to labour and environmental objectives in trade policy, and in seeking outcomes that support sustainable trade.

3. Recap of engagements and upcoming engagements

This DBT-led session focused on partner country engagements since the last DAG plenary session in April 2025. This included discussion of policy priorities and important reflections from the sub-committees (SCs) and CSFs held with the following:

• the Andean community (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru)
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) members
• New Zealand
• Vietnam

DBT then outlined upcoming partner country engagements, and the importance of understanding DAG members’ policy interests and priorities on environment, labour and their own areas of expertise. DBT flagged the value of gaining member feedback through policy questionnaires, one-to-one meetings, and policy deep dives to help inform their approach and encouraged DAG member participation and contributions.

DBT also reflected on the progress made in finalising the institutional mechanisms of the group, such as appointment of the DAG chair and agreement on rules of procedure.

DBT and the DAG also discussed ways to maximise impact at CSFs through:

• active participation and discussion among participants and other stakeholders from partner countries
• a strengthened feedback loop regarding questions raised and responses received
• pursuing UK and partner country DAG engagements in the margins of CSFs

4. DAG-only session: policy priorities

During the DAG-only session, members reflected on their strategic priorities for the upcoming term and discussed ways of working. Following a closed-door conversation, the DAG shared important insights with DBT.

5. Policy deep dives

5.1 Labour policy topics

DBT reaffirmed its commitment to working with partner countries towards ratifying and implementing International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, with DAG members highlighting follow-up mechanisms, more specific submissions from stakeholders and partner country dialogues as vectors through which to achieve this.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and flexible working were discussed as potential areas of policy interest, alongside issues such as the gig economy and informal work.

5.2 Environment and sustainability

DAG members discussed the:

• longer-term economic implications of deforestation
• value of international standards
• issues faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in collecting and reporting this data

Opportunities around renewable energy co-operation and the need to address forced labour issues in fishing were also discussed.

6. Closing remarks

The session concluded with a recap of the important takeaways from the discussions held, aimed at strengthening the feedback loop between DBT and the DAG and ensuring continuity and prioritisation of follow-ups between country engagements.

DBT also encouraged more frequent and active engagement by DAG members prior to SCs and CSFs to better understand DAG members’ policy priorities and expertise. The session concluded with DBT thanking attendees for their participation.