The International Accord gathering, which took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands, attracted over 120 participants from various stakeholder groups such as brands, trade unions, and NGOs, and included representatives from the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) and the Pakistan Accord Secretariat.
International Accord executive director Joris Oldenziel opened the meeting by acknowledging the record number of signatories in its Bangladesh country programme despite global challenges.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Pakistan Accord country director Zulfiqar Shah and chief safety officer (CSO) Paul Rigby discussed the expansion of signatories, factories, and workers under their programme.
Shah noted positive feedback on worker safety training sessions, while Rigby updated attendees on remediation efforts addressing fire, electrical, and structural safety issues in Pakistan factories since inspections began in October 2023.
Representatives from RSC, including managing director Abdul Haque, remediation programme senior head Shah Sefat Uddin Ahmed, and CSO MD Hassan Nawazis provided insights into health and safety initiatives under the Bangladesh Safety Agreement.
They detailed measures to enhance remediation efforts such as capacity-building workshops, clear communication post-inspections, and Stage 1 meetings to address non-compliances quickly. Also discussed were progress on inspection scopes and the expansion of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Complaints Mechanism.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataPakistan Accord chief complaints officer Kirstine Drew, and Ovijit Mutsuddi from RSC’s OSH Complaints Mechanism Department shared perspectives on the Accord’s Complaints Mechanism.
They emphasised its core principles, accessibility, legitimacy, confidentiality, enforceability, and transparency as well as its dual role in providing remedies for workers and information for brands to prevent adverse impacts. Bangladesh’s established system was contrasted with Pakistan’s emerging one and analysed OSH-related complaints.
A Q&A session followed featuring Lena Peleikis from Otto Group and Christina Hajagos-Clausen from IndustriALL. Discussions centred on expanding the Complaints Mechanism beyond OSH issues and improving brand collaboration using data to identify risks.
Breakout sessions were also held post-lunch on topics such as the launch of the Accord Signatory Portal led by Adelia Arista and Colm Quinn; factory disclosure processes facilitated by Koen Oosterom; and an external session by Dr Anne Marie La Rosa from ILO on an Employment Injury Scheme Pilot in Bangladesh.
The meeting concluded with Oldenziel sharing insights into potential expansion to other countries based on a brand survey conducted in March 2025. The survey findings provided insights into key countries where sourcing is prevalent, the various types of supplier infrastructures engaged, and the nations identified as high-priority targets for potential growth in sourcing activities.
