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Nuclear Technology to revive

cotton in Pakistan: IAEA and

NIAB working for better future IAF and ITMF unveil

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has the new climate reality in the country. The new types SCI at OECD Forum
lauded the efficient use of nuclear tech applied in the now account for 40 percent of all cotton produced,
country by the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission's up from just 25 percent two years ago and from
Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology (NIAB) non-existent yield in 2016. The collaboration between
Faisalabad for the revival of the cotton crop in NIAB, IAEA, and FAO includes a long-term technolo-
particular and textile industry in general. gy transfer and capacity-building program. Having The reduction of audit and standard fatigue
this focus, the partnership has included training,
In partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organi- workshops, and fellowships – training Pakistani in the clothing and textile industries
zation of the United Nations, the IAEA is working with scientists in plant breeding techniques focused on
local experts to develop and introduce new varieties developing cotton varieties tolerant to drought and
of cotton that are more resilient and better adapted to high temperatures.
During a side session organized by the International The four criteria are:
Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) and the • Willingness to harmonize standards,
International Apparel Federation (IAF) at the OECD • Compliance with OECD and ILO guidelines,
Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Foot- • The use of existing platform to avoid audit duplica-
wear Sector held online, the two organizations tion and
unveiled their joint initiative, the SCI or Standards • Global certification of auditors.
Convergence Initiative. The SCI will serve as a global
industry wide platform to discuss and develop a The four criteria will provide a foundation for a
strategy as well as the tools to accelerate the structural monitoring of standard holders’ efforts to
Dr. Jinfa Zhang wins the clothing and textile industries. out by ITC. During the session at the OECD Forum,
reduce audit and standard fatigue that will be carried
reduction of audit and standard fatigue in the
the ITC explained how its unique Standards Map
prestigious Cotton Genetics The auditing conduct of standard holders, along with Database will be used to measure and monitor
brands, retailers and other buyers’ decisions deter-
standard convergence in the industry. First results of
the monitoring are expected in the third quarter of 2021.
mines if we are moving firmly in the direction of less
unnecessary overlap of audits and standards.
Research Award 2020 future Therefore, one of the first steps of the SCI, in collab- In addition to this monitoring exercise, from its
oration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), is to
global, industry wide vantage point, the SCI will
create transparency in the conduct of the main
actively foster collaboration between different actors
standard holders, brands and retailers and 3rd party
standard holders, measuring to what extent they are that are each working on a partial solution. And,
because large brands and retailers sticking to their
Dr. Jinfa Zhang, a New Mexico State University professor, is the 2020 Cotton Genetics Research Award winner. contributing to the reduction of audit and standard own standards block the reduction of standard
During the 2021 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, the winner was announced, which convened as fatigue. fatigue, the SCI will continuously call on these brands
part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated virtual 2021 Beltwide Cotton Conferences. Zhang, selected by and retailers to either drop their proprietary stand-
the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee, received a plaque and a monetary award. For this purpose, the SCI has identified four criteria to ards in favour of 3rd party standards or to collabo-
use as a yardstick to judge standard holders’ rate in other ways that observably reduce audit and
The annual Cotton Genetics Research Award was established in 1961 by U.S. commercial cotton breeders to commitment to reduce audit and standard fatigue. standard fatigue.
recognize and encourage basic research in cotton genetics, cytogenetics, and breeding. It is administered by
the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee consisting of representatives of the NCC, USDA, state experiment
stations, Cotton Incorporated and commercial breeders.

January/February 2021 January/February 2021