Prof Sonja Grater was invited to take part in two workshops organised by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in Divone-les-Bains in France on 13 and 14 June 2017. The aim of the first workshop was to form a Gender Advisory Group which will be responsible for assessing the work currently being one by the ICTSD on trade and gender equality, and planning ways to take research projects on this topic forward. The Advisory Group will revisit the progress that has been made in September 2017. The second workshop was broader in scope, focusing on the role of private sustainability standards in global value chains and the impact these have on the realisation of sustainable development and growth. The workshop attendees will also be working together on possible related research topics.