There is an exciting programme lined up for the Electronics Watch Annual Conference 2018, with interactive sessions on purchasing practices, supply chain transparency and social dialogue, and technical workshops addressing contract performance clauses, brand evaluations and guidance on human rights due diligence in global supply chains. The confirmed participants so far come from 17 countries around the world.

Following two years of monitoring and reporting on labour standards compliance at the Foxconn factory in Pardubice, Czech Republic, Electronics Watch has released findings in accordance with our transparency policy.

L'Associació Catalana de Municipis (ACM - the Catalan Association of Local Authorities), with over 1000 members, has affiliated to Electronics Watch. 800 of these local authorities use ACM's procurement centre, and 80 are already buying printers through the printers framework agreement containing the Electronics Watch clauses. There are two more framework agreements which will include them when they are renewed: IT and video reporting of plenaries.

The recent FIFA World Cup and the one coming in four years have been built on the backs of workers denied fundamental labour rights, human rights groups report.  Will the one in 2026 be different?

The City of Amsterdam, capital of the Netherlands and legal home to Electronics Watch, has taken two important steps to affirm its stance on labour rights in supply chains: affiliating to Electronics Watch; and playing co-host for the Electronics Watch Annual Conference 2018 on December 11.

Local authorities are not doing enough to protect workers' rights globally, according to research published last week by UNISON. According to the report Ethical Procurement in UK Local Authorities, produced by People & Planet on behalf of UNISON, only eight of the 190 local authorities looked at had a standalone ethical procurement policy. One in five local authorities were unable to find evidence of sustainability being part of procurement practices, policies or strategies. There are 20 local authorities amongst Electronics Watch’s 200 affiliates – one is in the UK.

Electronics Watch is delighted to introduce four new members of the Board of Trustees: Daisy Arago of the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR, Philippines); Pauline Göthberg of Stockholm County Council (Sweden); Huib de Langen of University of Groningen (Netherlands) and Sanjiv Pandita of Asian Network for the Rights Of Occupational and Environmental Victims (ANROEV). The new board will have equal representation from the three constituent blocks: public buyers, representatives of civil society organisations from the regions of electronics production, and experts in human rights, labour rights, and global supply chains. You can see the full list and bios of the 12 board members here.

Electronics Watch's latest findings on migrant workers' risk of debt bondage and forced labour in the electronics sector in Thailand underscore the need for strong and vigilant civil society organisations that can monitor risk, educate workers about their rights, and craft solutions in collaboration with employers, public officials, and international buyers.

London Universities Purchasing Consortium (LUPC) has voted to affiliate to Electronics Watch, on behalf of all 81 of the Consortium's full Member institutions to support work to mitigate human rights abuses in their supply chains. LUPC is the second UK consortium to affiliate all its Members to Electronics Watch, and fourth in Europe.

Here are the upcoming events that Electronics Watch is organising or participating in during the coming months. European, International, and not forgetting online—we hope to see you there!