CFC Highlights Humanizing Global Value Chains During Oxford Summer School 2026 Session on Business and Human Rights

Teleconference, 20 July 2026 – H.E. Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), delivered a virtual session titled “Humanizing Global Value Chains: Putting People at the Centre of Global Trade” as part of the Oxford Summer School 2026 on Business and Human Rights, organized by Professor Liz Umlas.

The session explored how global value chains can be reshaped to place people, communities and human dignity at the centre of economic activity, highlighting the importance of fair value distribution, responsible business practices and sustainable livelihoods in commodity-dependent economies.

Ambassador Belal introduced the Humanizing the Value Chain (HVC) initiative, a people-centred development philosophy promoted by the CFC that seeks to address human rights challenges embedded in global value chains by reconnecting value creation with fair value distribution. “Through the Humanizing the Value Chain initiative, the CFC seeks to reconnect value creation with fair value distribution, ensuring that the people and communities who contribute to global trade are placed at the centre of development.” 

Drawing on examples from commodity sectors such as coffee and cocoa, as well as labour-intensive industries including garments, Ambassador Belal highlighted the human costs and social externalities often hidden within global value chains. He emphasized that the people who plant, harvest, process and produce the goods consumed around the world must not remain invisible in the systems they help sustain.

Using examples beyond traditional commodity sectors, including global sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Ambassador Belal illustrated how the question of value distribution extends across different industries. He noted that commercial success should not only be measured by the value created at the consumer end, but also by whether the communities and workers at the beginning of value chains share fairly in that success.

“Consumers have the power to ask important questions: Where does this product come from? Who produced it? Were they paid fairly? And did the communities at the beginning of the value chain benefit from its creation?” Ambassador Belal said. 

During the interactive discussion, students explored critical questions around fair remuneration, minimum wages and living wages, and the respective roles of governments, businesses and consumers in advancing more ethical and inclusive markets. The discussion highlighted that ensuring decent livelihoods requires collective responsibility across the value chain—from policy frameworks and responsible business conduct to consumer choices that encourage ethical sourcing and production practices.

He highlighted the experience of JKCC coffee cooperatives in Uganda during the discussion, demonstrating how cooperative approaches can empower farmers, strengthen bargaining power and enable producers to receive a fairer share of the value generated from their products.

“When consumers demand transparency and responsible practices, they encourage businesses to build value chains that are not only efficient, but also fair and sustainable.”

The session reflected the growing importance of business and human rights approaches in addressing inequalities within global trade systems. Ambassador Belal emphasized that sustainable development cannot be achieved by measuring success only through financial returns, but must also consider the people, communities and environments that underpin economic value creation.

“Humanizing the Value Chains is about lifting that fog, making visible the people behind global trade and ensuring that those who create value are not left behind,” Ambassador Belal said.

About the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC)

The CFC is a UN-affiliated international financial institution based in Amsterdam, working in over 100 countries to support inclusive economic development through impact investing in commodity value chains.

For media inquiries, please contact:
CFC Media Relations Team
Email: managing.director@common-fund.org

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