Fair, ethical and sustainable trade - Call for experts

To be considered for the Evaluation Committee, please email the following materials to fairandethical@trade-city-award.eu by January 15, 2018

• Curriculum Vitae (highlighting experience in Fair and Ethical Trade and specifically social, economic, and environmental sustainability schemes).
• Brief “Letter of Interest” highlighting relevant experience and why you would be fit to evaluate city efforts in the areas of fair, ethical, and sustainable trade (max: 400 Words).
• A "Declaration of interests" to disclose any circumstances that could give rise to a conflict of interest, in particular, but not exclusively, related to legal entities with an interest in the award. These circumstances can be related to professional relationships, membership, financial links, support for research or intellectual property rights. The representation of interests and the provision of public or official opinions related to the scope of this award should also be disclosed. The declaration will be analysed to decide on the presence of a conflict of interest, and further information could be requested for clarification purposes.

Evaluators will be selected based on:

• Work experience in the field of fair and ethical trade, public policy, and/or sustainability
• Degree qualification
• Proficient spoken and written English (additional EU languages are considered an advantage)
• Absence of conflicts of interest

Evaluation Committee Responsibilities/Terms and Conditions The Evaluation Committee is responsible for judging award applications based on their collective expertise and a specific evaluation criteria provided by the ITC and DG Trade. The Committee will prepare a shortlist of outstanding applications (exact number to be determined) that will then be presented to the Jury, which will select the Winner and Special Mentions based on the Evaluation Committee review. ​ The Committee is a multi-stakeholder group of individuals coming from a variety of backgrounds. It will be composed of ten experts through an open selection process.

The Evaluation Committee follows up (via ITC and/or the Award Secretariat) on any clarifications with applicant cities/nominees. The Evaluation Committee is managed by ITC, with support from an Award Secretariat (communications and event management agency) and the European Commission, where necessary.

Evaluation Committee members will be serving on a volunteer basis. However, ITC will cover travel costs when necessary. Evaluation Committee members may also publicise and highlight their involvement on the Evaluation Committee as experts in the field. An extract of the members’ CV will be published on the award’s website.

Timeline The initial call for applications for the Evaluation Committee will run until January 15, 2018. Applicants will be notified of their selection in March 2018. Once the Committee is selected, the Experts will meet twice during April/May 2017 (following the Application Deadline on April 13) to evaluate and shortlist the applicant cities. The location and exact dates of these meetings will be decided in 2018; however, they will likely take place in Brussels or Geneva.

​The Award Secretariat will manage the meeting logistics while ITC and DG Trade staff will provide technical support and advice to ensure effective coordination of the group. At this time, an estimate of the number of applicant cities is difficult to provide. The Application Form (available at the Award Website) ensures that applications will be remain succinct in order to allow for efficient and effective review.