UNTP General Updates
Please note that this specification is suitable for pre-production pilot implementations.
Terms of Reference
Following the split of the technical work on the core UNTP into four working groups, the former central UNTP Working Group will transition into a General UNTP Group. This group will serve as a hub for coordinating and sharing information and updates on the UNTP and the progress of the technical working groups. The group is open to anyone interested in learning about the UNTP and interoperability in the exchange of ESG data across global supply chains. It also provides a welcoming entry point for newcomers to the UNTP who may wish to engage more deeply with one of the technical working groups. As well as providing updates and general information about the UNTP, the group offers opportunities to ask questions and participate in discussions about the opportunities and challenges of the decentralized, interoperable exchange of verifiable, trustworthy and reliable ESG data. The General UNTP Group meets monthly, on the last Thursday of each month and is moderated by the UN/CEFACT Secretariat.
Mailing List
A group mailing list is maintained and can be used by any list member to post messages to the group. The list also maintains an archive of all messages sent to the group.
- To join the mailing list - your request will be reviewed by a list administrator.
Meetings
UNTP general update meetings are held monthly, on the last Thursday of each month at 10:00 a.m. CET / 8:00 p.m. AEDT.
Subscribe to UNTP Calendar (you can subscribe to the entire calendar or just add specific events) or use this ics calendar link or click on this Teams Link at 10am CET on the last thursday of each month.
Previous Meetings
Previous meeting dates, recordings, and minutes are summarised below with the most recent meeting at the top.
2026-08-27 Meeting Summary
(AI-generated summary)
Quick recap
The UNTP Information Meeting focused on how sustainability standards and certification schemes can adopt UNTP by publishing machine-readable conformity vocabularies and issuing digitally verifiable conformity credentials, using pilots based on the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) as an example.
Summary
Sustainability Standards and Certification Schemes as UNTP Adoption Multipliers
UNECE and UNTP contributors presented how sustainability standards and certification schemes can adopt UNTP by publishing machine-readable conformity vocabularies and issuing digitally verifiable conformity credentials, enabling supply chain actors to reuse trusted compliance information across different systems and regulatory requirements.
- Role of sustainability schemes: Sustainability standards and certification schemes act as adoption multipliers for UNTP because they connect sustainability requirements with companies demonstrating compliance. Scheme criteria such as deforestation, labour conditions, recycled content and emissions can be assigned globally unique machine-readable identifiers and referenced in UNTP credentials.
- Challenges with current certfication models: Certificates are still commonly issued as paper or PDF documents, creating difficulties for retailers and brands that need to collect, interpret and verify sustainability claims at scale. Participants noted that overlapping certification schemes can contribute to audit fatigue, while fraudulent or repeatedly reused certificates can undermine trust.
- Benefits of digital conformity credentials: A conformity credential preserves the information already contained in an existing certificate while making issuer identity, assessment results and conformity claims digitally verifiable. Credentials can be automatically validated, checked for revocation and referenced directly by downstream stakeholders without relying on emails, PDF exchanges or bespoke integrations.
- Implementation pathway for schemes: Scheme owners can convert existing scheme documentation into machine-readable conformity vocabularies, register their scheme in the UNTP conformity register and enable conformity assessment bodies to issue digital credentials. It was emphasised that this process does not require changes to the underlying scheme rules or governance and can be supported by AI-assisted tooling.
- UNTP conformity vocabulary catalogue: Presenters demonstrated how scheme criteria can be organised under common UNTP conformity topics and linked to specific regulations, allowing both humans and machines to discover, compare and reuse conformity information across schemes and jurisdictions.
GOTS Pilot and Digital Product Passport Integration
The meeting showcased textile sector pilots based on the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), demonstrating how existing certification information can be integrated into UNTP and reused in digital product passports.
- Digitising existing certificate information: Existing GOTS scope and transaction certificate information was represented as UNTP conformity credentials without changing existing auditing processes or certification governance.
- Machine-readable criteria: Individual GOTS requirements were extracted from scheme documentation and assigned unique web-based identifiers, enabling specific criteria to be referenced unambiguously in downstream applications.
- Digital product passport support: Brands participating in the pilot can reference upstream conformity credentials directly when creating digital product passports, reducing the need to collect and manually verify certification documents across supply chains.
- Future interoperability across schemes: By mapping scheme criteria to common conformity topics, organisations may be able to compare and assess conformity claims from different sustainability schemes more efficiently while retaining transparency about the underlying requirements.
Trust, Assurance Models and Certification Transparency
Participants discussed the need for UNTP to clearly communicate the level of assurance behind conformity claims and to distinguish between different assessment and verification approaches.
- Distinguishing assurance models: Participants stressed the importance of clearly differentiating self-declarations, second-party assessments and independent third-party certification, particularly where auditor competence and confidence in the assessment are important considerations.
- Transparency of trust pathways: UNTP contributors explained that the protocol is designed to expose trust attributes rather than prescribe which assurance model should be accepted. Credentials can indicate the type of attestation, the degree of independence, applicable standards and whether trust derives from a scheme or an authoritative accreditation pathway.
- Accreditation and verifier transparency: Participants requested visibility regarding whether assessments are conducted by accredited bodies and how trust flows through manufacturers, auditors, certification bodies and accreditation organisations. UNTP supports making these attributes transparent to buyers and regulators.
- Scheme quality and due diligence: It was noted that buyers often rely on scheme reputation rather than detailed evaluation of scheme methodologies. Participants highlighted the importance of publishing scheme criteria in both human-readable and machine-readable formats to enable more informed assessment and comparison of schemes.
Global Interoperability and Legal Constraints
The meeting included discussion on international interoperability, jurisdictional differences and challenges related to access to supply chain information.
- Global scope of UNTP: UNECE clarified that UNTP is a global United Nations initiative intended to support mandatory and voluntary conformity schemes worldwide. While European legislation is an important driver of demand, the protocol is designed to accommodate requirements from different jurisdictions.
- Interoperability across digital product passport systems: UNTP aims to enable information generated in one jurisdiction or supply chain to be mapped into different digital product passport implementations through relatively simple technical mappings, with pilot projects currently testing this capability.
- Confidential supply chain information: Participants discussed the challenge of balancing due diligence requirements with legal and commercial restrictions on sharing supplier information. Potential approaches include the use of trusted third-party auditors capable of validating sensitive information and issuing conformity claims without disclosing confidential supply chain details.
- UNECE work on legal interoperability: UNECE highlighted the launch of work on a new policy recommendation addressing legal interoperability for sustainability-related data exchange, particularly in the mining sector, and invited interested stakeholders to participate.
Alignment with International Digital Product Passport Standards
Participants discussed the relationship between UNTP and emerging international standards work on digital product passports.
- Coordination with ISO/IEC initiatives: Questions were raised about the timing of UNTP relative to the newly established ISO/IEC digital product passport work. UNTP contributors noted that the protocol is already implementable and being tested through pilots while remaining committed to alignment with emerging international standards.
- Avoiding conflicting approaches: Contributors participating in both UNTP and ISO/IEC processes expressed their intention to ensure compatibility, identify gaps, develop mappings where necessary and avoid duplication of effort between initiatives.
UNTP Version 1.0 Timeline Update
UNECE provided an update on the integration of public review feedback and the timeline for releasing UNTP Version 1.0.
- Public review integration: Working groups are currently focused on analysing and integrating public review comments, which has temporarily replaced the usual working group progress updates during information meetings.
- Release schedule revision: The previously announced 1 September release date for UNTP Version 1.0 will be postponed by approximately one month to allow sufficient time to address the quality and volume of feedback received during the public review.
- Next update: The UNTP community will receive a further progress update at the next information meeting, with the project expected to be close to finalising Version 1.0 at that stage.
2026-07-30 Meeting Summary
(AI-generated summary)
Quick recap
Matthias led the meeting by outlining the outcomes of the 60-day UNTP public review, explaining the transparent process for handling comments, and describing the next steps towards the 1.0 release, with contributions from Steve, Brett, Michael, and other working group leads.
Summary
Public Review Outcomes and Process
- Public Review Organisation: Matthias explained that the public review was announced over two months prior, allowing participants to submit comments via the UNTP website, which were then logged as GitLab issues by Steve Capell's team for transparency and ongoing discussion.
- Comment Handling and Transparency: All received comments were categorised and made visible as GitLab issues, enabling contributors to track the status of their feedback and participate in discussions about how their comments are addressed, with the opportunity to provide further input if needed.
- Statistics and Participation: Matthias reported that 110 comments were received from 33 entities across 80 countries, with a majority from Europe and North America, and contributions from regulators, conformity bodies, industry initiatives, CSOs, software implementers, companies, consultancies, and individual experts.
- Next Steps and Timeline: The discussion of comments within technical working groups will continue through August, with changes reflected in the work-in-progress version of UNTP on GitLab, aiming for a 1.0 release to be submitted to UN member states after the summer and further discussed at the UN/CEFACT plenary in November.
Key Themes from Public Comments
Matthias, Steve, Brett, and Michael summarised the main themes from public comments, including conformity and accreditation, EU regulatory alignment, SME and Global South adoption, and specification rigour, with each working group addressing relevant feedback.
- Conformity and Accreditation: Many comments from conformity bodies called for a stronger, machine-verifiable conformity model, with suggestions for improvement being considered by the conformity working group.
- EU Regulatory Alignment: Feedback included requests for greater alignment with EU regulations, while also emphasising the need for UNTP to remain an international standard adaptable to various regulatory frameworks, not just European ones.
- SME and Global South Adoption: There was a strong call for structured pathways to enable participation by actors with low digital maturity, particularly SMEs and organisations in the Global South, ensuring inclusivity regardless of technical or financial resources.
- Specification Rigour: Several comments highlighted the need for clearer, more rigorous specifications to facilitate automation and reliable implementation, which is being addressed by the technical working group.
Working Group Feedback and Actions
Steve, Brett, and Michael provided detailed updates on how the supply chain, technical, conformity, and adoption working groups are addressing the main comment themes, including credential types, trust pathways, SME enablement, and community activation.
- Supply Chain Group Feedback: Steve described feedback on credential types, requests for more identifier schemes, optionality for addresses and geolocations, clarity on mandatory product passport fields, and the need for new credential types and traceability mechanisms, with plans to address these through increased guidance and optionality.
- Technical Group Feedback: Steve noted issues such as long-term discoverability and verifiability of credentials, requests for alternative identity models, and the importance of specification rigour for automation, as well as the need to link claims across multiple credentials in a verifiable way.
- Conformity Group Feedback: Brett highlighted the need for clarified terms and definitions, differentiation between strong and weak evidence, and robust trust pathways, with ongoing work to address conceptual issues like canonical trust pathways and the life cycle of certifications.
- Adoption Group Feedback: Michael reported on efforts to create clear pathways for SMEs and smallholders, improve organisation of guidance, recognise non-commercial adoption routes, and enhance the credibility of business cases, with a goal to complete all version 1.0 issues by the end of August.
Stakeholder Presentations and Discussion
Stefanos (Food Diplomacy Network), Iren (Open Supply Hub), and Anish (Microsoft) presented their comments and questions, which were addressed by Michael, Steve, Zach, and Brett, focusing on SME inclusion, civil society participation, identifier equivalence, and evidence trust pathways.
- Food Diplomacy Network Input: Stefanos raised concerns about the definition and support for SMEs in the Global South, the cost barriers to adoption, and proposed expanding food-specific metrics and involving the Food and Agriculture Sector Forum, with Michael and Zach inviting further collaboration and participation in the adoption working group.
- Open Supply Hub Feedback: Iren summarised their 13 comments, focusing on the fit of non-profit and civil society infrastructure within UNTP, the realism of digital facility record requirements for SMEs, and the need for identifier equivalence, with Steve and Matthias acknowledging these points and encouraging Open Supply Hub's involvement in community activation.
- Microsoft's Comments: Anish explained Microsoft's 18 comments, which covered technical, security, and supply chain aspects, and discussed the importance of open source tools and easy adoption for all supply chain actors, with Steve and Brett addressing specific questions about evidence trust pathways and the handling of sensitive evidence.
- Evidence Trust Pathways Discussion: Brett and Anish discussed the need for mechanisms to grade the quality or trust of evidence in digital conformity credentials, referencing standards like IETF SCITT, and agreed to continue the discussion in the conformity group to balance transparency and confidentiality.
Implementation, Community Activation, and Next Steps
Steve and Matthias concluded the meeting with a call to action for implementers, emphasising the importance of community activation programmes, open source collaboration, and ongoing engagement through working groups and communication channels.
- Call to Action for Implementers: Steve urged all committed implementers to begin preparing for implementation and testing, noting the existence of a test harness and the need for both technical and community activation efforts to ensure successful adoption of UNTP 1.0.
- Community Activation Programmes: The meeting highlighted the role of community activation programmes in supporting adoption by diverse stakeholders, including SMEs, civil society, and non-profits, with sector-specific forums and opportunities for organisations to become activation managers.
- Open Source Collaboration: Steve proposed establishing a public GitLab repository for reference open source implementations of UNTP, inviting participation from Microsoft and other large organisations to facilitate widespread, low-cost adoption.
- Ongoing Engagement: Participants were encouraged to join Slack channels, working group calls, and mailing lists to continue discussions, raise issues, and contribute to the evolving specification, with meeting schedules and contact details available on the UNTP website.
Technical and Practical Implementation Challenges
Rafael raised practical challenges regarding mapping software implementations to real-world data and long-term data retention responsibilities, which Steve addressed by referencing existing and planned solutions for data durability and responsibility allocation.
- Data Mapping and Responsibility: Rafael described difficulties in aligning software requirements with actual company data and identifying responsible parties for data maintenance, especially for long-term retention, with Steve noting that solutions vary by region and are being incorporated into the specification.
2026-06-25 Meeting Summary
(AI-generated summary)
Quick recap
The UNTP Information meeting, held on 25 June 2026, covered the status of the UNTP public review, including feedback received on regulatory alignment, product conformity, credential types, SME adoption, confidentiality, technical profiles and traceability, and outlined the process for addressing comments ahead of version 1.0. Participants discussed the transition from development towards implementation of the UNTP, including the expansion of the activities of the UNTP Adoption Working Group through the establishment of new Communications, Community Activation Programme (CAP) Support and Impact Assessment working groups. The meeting also examined the relationship between UNTP and industry data spaces, highlighting their complementary roles and differing approaches to data exchange. Discussions further addressed legal and regulatory interoperability challenges, including commercial sensitivities and the ongoing development of UNECE Recommendation No. 51.
Summary
UNTP Public Review Status and Feedback
UNECE provided an update on the ongoing public review of the UNTP, highlighting that 44 issues have been raised by around 20 different people and organisations, with feedback covering regulatory alignment, product conformity, new credential types, SME adoption, confidentiality, technical profiles, and traceability, and encouraged continued participation.
- Feedback Themes Overview: The 44 issues raised during the public review are grouped into 11 themes, including requests for clarification on alignment with ESPR and EU battery regulation, strengthening the product conformity trust chain, proposals for new credential types such as a corporate record, and requests for a minimal profile to support SME adoption.
- Confidentiality and Technical Issues: Feedback included requests for clearer guidance on selective disclosure and confidentiality, especially regarding GDPR and sovereign data requirements, as well as suggestions to expand technical profiles and address the challenge of long-lived credentials.
- Traceability and Vocabulary Alignment: There were questions about enhancing traceability events, particularly for post-sale lifecycle stages, and requests to align the UNTP core vocabulary with established data models, as well as suggestions for improvements in versioning and registry management.
- Participation and Issue Resolution Process: UNECE explained that all comments are converted into GitLab issues, and submitters are invited to join relevant working groups to discuss and resolve their feedback, with the public review open until 13 July and ongoing opportunities for engagement.
Transition to Adoption and Implementation Phase
UNECE announced that as the public review marks the end of official UNTP development, focus will shift to adoption and implementation, with the establishment of three new working groups under the UNTP Adoption Working Group, including:
- Communications working group: Manages the UNTP website, social media, explainer videos, presentation support, and case studies, aiming to provide evidence of UNTP's value to supply chain actors and to share impact stories.
- Community Activation Programme (CAP) Support: Designed for stakeholders and/or membership-based organisations to activate their communities for UNTP adoption, offering guidance, training materials, webinars, and test services for implementers, with sector fora websites being set up for coordination.
- Impact Assessment: Focuses on measuring and communicating the broader impact of UNTP, developing case studies, supporting fundraising, and building partnerships with standard-setting and accreditation organisations to ensure mutual recognition and alignment.
- How to join: Please reach out to Immanuela.Badde@un.org should you wish to engage in any of these groups.
UNTP and Industry Data Spaces Comparison
UNECE presented a high-level comparison between UNTP and industry data spaces, explaining their conceptual differences, technical models, and how they can complement each other, with additional clarifications on access control and data sharing.
- Conceptual Differences: Industry data spaces are federated networks where organisations join as members and exchange mostly private data via bilateral contracts, while UNTP is open and decentralised, allowing anyone to publish mostly public data with their own identity.
- Technical and Access Control Models: In data spaces, access is controlled by explicit organisational agreements and digital connectors, whereas UNTP supports both human and machine-readable data, with access control based on roles and credentials rather than pre-existing relationships.
- Complementary Use Cases: Data spaces are suitable for exchanging sensitive or commercially confidential information, while UNTP is designed for transparency and public data sharing, and bridges can be built to allow data exchange between the two models.
- Access Control Clarification: UNTP supports granular access control, allowing data to be shared publicly or restricted to specific roles or identities, such as market surveillance authorities or companies with certain business activities, using verifiable credentials.
Legal and Regulatory Interoperability Challenges
A question was raised about the impact of recent decrees on supply chain data sharing, leading to a discussion about legal conflicts between jurisdictions, commercial sensitivities, and the need for third-party verification and ongoing work on UNECE Recommendation 51.
- Commercial and Geopolitical Sensitivities: It was noted that both legal and commercial sensitivities often prevent manufacturers from sharing upstream supply chain data, and that these challenges are present at both micro (company) and macro (country) levels.
- Third-Party Verification Solutions: To address these challenges, it was suggested that independent third parties could verify and attest to supply chain data without disclosing sensitive information, and some companies are already developing platforms for such assessments.
- UNECE Recommendation 51: UNECE announced ongoing work on UNECE Recommendation 51, which aims to address legal and regulatory interoperability issues in cross-jurisdictional data exchange, with a call for participation to be sent to relevant mailing lists.
Community Activation Programme (CAP) and Sector Fora
CAPs are intended for organisations with member communities to promote and implement UNTP, with sector fora available for cross-community issues and ongoing development of sector-specific websites.
- Programme Purpose and Participation: CAPs are designed for organisations to engage their members in UNTP adoption, contribute to implementation or advocacy, and coordinate with other programmes through sector fora.
Public Review Issue Submission Process
Once the public review closes, issues can be raised at any time, but only those submitted during the formal review window must be addressed before version 1.0, while later submissions are considered for future releases.
2026-04-30 Meeting Summary
Quick recap
The meeting focused on the upcoming public review of the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP), with Steve and Matthias providing updates on the standard's development and governance structure. They explained that version 0.7 would be released for public review in early May, with version 1.0 expected around August, and outlined the process for providing feedback through GitLab issues. The team presented a new explainer video about UNTP, which received positive feedback from participants. Questions were addressed regarding implementation approaches, data sharing across jurisdictions, and intellectual property considerations. The conversation ended with a reminder that the next monthly update would be held on the first day of May.
Next steps
Matthias
- Share the presentation slides to participants at the end of the meeting.
Steve
- Put up real verifiable credential examples with rendering templates in the next day or two.
- Produce approximately one explainer video per week during the public review period.
- Send out emails to notify implementers if substantive changes are made based on feedback.
UNECE_Immanuela
- Post all public review links into the chat.
Collaboration
- UNECE: File approval request with the Bureau this week for public review.
- UNECE: Launch public review process officially by second week of May.
- UNECE: Freeze version 0.7 on the UNCFACT specification site for public review.
- Steve and team: Embark on more expansive collaboration and marketing program over the next few weeks.
- Steve and team: Push a series of announcements about collaborations with Responsible Business Alliance, Global Battery Alliance, ISO, and others.
Summary
UNTP Public Review Preparation
The meeting focused on the upcoming public review of the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP). Steve explained that the team has been working on finalizing technical details, including schema fixes, vocabulary completion, and reference examples. He introduced new features such as classification taxonomies for conformity and metrics, and highlighted the updated governance model that separates technical implementations from business communities. The group discussed how different industry sectors can leverage UNTP while maintaining consistency through a hierarchical structure with a common trunk (UNTP) and branching sectors. The public review is expected to launch in the next day or two.
UNTP Public Review Process
The meeting focused on the public review process for the UNTP (United Nations Transparency Protocol) standard. Matthias explained that the standard has completed intensive development work and is now entering the review phase, with public review expected to launch in early May. Emanuela detailed how participants can provide feedback through the UNCFAC public review page, UNTP webpage banner, and GitLab issues system. Steve clarified that the public review process will be similar to the existing development process, with increased transparency through GitLab issues tracking. The team confirmed that slides and links would be shared with participants after the meeting.
UNTP Version 0.7 Public Review
The team discussed the upcoming public review of UNTP version 0.7, which is now considered stable enough for pilot implementations. Steve clarified that while version 0.7 is a beta version, it can be shared and reviewed by other federations without waiting for version 1.0, which is expected around August 2026. Matthias explained that only normative parts of the GitLab UNTP site are subject to public review, and the team shared useful links for accessing the public review materials and providing feedback.
UNTP Version 0.7 Implementation
The group discussed implementation recommendations for version 0.7 of UNTP. Steve recommended building against the frozen 0.7 version rather than tracking the working progress version, citing the difficulty of building on a moving target. He explained that the feedback mechanism would send emails with a ready-made template to public review, with substantive comments potentially becoming GitLab tickets. When asked about integration, Steve clarified that UNTP is primarily a publish and discover mechanism rather than a system-to-system API exchange, focusing on human-readable and machine-readable credentials that can be discovered through identifiers like barcodes or GLNs.
UNTP Implementation Discussion Meeting
The meeting focused on discussing the UNTP (United Nations Transparency Protocol) and its implementation. Steve explained how to submit comments on UNTP specifications, recommending separate comments for each page or URL to ensure proper association with the relevant parts of the site. The group watched and discussed a new explainer video about UNTP, which received positive feedback for its high-level overview. Participants also asked questions about the potential impact of Chinese data protection laws on UNTP implementation and about intellectual property rights related to customizing UNTP for specific sectors. Steve clarified that UNTP's IP is owned by the UN and freely available for use and modification, with a process in place for registering and publishing sector-specific extensions. The next meeting was scheduled for the first day of the following month.
2026-03-26 Meeting Summary
Quick recap
The meeting focused on updates from various working groups including conformity, technical, supply chain, and adoption groups regarding the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP) development and implementation. Key discussions centered around the progress of UNTP specifications, website updates, and preparation for public review processes, including new content and business case templates. The meeting also addressed technical aspects of the protocol, implementation approaches, and sector-specific developments while encouraging feedback and participation from interested parties.
Next steps
- Constantin Pittrov: Raise a ticket or write an email about sensor data integrity proofs concerns for the hydrogen sector digital product passport implementation.
- Steven: Upgrade the test service to version 0.7 before formal release.
- Harley Thomas: Connect with Stephan from UNISOT regarding textile working group participation.
- Matthias Altmann: Connect interested parties with stakeholder forum contacts for textile sector work.
- UN/Matthias: Send out announcement for 0.7 public review within a week or two.
- Implementers (general call): Register intent to implement on the implementers page and test digital product passports on the self-service test harness once upgraded to 0.7.
- Anyone interested: Test the AI prompt business case template using company annual reports and provide feedback on its usefulness and accuracy.
- Anyone close to mentioned standards/initiatives: Review the alignment page and provide feedback on assessment of how UNTP relates to various technical and business standards.
Summary
UNTP Protocol Specifications Discussion
Matthias opened the meeting and announced that no presentation slides would be needed for updates, as information about working groups is readily available. He introduced himself as working with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe on the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP), a CFACT project nearing completion. The main focus of the discussion would be on the specifications of the UNTP that would be submitted for public review. The meeting was set to begin with updates from working groups, starting with the conformity group.
Conformity Credential Specification Update
Brett reported that the Conformity Credential Specification version 0.7 is now live on the UNTP site, along with the updated conformity vocabulary page. Harley updated on the Technical Working Group's progress, including work on selected disclosure of claims and upcoming focus on transparency graph validation to ensure data constraints are met across digital product passports and related systems. Harley invited interested individuals to join the Technical Working Group's efforts.
Digital Supply Chain Progress Update
The Supply Chain Working Group, led by Steven, reported progress on the digital product passport, digital facility record, and digital traceability events specifications, with updates made based on field feedback. The group is preparing for a 1.0 release after achieving testing and quality improvements in the 0.7 version. Michael from the Adoption Working Group discussed a strategic shift toward community-driven adoption, emphasizing the importance of activating communities of practice before extending functionality, with plans to reorient the website to reflect this new approach.
UN Transparency Protocol Updates Overview
Steven presented an overview of the UN Transparency Protocol (UNTP), emphasizing its purpose to facilitate automated and continuous compliance assessment rather than occasional manual audits. He demonstrated recent updates to the website, including new pages for core vocabulary and taxonomies, and highlighted changes to the Best Practices section addressing topics like variant-based disclosure and mass balance questions. Steven encouraged participants to review the updated content and provide feedback before the formal public review process begins in a week or two, and mentioned the addition of a business case template for potential implementation.
Business Case Template Updates
Steven discussed updates to a business case template that can generate tailored reports from company annual reports, though he noted it needs more testing to ensure accuracy. He announced significant updates to content explaining how their work relates to various technical and business standards, and mentioned plans for public review with a new feedback mechanism. Steven also mentioned that self-paced training materials with short videos are being developed, though these won't be ready for public review yet.
Website Review Process Preparation
The meeting focused on preparing for a website review process, where comments will be tracked as GitLab issues for transparency. Steven announced that version 0.7 is considered stable enough for implementers to test their digital product passport credentials on the self-service test harness, though the test service upgrade to 0.7 will happen before formal release. The meeting also included an invitation to join active Adoption Working Groups and information about signing up for the Adoption WG newsletter.
UNTP Framework Data Model Changes
Constantin asked about the exclusion of integrity proofs from sensor data in visibility events in the UNTP framework. Steven explained that there were changes between versions 0.6 and 0.7 of the traceability events model, moving away from the previous GS1 EPCIS-based approach to create a more aligned and simpler model for those not using GS1 EPCIS. Steven noted that the new model offers two options: using GS1 EPCIS-CBV for existing EPCIS users or using UNTP's lifecycle event-focused model for others. The discussion was cut off before Steven could fully address Constantin's specific question about sensor data and integrity proofs.
UNTP Implementation and Development Discussion
The meeting focused on discussing UNTP implementation and development. Steven explained that while UNTP allows for hashed data links for audit purposes, this functionality hasn't been extensively tested in pilots yet, and encouraged Constantin to raise concerns for potential inclusion in the specification. The discussion covered mass balance verification approaches, where Steven described how pilots revealed that organizations wouldn't share sensitive supplier information, leading to a proposed solution where auditors could verify claims and issue credentials. Tobias from Preferred by Nature provided feedback on this approach, sharing experience from the forest sector and noting challenges with yield variations. The meeting also addressed sector-specific developments, with Matthias explaining that while UNTP is sector-agnostic, specialized working groups are developing sector-specific protocols, including one for textiles led by Harley Thomas. The session concluded with a discussion about blockchain implementation, where Steven clarified that while blockchain isn't required, it can be used as an optional trust anchor within UNTP's broader verifiable credentials framework.
2026-02-26 Meeting Summary
Quick recap
The meeting focused on updates and progress of the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP), including its development, working groups, and implementation across various sectors. Participants discussed the upcoming release of version 0.7 and plans for version 1.0, as well as progress on sector-specific adaptations and interoperability efforts. The session also highlighted ongoing stakeholder engagement, new participant introductions, and collaboration with European Commission departments on supply chain sustainability legislation.
Next steps
- Steven: Release draft version 0.7 of UNTP (digital product passport, digital facility record, and digital traceability events) in about 2 weeks.
- Brett: Pull across updated UNT Vocabulary page after the next Conformity meeting on the 10th of March.
- Brett: Pull across Conformity Credential page for public review (essentially ready, may happen later today).
- Harley: Continue working on variant-based disclosure solution and invite stakeholders to review and contribute.
- Harley: Address durable storage problem for digital product passports when manufacturers go out of business.
- Harley: Work on Persistent Identifiers issue regarding what happens if identifier schemes cease to operate.
- Michael: Provide more information about potential summer event for software implementers and community members in upcoming meetings.
- Steven: Make it clearer how to find information about sector-specific implementations through the UNTP site when releasing version 0.7 in a few weeks.
- Christian: Finalize documents about the six working groups for textile stakeholder forum.
- Christian: Reach out to stakeholders next week with options for engaging in textile working groups.
- Matthias: Send information to Michaela about UNTP and how it relates to EU legislation on supply chain sustainability and human rights due diligence.
- Matthias: Reach out to European External Action Service in future Brussels visits.
- Helmer: Contact Michael to connect to the Adoption Working Group.
- Helmer: Contact Adrienna regarding communication work stream in Adoption Working Group.
Summary
UNTP Information Call Overview
Matthias opened the second information call on the UNTP, explaining its purpose as an awareness-raising and engagement session rather than a technical meeting. He introduced the development of the United Nations Transparency Protocol (UNTP) and mentioned the existence of four technical working groups and a team of specialists supporting the project. Matthias encouraged participants to introduce themselves and provided information about communication channels, including a mailing list and Slack channel, for ongoing engagement. The meeting was transitioning to updates from working groups, with Steven scheduled to present on the supply chain working group's progress.
UNTP Version 0.7 Release Update
Steven announced that the Supply Chain Working Group is preparing to release version 0.7 of UNTP in about two weeks, which will address around 30 open issues including updates to digital product passport, digital facility record, and digital traceability events. Brett reported progress on the Conformity Working Group's two main work items: the UNT Vocabulary page and the Conformity Credential page, both of which are nearly ready for public review. The Conformity Credential page is expected to be published imminently, while the UNT Vocabulary page updates will be completed after the next Conformity meeting on March 10th.
Technical Working Group Progress Update
Harley from the Technical Working Group discussed their work on variant-based disclosure and challenges around durable storage and persistent identifiers. The group meets fortnightly on Thursdays at 9am CET and is seeking contributions to address these technical issues. Michael from the Adoption Working Group reported that they are proceeding with the release schedule, particularly for version 1.0 expected mid-year, and are building support for implementers. The Adoption Working Group, with over 50 members, meets fortnightly on Thursdays at alternating times to accommodate global participation.
UNTP Stakeholder Engagement Update
Christian Hudson provided an update on the team of specialists, which coordinates stakeholder engagement for the UNTP. He explained that the team has secured agreement from key players in the textile chain to facilitate the uptake of UNTP at scale through specific deployments and use cases. Christian also mentioned their work on extending this approach to the agri-food sector, focusing on EU deforestation regulation compliance and interoperability between different tools. The team is currently working on specifying these deployments and mapping the landscape to identify synergies between initiatives.
UNTP Protocol Implementation Discussion
Catalina from Drive Sustainability and Stefan from UNISOT introduced themselves as new participants interested in learning about the UNTP protocol and its implementation for supply chain sustainability. Jodie from ASOS explained her role in working with 800 partner brands and the potential for incorporating DPPs into their platform, while Helmer shared details about his research on DPPs for the cotton supply chain in collaboration with MoSIP. Michael encouraged all participants to join the UNTP GitLab repository to contribute to the development process, even if their involvement is in an observational capacity.
EU Supply Chain Sustainability Discussion
Matthias welcomed Michaela Dodini from the European External Action Service to the meeting and explained that UNTP works closely with European Commission departments including DG Grow and DG Just on supply chain sustainability legislation. Michaela expressed interest in learning more about UNTP's role in implementing EU legislation on human rights due diligence. Bogharald discussed his involvement with WeBuild's work on business wallets, noting that European public sector organization wallets will be mandatory and should be interoperable globally, with practical progress being made on implementing credentials like IBAN for cross-border e-invoicing.
UNTP Protocol Implementation Discussion
The meeting focused on the UNTP protocol and its implementation across different sectors. Matthias explained how UNTP is a sector-agnostic protocol designed to make traceability systems interoperable, with sector-specific adaptations called sector extensions or protocols. Steven clarified that UNTP's scope extends beyond digital product passports to include facility records and conformity credentials, and emphasized its focus on facilitating performance claims against various schemes and regulations rather than replacing them. The discussion covered ongoing implementations in agriculture, critical minerals, and textiles, with the 0.7 release expected in two weeks and 1.0 release planned for mid-year. Christian provided an update on working groups, indicating that documents have been finalized and stakeholders will be reached out to for engagement next week.
2026-01-29 Meeting Summary
Quick recap
The meeting began with Steve and Sabir clarifying meeting time details before discussing challenges around digital product passports and supply chain interoperability.
Matthias introduced the UNTP general information sessions, including presentations from Steve on the standard protocol for maintaining verifiable data sharing across supply chains, followed by updates from working group leads on conformity, technical, and adoption aspects.
The meeting concluded with discussions about UNTP implementation, including government roles, training needs, and the importance of digital infrastructure development, along with announcements about upcoming events and the public review of UNTP version 1.0.
Next steps
-
Steve
- Create a generic group user account in Zoom so anyone can start a meeting
- Send meeting materials to Zach
- Update the calendar event with the new meeting link
-
David Jensen
- Work with Michael Shea offline to develop playbook/guidance for developing countries on digital infrastructure needed for UNTP adoption
-
Adoption Working Group
- Collect feedback from community members via Slack on what training, guidance, and communication materials are needed
-
Brett
- Update the UNTP website to reflect the latest thinking from the Conformity Working Group in coming weeks
-
UNECE / UNTP Team
- Share presentation slides via the UNTP mailing list
-
UNTP Team
- Launch public review process for UNTP in the second quarter of this year
- Reach out to the Digital Public Goods Alliance to make the protocol a digital public good
- Reach out to the GovStack partnership / ITU regarding open-source building blocks for UNTP
Summary
Time zone meeting coordination
Steve and Sabir clarified a time zone confusion, confirming the meeting was scheduled for 10:00 AM CET. Steve noted he would keep the discussion short and send information to Zach.
Digital passports and interoperability challenges
Participants discussed challenges with digital product passports and supply chain interoperability.
Key points included:
- Most software providers now prioritize interoperability rather than attempting to dominate supply chains
- Need to clarify concepts around conformity credentials and product passports
- Some confusion exists about UNTP being perceived as a policy instrument rather than a digital implementation framework for verifiable due diligence at scale
UNTP general information session overview
Matthias introduced the UNTP general information sessions and encouraged newcomers to introduce themselves via chat.
Key points:
- Monthly sessions with updates via mailing list
- Agenda: UNTP introduction, working group updates, and open Q&A
- Development process is transparent, inclusive, participatory, and volunteer-led under UN/CEFACT
- Deliverables are technology-neutral and non-proprietary
UNTP: supply chain data protocol
Steve presented UNTP as a standard protocol for maintaining the value of evidence for sustainable behavior through scalable, verifiable, and trustworthy data sharing.
Highlights:
- Share data once, reuse many times
- Reduce costs and audit fatigue
- Support decentralized ecosystems
- Building blocks: facility records, product passports, independent assessments
- Ongoing work on mass-balance for bulk materials
- Invitation to join the Supply Chain Working Group (meets fortnightly)
UNTP working groups overview
- Conformity Working Group (Brett): implementing UNECE Recommendation 49 on transparency and trust
- Technical Working Group (Harley): identity resolution and decentralized access control
- Adoption Working Group (Michael): communication, training, and business elements
Participants were encouraged to join relevant working groups.
UNTP implementation and market surveillance
Matthias explained that while UNTP is primarily targeted at companies, governments play a role in:
- Building digital infrastructure
- Supporting market surveillance
Michael and Steve discussed development of implementation guidance and playbooks, particularly for developing countries.
UNTP adoption working group update
Adrienna requested detailed feedback on training, guidance, and communication needs via Slack.
Additional points:
- Use Slack and mailing list for communication
- Trust anchors often rely on government implementation
- Spain and India are committed to implementing the GRID project
UNTP trust architecture implementation
UNTP instruments existing trust architectures to make institutional and social trust networks digitally verifiable.
Key enablers:
- Registry operators
- Rule definers
- Software systems
- Industry associations
Discussion included:
- Multiple identifiers and crowd-sourced data
- Cross-source approaches involving audit firms and brands
- Potential for labels to add trust measures linked to UNTP
UNTP and DPP interoperability
Discussion covered how UNTP can complement the EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) and benefit SMEs, particularly in developing countries, through interoperability between traceability systems.
Matthias announced:
- Public review of UNTP v1.0 planned for Q2
- Side session at OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector – 9 February
- Monthly UNTP sessions continue on the last Thursday of each month
2025-09-18-meeting-summary
Date: 18 Sept 2025 Facilitator: Steve Capell
Attendees (as identified in transcript)
- Steve Capell (Chair/Facilitator)
- Brett
- Adrian
- Suzanne
- Nick Smith
- Jason
- Michael Shea
- Abdel (Canada)
- Other participants (UN Secretariat: Matthias mentioned; extension groups referenced)
Key Discussion Points
1. Meeting Timing & Participation
- Low attendance from US despite meetings scheduled for their time zone.
- Suggestion: shift meetings to European/Asia-Pacific time zone.
- UN Secretariat (Matthias and team) will take over hosting of general update meetings, inviting wider participation from member states, UN organizations, and ISO.
- Expectation: meetings may grow to 100–200 participants.
2. Transition of Role & Focus
-
Steve will step back from chairing general updates, focusing instead on:
- Supporting supply chain working group (towards spec v0.7).
- Helping extension groups (textiles, batteries, electronics) increase transparency and visibility.
-
Emphasis on making working group outputs more public and transparent (using GitLab and updated websites).
3. Website & Domain Issues
- Current GitLab-based site has long, confusing URLs.
- UN is developing custom code for custom domains (planned:
untp.unaicc.org). - Jason registered temporary domain untp.site and set up forwarding for easier access.
- Steve will circulate new access details to participants.
4. Worker Voice & Alternative Performance Evidence
- Steve reported on discussions with Open Supply Hub, Wikirate, ISARA Institute regarding forced labour monitoring.
- Issues raised with traditional audit regimes: audits often ineffective at surfacing forced labour issues.
- Alternative: bottom-up, worker-voice approaches generating reliable evidence.
- Discussion on whether these could be packaged as verifiable credentials to flow down supply chains.
- Agreement that this needs further exploration and engagement with relevant groups.
5. Sustainability Taxonomy & Data Points
-
Current UNTP specification pages are too technical for business users.
-
Stakeholders request clarity on sustainability data points (e.g., carbon, water use, labour rights).
-
Steve proposed accelerating development of a standardised sustainability topic map/taxonomy, linked to IFRS, SASB, ESRS for corporate reporting alignment.
-
Consensus:
- Remove redundant “scorecard” boxes (emissions/circularity performance).
- Use claims categorised by sustainability topics as the basis for digital product passports.
- Add more examples and clearer guidance for industry groups.
6. Extension Groups & Industry Engagement
- Growing interest from industries (e.g., tyres) to start new extension groups.
- Matthias to coordinate extension group engagement.
- Steve encouraged greater cross-group visibility and participation.
7. Market Surveillance & Customs Authorities
-
Adrian reported from German Market Surveillance Forum: EU moving towards requiring full DPP body for surveillance, not just identifiers.
-
Steve noted parallel discussions with customs authorities globally (India, Norway, UK, US) around using verifiable credentials for invoices, waybills, and product passports.
-
Trend: shift from self-declared compliance to data-driven compliance, where authorities assess obligations directly from trade data.
-
Consensus:
- Product passport complements traditional trade docs (invoices, waybills).
- UNTP architecture supports discoverability and decentralisation, avoiding centralised databases.
Actions
- Steve – Draft communication to worker-voice platforms (Open Supply Hub, Wikirate, ISARA) inviting them to engage with UNTP performance evidence discussions.
- Steve – Circulate announcement of new temporary domain
untp.sitefor easier access. - Steve & Brett – Initiate work on sustainability taxonomy/topic map aligned with IFRS/ESRS/SASB.
- Extension Group Leads (Matthias to coordinate) – Improve transparency of textile, battery, and electronics groups; encourage publication of work in GitLab.
- Adrian – Follow up with EU’s Franziska Thibault for clarity on DPP integration with market surveillance systems; share slides from Berlin forum in Slack once available.
- Jason – Finalise publication of adoption commitments in GitLab.
- All participants – Provide feedback on sustainability vocabulary draft shared by Steve; suggest refinements.
2025-09-04-meeting-summary
Date: 4 September 2025 Format: Virtual meeting (recorded)
Participants (Named in Discussion)
- Steve – Chair/facilitator (Speaker 1)
- Gideon – Conformity group participant (Speaker 2)
- Matthias – Adoption group lead, UNEC representative (Speaker 3)
- Nick Smith – Supply chain working group (Speaker 4)
- Harley – Technical working group lead (Speaker 8)
- Adriana – Participant raising value assessment and waste/materials management topics (Speaker 5)
- Martina – Impact, global strategy and partnerships (Speaker 6)
- Clary – Participant focusing on packaging and finance (Speaker 7)
Working Group Updates
Conformity Group
- Focused on Conformity Vocabulary Catalog and refining terms for conformity professionals.
- Exploring credential types and use cases (e.g., facility-level carbon footprint reports under GHG protocol).
- Challenge identified: comparability across schemes (e.g., carbon intensity standards, social welfare measures).
Adoption Group
- Currently defining work packages and assigning experts.
- Preparing an FAQ document to explain UNTP to non-technical audiences.
- Developing Value Assessment Framework page on UNTP site to measure impact against UN SDGs and donor metrics.
- Discussion around linking UNTP to specific SDG targets; recognition that broader societal value beyond SDGs should also be reflected.
Supply Chain Group (Nick Smith)
- Resumed engagement with Global Battery Alliance (GBA) on battery passport mapping.
- Working with Chemex on chemical supply chain mapping.
- Key issue: handling multiple claims disclosure and assigning access groups (government vs. customers).
- Noted overlap with conformity group on mutual recognition and disclosure consistency.
Technical Group (Harley)
-
First meeting scheduled immediately after this call.
-
Goal: Version 0.7 of UNTP by Christmas, resolving open GitLab issues.
-
Workstreams include:
- Identity Resolver
- Decentralized Access Control
- Verifiable Credentials profile harmonization
- Verification rules and transparency graph interpretation
Key Thematic Discussions
Value Assessment Framework
- Aim: Close feedback loop on adoption and measurable impact.
- Challenge: Defining metrics that demonstrate societal benefits as well as company-level business cases.
- OECD frameworks noted as reference points; need for UNTP-specific adaptation.
Use Cases and Value Propositions
Participants proposed diverse potential pilots and applications:
-
Finance and Trade
- Tracking subsidies, tariffs, and credit incentives in supply chains (Nick).
- Sustainable finance access and comparability of data for green bonds (Clary).
- Microcredit and insurance for livestock in Africa, enabled by traceability (Matthias).
-
Circular Economy & Waste
- Solid recovered materials and Basel Convention complexity (Gideon).
- Proposal to shift terminology from “waste” to materials management (Adriana).
- Packaging schemes and compliance with EU PPWR (Clary).
-
Scope 3 Emissions & Traceability
- Brands (e.g., sportswear) needing supplier data for emissions reporting (Martina).
- Issues of inconsistent Scope 3 data and reliance on industry averages (Steve).
- Proposal to develop hierarchies of default values (global → regional → national) for comparability (Gideon).
-
Sector-Specific Applications
- Data centers: traceability of building materials, electronic inputs, and energy sourcing (Adriana).
- Biosecurity flagged as potential future use case (Harley).
Closing
- Agreement to collect, categorize, and publish use cases in an online spreadsheet, inviting wider mailing list input (~250–300 members).
- Recognition that regulatory-driven use cases (e.g., EUDR, beef exports, carbon rubber) remain strong drivers for pilots.
- Meeting adjourned on time with thanks to all participants.
2025-08-21-meeting-summary
Format: Virtual call Attendance (selected named participants):
- Steve Capell – Chair, UNTP coordination
- Matthias – UN Secretariat / adoption group lead
- Adriana – Adoption group
- Clary – Adoption group
- Michael – Adoption group
- Zach – Technical contributor
- Virginia – Participant (clarification on UNTP scope)
- Ben Hayworth – Wholechain (traceability provider, guest introduction)
- Other attendees: Nancy, Gideon, and additional unnamed participants
1. Meeting Logistics and Calendar Challenges
- Steve reported ongoing issues with calendar invitations, especially with ICS subscription links and Zoom link errors.
- Proposal: keep meetings fixed at 8am and 8pm UTC, allowing participants to choose the time that suits their region.
- Discussions highlighted difficulties caused by daylight saving shifts and clashes with other working group calls (notably the adoption group).
- Agreement: continue with the dual UTC-based schedule, improve clarity of communication, and test invites more rigorously.
2. Purpose of the General Updates Meeting
- This meeting is now positioned as a status-sharing forum, rather than a decision-making body.
- Role: to update broader UNTP participants (~200+ mailing list members) on activities across the four working groups (Supply Chain, Conformity, Adoption, Technical) and the industry extensions.
- Aim: funnel interested participants into more focused working groups or industry extension projects.
3. New Participant Introduction
-
Ben Hayworth (Wholechain):
- Traceability solution provider with strong experience in seafood, beef, and leather.
- Expertise in GS1 standards, integration with ERP systems, FDA Rule 204 compliance.
- Connected via Jason Berryhill (CEO).
- Expressed enthusiasm to contribute to UNTP work.
4. Focus Topic: Industry Extensions
Concept and Rationale
- Extensions tailor the UNTP core to specific industries (e.g., agriculture, textiles, batteries, automotive).
- Core UNTP remains abstract and interoperable; extensions add sector-specific identifiers, vocabularies, and conformity criteria.
- Goal: enable cross-industry interoperability (e.g., livestock → leather → automotive seats) without requiring each sector to directly coordinate.
Governance
-
Extensions should ideally be governed by industry associations (e.g., Global Battery Alliance, International Copper Association, Responsible Business Alliance).
-
Governance principles:
- Open and transparent development.
- Outputs published under permissive licenses.
- Version management and public documentation.
- Clear extension owner with trusted convening power in the sector.
Communication Gaps
- Current UNTP site lists extensions but lacks contacts, engagement pathways, and sub-pages.
- Proposal: each extension should have a dedicated sub-site or page (example: Australian Agriculture Traceability Protocol).
- Extensions are the “acid test” of UNTP – demonstrating adoption, sectoral value, and cross-sector use.
5. Key Discussion Points
-
EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR):
- Clary raised whether EU would accept UNTP credentials.
- Steve noted EU has only recently proposed DPPs as carriers of compliance data.
- Too early for formal acceptance, but agriculture and textiles extensions may drive progress.
-
Extension Methodology & Support:
- Agreement that extensions need structured onboarding guidance to avoid chaos.
- Options discussed: onboarding toolkits (videos, PDFs), extension governance group, cross-working group input (especially technical and adoption).
- Concern: volunteer bandwidth and funding for supporting multiple extensions.
-
Consistency vs Flexibility:
- Debate over whether extension websites should follow a common template/branding.
- Consensus: allow flexibility in look/feel, but require consistency in vocabularies, semantics, and technical interoperability.
-
Scaling Participation:
- Adriana: adoption group could draft guidelines and communication frameworks for extensions, then hand over governance.
- Matthias: plan to create a dedicated Extensions Technical Working Group to support methodology and interoperability testing.
- Clary: scalable onboarding tools will be crucial for broad adoption.
6. Outcomes and Next Steps
- Reinforce meeting schedule at 8am/8pm UTC and improve calendar communication.
- Engage industry extension owners more actively; add contacts, scope, and participation info to the UNTP website.
- Develop extension governance and onboarding methodology (initially via adoption group, later via extensions working group).
- Explore scalable support models and onboarding toolkits.
- Treat extensions as the core path to real-world validation of UNTP.
Closing: Steve thanked participants, noting the current phase as “peak risk and confusion” but also a crucial moment to ensure extensions succeed as the foundation for real UNTP implementation.
2025-08-07-meeting-summary
Date: 7 August 2025 Facilitator: Steve Capell
Participants (named in transcript):
- Steve Capell (Chair, UNTP Lead)
- Brett (Conformity Group Lead)
- Michael (Adoption Group Lead)
- Nick (Supply Chain Group Lead)
- Zach (Technical Support/Contributor)
- Ashley (Technical Admin, GitLab/registration guidance)
- Harley Thomas (appointed Technical Group Lead – mentioned, not speaking)
- Matthias (UN Secretariat / Extensions Group)
- Virginia (Participant – login/access questions)
- Detlef (New participant – trust infrastructure/identity focus)
- Secretary’s representative (UN Secretariat, Speaker 6 – expressed support)
- Bertus (Participant – traceability/source discussion)
- Adriana (Adoption Group – language clarification)
Opening Remarks (Steve Capell):
-
Reiterated UN code of conduct and non-commercial nature of meetings.
-
Clarified IP contributions are shared freely under UNTP.
-
Reviewed subgroup structure: four working groups (Supply Chain, Conformity, Adoption, Technical), with momentum building at different rates.
-
Emphasised that detailed technical/content work should occur in working groups, not the main call.
-
Proposed distinction between:
- Steering Group Meetings (small, closed, UN-organised, addressing tricky project issues).
- Open Communication Meetings (general updates, broad participation, training, and topic-of-the-day discussions).
-
Announced migration from GitHub to UN-hosted GitLab for accessibility and neutrality. A new domain (e.g.,
untp.unece.org) is being prepared.
Secretariat Statement (Speaker 6):
- Confirmed full support for Steve’s proposal.
- Clarified: steering groups will remain closed; this open meeting is a communication forum for broad participation.
Participant Introductions and Questions:
-
Detlef: Introduced himself, interested in global trust infrastructure alignment (EIDAS in Europe vs. global registries). Asked which subgroup this belongs in.
-
Steve’s Response:
-
Two UNTP trust dimensions:
- Identity integrity → handled by UN Digital Identity Anchor (moving to Global Trust Register project).
- Claim veracity (sustainability claims) → remains in UNTP Conformity Group.
-
Suggested Detlef engage with both the Global Trust Register and UNTP Conformity Group.
-
-
Virginia: Asked about login issues with new UN GitLab.
- Steve & Ashley’s Response: Registration now possible, but contribution requires approval by project leads. Viewing remains public. Ashley clarified contributors can comment and raise issues, but need extra steps for specification edits.
Working Group Updates:
-
Supply Chain Group (Nick):
-
14 members (11 active). Seeking more practitioners with real-world data and schemes.
-
Focus: mapping between business disclosure schemes and UNTP data framework.
-
Current work:
- Battery Passport extension mapping.
- Chain-of-custody for chemicals in Europe.
- Potential extensions (Coppermark paused; possible shift to leather/textile).
-
Emphasised importance of cross-group communication (esp. with Conformity).
-
Implementation guidance in development.
-
Steve added: extensions will be industry-led, governed by UN, but overlap/conflict management remains a challenge.
-
Matthias (Extensions Group): Extensions require trusted industry associations as leads. Difficult sectors (e.g., textiles) will need strong consensus for semantic interoperability.
-
-
Conformity Group (Brett):
- 58 members, strong global expertise.
- Kickoff meeting on 15 July with ~28 participants.
- Work focuses on Conformity Vocabulary Catalog (SVC) – a logical model linking conformity outcomes to claims in product passports.
- Subgroup (IEC, ISO, UCAS experts) confirmed model validity; will report back.
- Next meeting scheduled for next week.
-
Adoption Group (Michael):
- 25–26 members. Meetings scheduled in multiple time zones.
- Recently reissued Terms of Reference, broken into work packages. Assignments underway.
- Priority: define certification/implementation processes for organisations wanting to adopt UNTP.
- Coordination with Zach on GitLab processes.
- Collaboration with Matthias on extension governance.
- Steve shared a prototype AI tool (ChatGPT-based) to generate draft business cases for UNTP adoption from annual reports – group invited to test.
-
Technical Group:
- New lead appointed: Harley Thomas (Australia, long-time UNTP contributor).
- Will lead ongoing technical development, including decentralized access control.
Other Project Updates:
-
Meeting Management (Steve):
- Transitioning to Google Calendar for meeting subscriptions.
- UNTP website will host a unified calendar.
- Challenges with ICS file integration across platforms remain unresolved.
Topic of the Day: UNTP vs. Regulatory Passports (Steve):
-
Clarified differences:
- Regulatory Passports (e.g., EU DPP): consumer-facing, legal declarations for finished products.
- UNTP Passports: focus on upstream supply chain transparency (shipments of raw materials, intermediates, or components).
-
Each UNTP DPP applies only to the product/material at a given transaction step, not the entire end-to-end chain.
-
Challenge: managing confidentiality and supplier disclosure limits.
Discussion:
- Bertus: Raised parallels with diamond trade (“blood diamonds”) – importance of source-level traceability and risks of obfuscation.
- Steve: Confirmed UNTP supports redaction/obfuscation; highlighted ongoing challenges with bulk commodities and mass balance verification.
- Adriana: Suggested introducing clearer taxonomy (e.g., “Supplier DPP”, “Primary Resource DPP”) to avoid confusion, especially given SME participation in global trade.
Action Items:
- Steve to circulate link to GitLab registration guidance and confirm new workflow.
- Ashley to ensure contributor instructions are clear in GitLab templates.
- Nick to update Supply Chain group pages on UN GitLab with Steve’s help.
- Brett’s subgroup to report back on SVC findings to Conformity Group.
- Michael to assign Adoption Group work packages and circulate priorities.
- Steve to circulate AI business case tool for group testing and feedback.
- Secretariat/Matthias to finalise governance process for extensions (avoiding overlaps/conflicts).
- Explore taxonomy/terminology refinements for different categories of DPPs (Adoption Group).
- Steve to consolidate UNTP meeting calendar and improve cross-platform subscription options.