Global value chain means « the cross-border organization of activities required to produce goods or services and bring them to consumers through inputs and various phases of development, production and delivery ».

While the emergence of global value chains has opened up new economic opportunities for developing countries, their lack of regulation has also led to violations of workers’ rights. To meet the challenges of regulating global value chains, a variety of instruments have been developed over the last few decades. Each of these mechanisms alone is too weak to ensure sufficient protection of workers’ rights.