International standards are often perceived as a recent phenomenon. They are not. Many predate the United Nations, with institutions such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), established under the League of Nations, later becoming part of the UN system. Countries have long used these standards to strengthen governance, build credibility, and integrate into the global economy.

Pakistan has been one of them. Over the decades, Pakistan has voluntarily become a party to numerous international treaties and conventions, incorporating many of their provisions into its Constitution, national legislation, and regulatory framework, including constitutional guarantees relating to fundamental rights, labour protections, and environmental governance. However, it is important to recognise that becoming a party to an international treaty is a sovereign and voluntary decision. Pakistan undertook these obligations because they were considered consistent with its long-term governance and development objectives.

Today, the country is a party to well over 150 major international treaties, conventions, and protocols covering governance, trade, labour, human rights, environmental protection, maritime affairs, and other areas of international cooperation.

Far from being symbolic, these commitments strengthen market access, attract international investment, support development cooperation and trade negotiations, and enhance the confidence of global buyers in Pakistan's regulatory framework. Importantly, many of them were undertaken decades before concepts such as ESG, carbon border measures, and due diligence became central to global trade.

Pakistan's commitment to international labour standards illustrates this long-standing approach. The country has ratified 38 ILO conventions and one protocol, including eight of the ten Fundamental Conventions covering the abolition of forced labour, minimum working age, freedom of association, collective bargaining, equal remuneration, non-discrimination, and the elimination of child labour. The remaining two Fundamental Conventions, Convention No 155 on Occupational Safety and Health and Convention No 187 on the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health, are currently under active consideration for ratification. Pakistan has also ratified both Governance (Priority) Conventions on labour inspection and tripartite consultation, in addition to 28 technical conventions covering labour standards and maritime employment.

Why is this worth mentioning? Because labour standards increasingly determine market access, especially for export-oriented economies in Asia. Pakistan has also ratified the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, demonstrating its commitment to global best practices and assuring international buyers that its exports comply with internationally recognised labour standards. Interestingly, India has not yet ratified this protocol despite its labour-related commitments under its FTA with the European Union. Likewise, several major Asian textile and apparel exporters, including China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia, have yet to ratify the protocol despite being far more deeply integrated into global value chains than Pakistan.

Labour is only one aspect of Pakistan's broader compliance landscape. The country is also a party to 15 major Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), covering climate change, biodiversity conservation, hazardous chemicals and waste management, ozone layer protection, desertification, and cultural and natural heritage. The breadth of Pakistan's international engagement becomes even more apparent when viewed over time. Year after year, since independence, Pakistan has continued to expand its participation in international legal frameworks.

At this stage, it is important to recognise that committing to international standards is no simple undertaking. Ratifying an international treaty is only the beginning. It requires governments to review their domestic legal framework and, where necessary, amend legislation, strengthen institutions, and align national policies with international obligations. For example, Pakistan's 18th Constitutional Amendment devolved many environmental and labour-related responsibilities to the provinces, creating an extensive compliance architecture that extends from federal ministries to provincial departments and, ultimately, local governments.

Challenges nevertheless remain. Even the world's most advanced economies have yet to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Pakistan is no exception. This is partly because many international standards are negotiated and implemented within sophisticated legal and regulatory systems that are often more readily supported by advanced economies. Consequently, relatively less developed economies often face additional implementation challenges owing to resource constraints and competing development priorities.

These challenges are further compounded by Pakistan's geopolitical environment. Sharing borders with India and Afghanistan, the country continues to face persistent security concerns and regional instability, placing additional pressure on national institutions. Despite these constraints, Pakistan has repeatedly demonstrated its willingness to update its compliance frameworks in line with emerging global expectations.

International law continues to evolve in response to new global challenges, geopolitical developments, increasingly stringent trade rules, and more complex global value chains. Most recently, in response to concerns raised by the United States regarding the risk of forced labour in global supply chains, Pakistan promptly amended its Import Policy Order to prohibit the import of goods produced wholly or in part using forced labour, well before India or Bangladesh adopted comparable measures. As a result, imported products containing inputs produced through forced labour at any stage of the value chain are prohibited from entering Pakistan's market. Pakistan's journey tells only part of the story. Behind every point lies years of negotiations, legal reforms, institutional strengthening, and policy decisions. Their impact is rarely visible overnight, yet none of these efforts has been in vain. Perhaps it is time to recognise that Pakistan's engagement with international standards is not a recent phenomenon. It has been quietly laying the foundations for sustainable development. And this is the Pakistan we must not overlook.

The writer is the Chairman of APTMA