The first day 24 May (public conference) included opening remarks from the UfM, EU and ANIMA. The EU recalled the policy framework for the Southern Neighbourhood, presented the requirements, coverage and timelines of the upcoming EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, and underlined the importance of supporting quality investments that promote compliance with environmental, social and governance standards that contribute to the SDGs. This was followed by panel debates with stakeholders on international guidelines such as OECD instruments and tools on Responsible Business Conduct and benchmarking tools and labels available in the countries as well as an introduction to good practices on how to use and implement such tools, which also included a demonstration of the ANIMA IMPACT Rating online tool developed with the support of the EU and labelled by the UfM.