The recent factory-building collapse in Bangladesh, claiming the lives of over 1,100 workers, provided a stark reminder that there is more to be done to ensure better and safer working conditions for workers in Bangladesh, as well as across other regions. This webinar reviews how companies can help prevent similar tragedies in the future. Panelists include representatives of Better Work (ILO/IFC), who share global experiences and solutions, and leading companies in the garment and mobile telecommunications sectors, who discussed some of the practical steps they have taken to improve worker standards in their supply chains.

Considered through the lens of social license methodology, panelists explored how companies can analyze operations and supplier relations to avoid contributing to negative impacts on human rights, such as child labour. Participants discussed the importance of meeting the minimum requirements to respect human rights as outlined by the Global Compact principles and the Guiding Principles and how doing so can help mitigate potential risks to a company’s reputation and bottom line. Business panelists share best practices and lessons learned about assessing human rights risks in their operations, and strategies they have used to prevent or respond to them.

Internationally-accepted frameworks now exist that define the responsibility of all companies with respect to human rights. This also extends to investors, who increasingly are looking to integrate human rights effectively and consistently into investment decision–making and corporate engagement. The webinar focuses on a new report, Investing the Rights Way: A Guide for Investors on Business and Human Rights, which aims to assist investors in evaluating human rights–related issues across their portfolios.

Explores the role of company-level grievance mechanisms, their benefits and limitations, their relationship to other means of addressing stakeholder concerns, and some key considerations when designing a mechanism to be effective in practice. Examples and perspectives from business representatives are also shared.

Examines how responsible businesses, as well as suppliers and partners, can ensure a living wage for employees when the host country does not have a statutory minimum wage or when it fails to provide an adequate standard of living. It also explores the issue of working hours in the context of international standards, overtime and the pressure on some labourers to work excessive hours.

Addresses how businesses can operate responsibly in conflict-affected or fragile countries and weak governance zones to ensure that operations contribute to peace-building. Suggested best practices to help companies mitigate the risks of operating in conflict-affected environments are also explored.

Provides an overview of how responsible businesses can mitigate the risks associated with human trafficking and exploitation of migrant workers in their operations and supply chains. Participants will examine situations where migrant workers form a significant part of the workforce and do not have adqueate protection from the government. Issues include violation of international standards, lack of monitoring mechanisms or human rights trainings for relevant state authorities. The webinar will also explore best practices to help multinational companies detect, prevent and take corrective measures against such hidden forms of exploitation.

Helps companies engage in sport sponsorship and hospitality in a transparent and ethical manner and aims to enhance the potential for sports to be a powerful tool to support peace, human dignity, and a culture of ethics and fair-play. Developed by a special task force of the Anti-Corruption Working Group following a public consultation process.

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) are an extremely important facet of the global economy. This Good Practice Note seeks to provide guidance to corporate leaders and M&A practitioners at all levels across the corporate, finance, private equity and legal sectors on how the due diligence process within M&A is being utilized and can be utilized to enable companies to more effectively carry out their responsibility to respect human rights as contemplated by the UN Framework and Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights.

The United Nations has worked since its founding to achieve a shared, secure and sustainable future for all of the world's people. The vision and aspirations of the first United Nations members in 1945, as they set out to be "architects of a better world", remain a beacon today – not just for Governments, but also for the thousands of companies and civil society organizations that have become key partners in tackling our world's most pressing challenges. Chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2013: Architects of a Better World brought together chief executives with leaders from civil society, Government and the United Nations to unveil a new global architecture for corporate sustainability. Photo & Video Credits: Brian Thompson, Devin, euronews, Flashback (The New History GCSE Series), Intel Corporation, Jurjen Versteeg and Synple, Microsoft Corporation, Planetary Collective and Piranha, The Rock Family Worship Center, Silverstein Properties Inc, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

Social protection, and more specifically its global extension through national social protection floors, is on the agenda of major international summits. This webinar discussed how multinational enterprises (MNEs) can contribute to this global challenge as part of their commitment to socioeconomic development. Conducted by experts from the ILO Social Protection Department, with the participation of a Danone representative, the webinar explored the drivers, corporate strategies and concrete results of MNEs providing a minimum level of social protection for employees worldwide.

Facilitated by experts of the ILO’s Labour Migration Programme, this webinar provided practical guidance on how business can address the many challenges related to international labour migration while supporting migrant workers in line with the Labour Principles and the relevant international standards of the ILO. Participants were presented the “business case” for promoting migrants’ rights as well as examples of good practices and initiatives undertaken by the business community.