When the UN Global Compact was established in 2000, Principle 1 and Principle 2 of the Compact’s Ten Principles first established the role of businesses to “support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights” and to “make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.”
Providing further operational clarity to these first two Principles, the endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011 set, for the first time, a globally recognized and authoritative normative framework for the respective duties and responsibilities of Governments and business enterprises to prevent and address adverse impacts on people resulting from business activity in all sectors. The UNGPs identify human rights due diligence (HRDD) as the key process through which business enterprises should identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address adverse human rights impacts. The HRDD process “includes assessing actual and potential human rights impacts, integrating and acting upon the findings, tracking responses, and communicating how impacts are addressed.”
Corporate understanding and uptake of HRDD continues to take hold, driven by various push-pull factors, including emerging regulatory frameworks and legislation, demand for responsible business by investors, workers, consumers and communities, and voluntary action driven by corporate sustainability initiatives, including the UN Global Compact, and leaders embracing the Sustainable Development Goals.
However, there is still a noticeable gap between theory and practice in the implementation of HRDD. Real-world execution often falls short, leading to persistent and often egregious human rights violations, particularly within supply chains.
The UN Global Compact Think Lab on Human Rights in Supply Chains will facilitate thought leadership to plug gaps and challenges in HRDD practice in order to amplify positive action. The Think Lab aims to investigate the gap between theory and practice in human rights due diligence and will recommend innovative solutions while offering strong case examples to improve the effectiveness of due diligence efforts. The Think Lab will provide a collaborative platform, bringing together a small group of select business practitioners, human rights experts, UN Entities and civil society partners.
Objectives:
- Generate knowledge products and tools to plug gaps between theory and practice in the implementation of human rights due diligence as it applies to supply chains.
- Establish a community of practice of corporate business and human rights practitioners.
- Document and share case examples illustrating good practices in different sectors and regions to inspire other companies and showcase scalable strategies.
