Background
Various
sessions at the 4th UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights
will touch on how the hardening of soft standards such as the UN Guiding
Principles of Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) is set to impact South Asian
businesses and economies. For example, the development and adoption of
mandatory human rights due diligence (mHRDD) legislation in Europe will likely
bring greater attention to business-related human rights impacts in global
supply chains. France, Germany, The Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland have enacted
human rights due diligence (HRDD) obligations for companies, while the European
Union (EU) has published a Proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Due
Diligence Directive which is set to harmonize HRDD obligations across the EU.
To
navigate challenges related to HRDD in global supply chains, the United Nations
Development Programme and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights are
offering a closed-door training workshop for companies.
Training
description
The
training targets companies from, active in or linked to South Asia. The
training will consist of three parts. First, a training which will provide an
introduction to Pillars II and III of the UNGPs targeting companies who are not
yet familiar core concepts in the UNGPs such as corporate human rights
policies, HRDD and operational-level grievance mechanisms. Second, an
interactive group discussion where companies will discuss case studies related
to HRDD, social auditing, the use of leverage in supply chains and
operational-level grievance mechanisms. Third, a training on integrating
intersectional and gender perspectives into HRDD and grievance mechanisms.
Training
objectives
The training aims
to:
· Increase the understanding of participants
on how companies can respect human rights
· Highlight and discuss dilemmas faced by
companies through interactive and illustrative case studies
· Facilitate a platform to exchange ideas and
learn from pears and experts
