The COVID-19 crisis has exposed once more the vulnerabilities in value chains and precarity of global business operations – and the weakness of voluntary corporate action in addressing these issues. The devastating consequences are felt most by millions of workers and communities around the world. However, there are signs this could change. There has been growing momentum worldwide among governments, companies, investors and civil society, for mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD).
Cross-sectoral regulation is already in place or under discussion in a number of European countries, including France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and Germany, paving the way towards regional harmonisation. Earlier this year, the European Commission committed to introducing such legislation within the European Union (EU), and has just launched a public online consultation on ‘sustainable corporate governance’, including mandatory HREDD. ‘Legislation on sustainable corporate governance’ is also part of the Commission’s work progamme for 2021.
The Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2011. More than 10 years later, this global standard for how business should respect human rights has driven some positive change. While ...Read More
Foreign migrant workers are often faced with a choice: pay illegal or unethical recruitment fees for a job abroad or go without work altogether. To finance these exorbitant costs, which can be as high as USD 6,000 in some migration corridors, they o...Read More
This report is a first attempt to document child sexual exploitation in itsvarious manifestations. It provides evidence on the scale of the problemand on what works in preventing and responding to child sexualexploitation, and signals the areas wher...Read More
In September 2022, HRC published a briefing addressing the emerging organised crime of victims systematically trafficked to scamming compounds in Southeast Asia. The briefing led to many inquiries from journalists and a subsequent growth in media co...Read More
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