Through reports in the broadcast media and in the press, the world is getting to know about widespread abuse of human rights in supply chains. Human exploitation is both easy and lucrative in many parts of the world, including the UK, where more and more cases are being brought to light and perpetrators brought to justice. Businesses are responding, as many global brands take steps to tackle this scourge of our society.

It is becoming clear that the tide of opinion is also placing greater responsibility on public purchasers to address the issue, emphasising an increasing need to understand the potential human impacts of our commercial activities. Public authorities need to start putting the infrastructure in place to achieve compliance and pursue good practice to identify, prevent and mitigate the risk of human rights violations in our supply chains.

The purpose of this document is to encourage public procurement practitioners, decision-makers and opinion-formers to:

• understand why promoting respect for human rights in public supply chains is important; develop a strategic approach to human rights due diligence;
• identify practical steps that can be taken to help mitigate the risk of human rights abuses in supply chains;
• work in cooperation with other organizations in order to increase knowledge and promote good practice.