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.
Since 2018, a range of civil society, academic and governmental actors have raised concerns about possible forced labour in and connected to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People’s Republic of China. Governments and corporate en...Read More
Myanmar is a high-risk environment from a business and human rights perspective. Pockets of the country constitute some of the most complex environments in the world; one example is the mineral rich Kachin state in the northern part of the country, ...Read More
Human trafficking and exploitation are crimes that prey on the most vulnerable in society, both within Scotland and across the world. They are abuses of human rights that have life-changing negative impacts for victims. A Corporate Group has been...Read More
This self-assessment tool was developed to ensure employers, governments and recruitment agencies have policies, codes of conduct, systems and training in place that effectively meet the needs of women migrant workers. The tool was developed by UN W...Read More
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