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.
Over the past decade, businesses have in many ways improved their efforts to pro- mote human rights through sustainability measures. Simultaneously, political interest in strengthening corporate social responsibility has increased along with un...Read More
Globally, it is estimated that there are over 40 million men, women and children in modern slavery today. Two thirds of these victims are in Asia. These victims, who can be found in factories, construction sites, fisheries and sex venues, are forced...Read More
This strategy sets out the Government’s ambition to prevent, tackle and respond to all forms of child sexual abuse. It focuses on three key objectives which overlap and reinforce one another, recognising the complex, interconnected nature of this ...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
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