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The cross-border social dialogue spaces within the UN Human Rights Office

OHCHR leads the business and human rights agenda within the UN system and develops guidance and training relating to the dissemination and implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights for States, business, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders. OHCHR facilitates cross-border social dialogue through its annual and regional forums, consultation to multi-stakeholder initiatives, and through its field presences around the world.

Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights

United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights: The UN Forum is the world's largest annual gathering on business and human rights with more than 2,000 participants from government, business, community groups and civil society, law firms, investor organisations, UN bodies, national human rights institutions, trade unions, academia and the media. The Forum provides a key global platform for stakeholder dialogue on how to increase the pace of implementation of the Guiding Principles by States, businesses and other actors and is the foremost event to share experiences and learn about the latest initiatives to promote corporate respect for human rights.

The UN Human Rights Council established the Forum in 2011 to serve as a global platform for stakeholders to “discuss trends and challenges in the implementation of the Guiding Principles and promote dialogue and cooperation on issues linked to business and human rights, including challenges faced in particular sectors, operational environments or in relation to specific rights or groups, as well as identifying good practices.”

 

Regional Forums on Business and Human Rights

Multi-stakeholder regional platforms are an essential tool in strengthening constructive dialogue and efforts to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights at a regional and national level. OHCHR is involved in facilitating key gatherings on business and human rights across Africa, Latin America and the Asia Pacific.

 Africa

The first African Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights was held from September 16-18, 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event, co-organised with the support of OHCHR, as well as the African Union Commission's Department of Political Affairs, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), provided a multi-stakeholder regional platform for dialogue on implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The African Business and Human Rights Forum will be held in Accra, Ghana from October 11-13, 2022.  OHCHR joins the African Union Commission (AUC), as well as UNDP and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights to co-organise the Forum. It is intended to provide an invaluable opportunity for stakeholders, including the AU Member States, businesses and civil society, to learn about progress and challenges, to share best practices, to identify needs and engage in peer-learning through constructive dialogue. The Forum is envisioned as an annual event aiming to devise a coherent continental platform for discussing how to promote and ensure responsible business conduct.

Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean: The Regional Forum on Business and Human Rights for Latin America and the Caribbean has become a key gathering on business and human rights, and one of the most important human rights meetings in the Americas. The Forum provides a unique space for dialogue between governments, business, civil society, affected groups, workers organizations and international organizations on trends, challenges and good practices in preventing and addressing business-related human rights impacts.

Recent convenings include:

Asia & Pacific

Building on the 2014 Africa Forum and 2013 Latin America & Caribbean Forum, the 2016 Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights provided an opportunity to speed and scale up awareness and implementation of the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the region. The two-day event allowed participants to engage in dialogue on salient issues and identify areas at the national level where accelerated action is needed by States and companies to prevent and address business-related human rights harm. The Forum convened representatives of Governments, business, industry associations, civil society organisations, trade unions, indigenous peoples, affected individuals, law firms, investor groups, international and regional bodies, national human rights institutions, academia and the media.

A series of business and human rights forums have been held since 2019 covering both South Asia and the Pacific. Recent convenings include:

- The 2022 South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights – held 28 to 30 March, 2022 in a hybrid format with in-person element in Dhaka, Bangladesh

- The 2nd UN Pacific Forum on Business and Human Rights – held 22 to 24 November 2021 in a hybrid format with in-person element in Suva, Fiji.

- The 2021 UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights – held 17 to 19 March 2021 virtually.

- The 1st UN Pacific Forum on Business and Human Rights – held 1 to 2 December 2020 in a hybrid format with in-person element in Suva, Fiji

- The Inaugural UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights– held 14 to 15 March 2019 in New Delhi, India.

 

Participation in multi-stakeholder platforms and initiatives

OHCHR also engages with a range of multi-stakeholder platforms and initiatives that include opportunities for dialogue on business and human rights issues, including the International Cocoa Initiative, the World Economic Forum, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights,  and the Geneva Centre for Business and Human Rights.

 

Field Activities 

Working in concert with its field presences, OHCHR’s regional projects provide opportunities for cross-border social dialogue.

The BHR Africa Project started in January 2022 with activities carried out by the East Africa Regional Office and UN Human Rights field presences in Liberia, Mozambique and Uganda.

  • The East Africa Regional Office is supporting the development and implementation of National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights (NAPs) across the region, including through the organisation of sub-regional dialogues on NAPs.
  • In Liberia, UN Human Rights is providing support to the development of a roadmap towards a NAP through capacity-building of relevant stakeholders on the UNGPs and awareness-raising activities.
  • In Mozambique, UN Human Rights is conducting capacity-building activities on the UNGPs, with a particular focus on access to remedy and with the aim to support the development of a NAP.
  • In Uganda, where a NAP was published in July 2021, UN Human Rights is conducting a range of activities to support its dissemination and implementation.

The Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean, implemented together with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), aims to promote responsible business conduct practices in Latin America and the Caribbean in line with international standards. One of the principal objectives of the program is to facilitate regional multi-stakeholder consultation to promote peer learning and sharing of experience among relevant actors, to take stock and incentivize progress among countries and businesses of the region, and to promote participation and collaboration among key actors.

Activities for the project are implemented by OHCHR regional offices for South America (in Chile) and for Central America (in Panama), as well as OHCHR country offices in Colombia and Mexico, have support from OHCHR Geneva. Activities also involve the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, and support its mandate to promote the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.