A RECORDING OF THIS SESSION IS AVAILABLE HERE.A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS SESSION IS AVAILABLE IN RUSSIAN HERE.Session organized by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights in collaboration with the Business and Human Rights Lab at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Ukraine and the Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business Session in English only
Brief description of the session:The session seeks to discuss business and human rights issues in the Central and Eastern European context and to provide a platform to exchange views and knowledge on the challenges to the effective implementation of UNGPs, positive developments and good practices among countries in the region building on the important work of the different stakeholders such as governmentals, businesses and the civil society sector. The session will showcase various ways and examples in which governments, businesses and civil society actors have been successfully overcoming existing challenges to the effective implementation of UNGPs. It will focus in particular on how applying a multistakeholder and inclusive approach and identifying and addressing relevant issues of common concern could be effective instrument to rebuild trust for new social contract. Keeping in mind the specificities and challenges of the Central Eastern European region, the session will firstly discuss positive regulatory develpments, such as national action plans and other initiatives developed and implemented in the region to promote responsable business conduct and support human rights due diligence processes in practice. The session will also look then at the devastating impact of the COVID19 and related social and economic crisis, including on decent working conditions and social protection systems in the region and will showcase initiatives to overcome these challenges and to “build back better”. Finally, the session will discuss challenges and opportunities for empowering victims of business related human rights abuses to seek effective access to effective remedy in though judicial and non-judicial mechanisms.
Key objectives of the session:- to illustrate, through selected case studies, how transparent, multistakeholder and inclusive approaches (bringing together governments, businesses, CSOs, HRDs, academics, NHRIs), the development and implementation of NAPs, and other initiatives to support businesses in their human rights due diligence efforts may enhance/improve corporate respect for human rights;
- to indicate the most significant obstacles and opportunities to implement the UNGPs in the countries of the region with regard to addressing the vulnerability of workers, customers, suppliers and communities, especially in times of global crisis;
- to highlight the risks of business-related human rights abuses topical for the region which have increased in COVID-19 times, in particular as they relate to decent working conditions and social protection systems, and discuss strategies and good practices to overcome these challenges;
- to discuss ways in which victims in the Central and Eastern European region may be empowered in seeking access to effective remedy against business related human rights abuses;
Key questions:- Why business should engage and advocate for reforms that would create a more conducive environment for responsible business?
- What regulatory measures have proved to be effective in the region? What are the gaps and the challenges that still remain and how to address them efficiently, including through mandatory regulations?
- Forced labour, informal employment, discrimination, unsafe working conditions, lack of effective non-state remedies to protect business related human rights abuses and other problems remain topical for the region. What steps have different stakeholders taken to address region specific business related human rights abuses related to work conditions and social protection, in particular in times of COVID19?
- How can multistakeholder and inclusive approaches help in the development and implementation of NAPs and other human rights due diligence initiatives to ensure higher corporate respect for human rights in Central and Eastern Europe? What elements are essential to ensure that those initiatives really contribute to rebuilding trust and clear path for future discussion on the new social contract?
- Are there any good practices in the region for empowering victims in seeking effective remedy for business related human rights abuses?
Background to the discussion:Despite the fall of undemocratic regimes and the related positive developments, countries in the very diverse region of Central and Eastern Europe continue to experience a low level of awareness on business and human rights. This is due to many factors, including the absence of strong democratic institutions, shrinking space for civil society, corruption, ineffective systems of remedy for victims of business related human rights abuses, as well as a result of low level of trust among actors in society. The COVID 19 related economic crisis had a devastating impact on working conditions, which even before pandemic were not meeting the ‘decent work’ standard and social protections in a region that historically have been suffering from weak trade unions and labour rights, as well as ineffective remedies for business related human rights abuses.
The region specific challenges require better regulation, more effective enforcement of existing regulations and contextual, bottom-up and inclusive initiatives and strategies developed in collaboration all stakeholders concerned in order to implement the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) effectively, and improve human rights record of companies operating in the region The session builds on challenges and lessons learned on how States and businesses, in cooperation the civil society sector in Central and Eastern Europe are discharging their respective duties and responsibilities across the three pillars of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework of the UNGPs.
Additional background documents and links:
The session will help inform the WG’s project ‘
Business and human rights: towards a decade of global implementation' (also known as “UNGPs 10+ / Next Decade BHR”). Centred around the upcoming tenth anniversary of the UNGPs in 2021, the project is taking stoc
