2019 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights

Interpretation provided in English and French

Session organized by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights

Webcast of the session:
Meeting link
Meeting number: 846 511 945
Password: nSk4CUJH

Brief Description
This Forum session is part of the Forum track on trends and challenges in promoting business respect for human rights in the context of each region of the world. Building on the sessions on government action on the Forum’s first day, the region focused discussions aim to take a closer look at how to overcome key business-related human rights challenges faced in African and lessons learned from emerging government, business and civil society initiatives.

Objectives of the session
The session will address initiatives to implement the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) and will explore challenges and lessons learned on how States and businesses are discharging their respective duties and responsibilities across the three pillars of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework of the UNGPs.

This includes initiatives taken by States to protect against business-related human rights abuses through regulation, efforts to include policy coherence such as through national action plan development, multi-stakeholder platforms, and in the State’s roles as an economic actor. Discussions will also address how businesses identify, prevent, mitigate and account for the negative human rights impacts they may cause. The session will also address the role of regional organizations in taking meaningful action to use their leverage to encourage companies and governments to respect and protect human rights in line with the UNGPs.

The overall aim is to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue on trends, challenges, lessons learned and ways forward. A key question for all stakeholders to consider: are we making progress and can a shared vision for the way ahead be developed?

Format of the session
The session is chaired by the Vice Chair of the UN Working Group, Githu Muigai
Representatives from different stakeholder groups will kick start the conversation by reflecting on challenges, emerging and ongoing activities to implement the UNGPs in different countries of the region, and ways forward.
Presentations will be followed by Q&A and open discussion.