Alliance 8.7 Dialogues on the impact of Due Diligence policies and models

Following the endorsement of the ILO’s Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration) and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), a growing number of governments, including Alliance 8.7 Pathfinder countries, have adopted voluntary and/or mandatory human rights due diligence frameworks. These frameworks cover some or all of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, including the ILO’s core conventions on child labour and forced labour.

The importance of due diligence has been recognized by international labour standards, instruments and frameworks, such as the ILO’s Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, as well as well as the Durban Call to Action on the Elimination of Child Labour and the Marrakech Global Framework for Action against Child Labour, in particular Section 9. End child labour in domestic and global supply chains. 

While these frameworks vary in scope, in general, they require businesses to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for how they address their impacts on human rights, including the prevention, elimination of child labour and forced labour. While such mechanisms have the potential to strengthen transparency, improve risk management, and drive more resilient and sustainable business practices, experience across regions has highlighted challenges in their design, implementation and measurement of impact. Additionally, these frameworks cannot address the root causes of child labour and forced labour, such as uneven enforcement and rule of law, informality, and socio-economic challenges and vulnerabilities. 

Given the growing importance of human rights due diligence as a tool for preventing, eliminating and addressing child labour and forced labour, the diversity and increasing number of such frameworks, and the variety of experiences in implementation, members of Alliance 8.7 have proposed dialogues on human rights due diligence in order to promote shared understanding and coherence on effective practices. 

Overview

In line with the Alliance 8.7 Action Group on Supply Chains workplan and the ILO’s Strategy on Supply Chains, this two-part Alliance 8.7 virtual dialogue series will convene participants to exchange practical experiences and lessons learned in developing, implementing, and evaluating due diligence frameworks. 

In order to support a meaningful dialogue, two workshops will be convened: 

1. Multi-stakeholder Dialogue, 22 September – Online 12:00-14:30 CEST

   This dialogue will bring together Alliance 8.7 pathfinder countries and their national coordination committees, members of the Global Coordinating Group and Alliance 8.7 business networks to engage in a discussion on the impact of due diligence frameworks for all supply chain actors and avenues to address challenges and seize opportunities for greater impact. It will highlight lessons learned in implementing and evaluating due diligence frameworks. 

   Participants: All Pathfinder countries across regions, including national coordination committees, and members of the GCG, as well as the Alliance 8.7 business networks. IOE and ITUC will be invited to nominate additional participants to contribute to this session. Other GCG members will be invited to do the same.

    

2. Pathfinder Countries Dialogue, 8 October – Online 12:00-14:30 CEST

   This dialogue will build on the initial discussion and bring together Governments of Alliance 8.7 pathfinder countries to exchange on their experiences in promoting decent work and in advancing due diligence through voluntary and mandatory due diligence frameworks, as well as the ongoing challenges and untapped opportunities, with a focus on child labour and forced labour.

   Participants: Governments of Pathfinder countries.