Summarizes data of bilateral interviews with supply chain, procurement, and sustainability executives of companies that participate in the UN Global Compact Action Platform on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains. The report presents insights into some of the key challenges and opportunities that companies face in their efforts to develop more sustainable procurement strategies. It also offers practical examples of steps taken to combat pressing human rights issues in supply chains, such as modern slavery, child labour and non-compliance with employment standards, and references relevant initiatives and resources for further guidance on these issues.

The retention of worker identity documents is a common practice among employers and recruitment agencies in many countries and sectors around the world. The practice infringes on international human rights and can make workers vulnerable to forced labour. This note calls on business to take action to address the practice and its associated risk of labour abuse. References to relevant international standards and links to additional resources provide further guidance to business.

Migrant workers are often susceptible to unfair recruitment and hiring practices, leaving them highly vulnerable to exploitation. For many, the debt burden they carry from excessive recruitment fees and migration costs exacerbates this vulnerability and can lead to debt bondage and forced labour. This note calls on business to take action to address such exploitative practices and their associated risk to labour abuse. References to relevant international standards and links to multi-stakeholder initiatives and additional resources are included to provide further guidance.

Decent Work cannot exist where modern slavery and child labour persist. Forced labour, modern slavery and child labour are complex problems associated with poverty, governance failures and inequalities in the global labour market. Tackling them requires a massive international effort, involving Governments, businesses, civil society organizations, trade unions and international bodies. This brief guide, developed as part of the Decent Work in Global Supply Chains Action Platform, offers a quick overview of the steps businesses can take to help eliminate modern slavery, while highlighting key resources, initiatives and engagement opportunities to support business action.

The Interactive Map for Business of Anti-Human Trafficking Organisations includes information on the organisations that work with the business sector to combat modern slavery. It is a resource for companies to navigate emerging partners, to improve coordination on the eradication of human trafficking and a baseline from which existing and newly formed initiatives move forward fight against human trafficking. The Interactive Map has been developed through the collaboration of the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the RESPECT Initiative (consisting of Babson College Initiative on Human Trafficking, the International Organisation for Migration, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime) and the UN Global Compact through the Action Platform on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains, with the support from the Alliance 8.7.

Celebrates the 70th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and builds upon the UN Global Compact Progress Report. The report highlights insight and initiatives by Global Compact Local Networks around the world, presents snapshots of good practice from companies participating in the UN Global Compact and showcases initiatives that are advancing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Contains implementation guidance to help companies report on their human rights performance in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights.

Addresses how businesses can operate responsibly in conflict-affected or fragile countries and weak governance zones to ensure that operations contribute to peace-building. Suggested best practices to help companies mitigate the risks of operating in conflict-affected environments are also explored.

Highlights the linkages between human rights and anti-corruption compliance and how companies can benefit from integrating these considerations in their compliance programs. Adverse human rights impacts and corruption pose similar risks to companies, including the danger of reputational and financial exposure. Effectively managing these risks presents companies with common challenges such as detecting misconduct in the business organization and supply chains, and necessitates due diligence on business partners such as contracted agents and suppliers. Indeed successful implementation of human rights and anti-corruption compliance can contribute to corporate sustainability and profitability.

The responsibility to comply with all applicable local, national, regional and international laws is a central tenet of the corporate responsibility to respect human rights. Yet sometimes local or national laws pose requirements that conflict with internationally recognized human rights, thereby making it difficult or impossible for business enterprises to meet their responsibility to respect human rights. The goal of this Good Practice Note is to provide business enterprises with a non-exhaustive set of good practices for addressing situations in which local or national laws appear to conflict with internationally recognized human rights.

Forced labour is ubiquitous in global supply chains. This webinar showcases approaches to some of the challenges, including; how to respond to risks in different countries and lower tiers of supply chains; how to work effectively with suppliers and enable workers to exercise their rights; and how to ensure meaningful transparency to investors in line with regulatory requirements. This webinar shares good practice examples from KnowTheChain, the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark and the UK Modern Slavery Act Registry, with a focus on worker voice, recruitment and remedy. Speakers from H&M and Intel shared a corporate perspective on addressing the many dilemmas associated with forced labour in supply chains.

In June 2014, the International Labour Organization (ILO) adopted a new Protocol on Forced Labour. As an international response to combat contemporary forms of slavery and forced labour more effectively, the Protocol creates new legal obligations to prevent forced labour, to protect victims, and to provide access to remedy. Conducted by ILO experts, this webinar provides insight into the Protocol and discusses the role of business in its implementation, including in global efforts to eliminate contemporary forms of slavery.