2021 South Asia Forum on business and human rights

Session organized by the UN Working Group on business and human rights and the International Labour Organization (ILO)

Session description:
The session will provide an introduction to two leading international standards in the business and the human rights field: the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration). It will share insights about the interlinkages, consistent approach and the complementarity between the two instruments. This interactive session will enable participants to the 2nd UN South Asia Forum on Business and Human Rights to better understand the approach highlighted in the subsequent substantive sessions focusing on different business and human rights issues in South Asia.

Objectives of the session:
The key objectives of this session are:

• to enable newcomers to the business and human rights field to gain a good understanding of the UNGPs and the MNE Declaration;
• to explain the State duty to protect and the business responsibility to respect human rights (including labour rights);
• to highlight the importance of access to remedy under with the UNGPs and the MNE Declaration; and
• to unpack interlinkages between human rights and labour rights as well as between the UNGPs and the MNE Declaration.

Background documents:

• United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs)
• Tripartite declaration of principles concerning multinational enterprises and social policy (MNE Declaration)