Business and Human Rights in the Council of Europe

The Danish Institute for Human Rights is supporting efforts by the Council of Europe to promote respect for human rights in the business sector.

Purpose

The Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) is engaging with efforts in the Council of Europe to strengthen respect for human right in the business sector.

Until 2016, DIHR took part in drafting of the Council of Europe’s Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 on human rights and business on behalf of the European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI).

Taking point of departure in the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) the European Convention of Human Rights and European Social Charter, the Recommendation adopted in March 2016 provides important guidance for states as to their responsibilities to ensure respect for human rights in the context of business activities.

It further calls on all Council of Europe member states to develop National Action Plans on business and human rights, and provides for the sharing of such Action Plans, and good practices on business and human rights.

To promote awareness and stakeholder engagement with the Recommendation, in December 2016, DIHR and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted

Workshop report: “Business and Human Rights in Europe: Next Steps in Strengthening Implementation and Accountability”

. The workshop aimed:

To increase knowledge of the Recommendation amongst European stakeholders
To facilitate stakeholder dialogue on how the Recommendation should be implemented and supported
To develop proposals to advance to the Council of Europe’s “High Level Seminar” on the new Recommendation, to be held in June 2017.

The difference we make

DIHR’s work on National Action Plans on human rights and business has paved the way for national efforts to implement the UNGPs. Published in 2014, our National Action Plans Toolkit is already in use in all regions of the world by governments, NHRIs and civil society organisations. It has been cited by several governments which are developing or have developed such plan, including those of the United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland and Scotland within Europe. It has also been referred to as a key resource by international institutions, such as the Council of Europe and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.

Through participation in the drafting of the Recommendation, DIHR together with ENNHRI was able to advocate for a focus on NAPs. This focus should further help to strengthen national efforts to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Europe.

DIHR is now working with the Council of Europe’s International Conference of Non-Governmental Organisations to promote the case for stakeholder participation in a robust and transparency process of monitoring and review of the new Recommendation. Ultimately this should help to ensure that business respect for human rights is put into practice in Europe.