Public procurement and human rights

In recent years, public procurement has increasingly been recognised as a means for states to fulfil their human rights obligations and as a means of realising sustainable development.

Including requirements within public procurement that suppliers respect human rights can help prevent human rights abuses including modern slavery, child labour, human trafficking, and excessive working hours from occurring within state value chains and promote the rights of persons with disabilities, women and children, and economically disadvantaged minorities, for example.

The difference we make

A toolkit on human rights for policy makers and public buyers

We have developed a toolkit to enable public procurement policy makers, buyers and contract managers to implement requirements to promote respect for human rights by their suppliers. It is designed to be a practical tool with a range good practice examples and first steps.

Supporting states

We have supported local partners in Kenya in conducting a review of the legal framework governing human rights and public procurement, and implement their national action plan on business and human rights, including as it pertains to public procurement and human rights.

Supporting the United Nations

We have supported the UN develop policy frameworks on

• Combatting Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in UN Supply Chains
• Gender Responsive Procurement

Human Rights and Procurement in Denmark

We work to support human rights in public procurement in Denmark. In 2019 the DIHR published a guide for Danish Municipalities on human rights in public procurement. We follow policy developments and engage with various stakeholders on how to support human rights due diligence in public procurement processes in Denmark.

Public procurement and digital technology

We have explored public procurement as a tool to address human rights risks in the use of digital technology to deliver essential public services. In February 2024 we published a discussion paper to stimulate dialogue on the topic and to provide public procurement policy makers, buyers, and contract managers with an introduction to some human rights risks and considerations when procuring digital technology to deliver essential public services.

Benchmarking

The DIHR, as a member of the international learning lab on public procurement and human rights, undertook a survey to identify how 20 jurisdictions address the topic through law, policy, and practice. The Survey of Twenty Jurisdictions, conducted in collaboration with local partners, contains recommendations on measures needed to bring public procurement into alignment with human rights and sustainable development.

Working with data and indicators

We are a member of the One Planet Network, responsible for coordinating efforts to realise SDG 12.7 on sustainable public procurement, and are working to ensure that the human rights are adequately reflected in the understanding and implementation of sustainable public procurement.

In this capacity, we have supported the UN Environment Programme in developing a calculation index for SDG indicator 12.7.1 which reflects a Human Rights Based Approach.

Public procurement and remedy

In October 2022, we co-organised a workshop on strengthening access to remedy for public procurement-related human rights abuses. Together with Electronics Watch and the University of Greenwich's Business, Human Rights and the Environment Research Group (BHRE), we brought together 18 procurement and sustainability professionals from local, regional, national, and international bodies to share experiences, challenges, and lessons learned. The full summary of the workshop is available here.