Session co-organized by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Alliance 8.7, in collaboration with the International Labour Organization, International Organisation of Employers, and International Trade Union ConfederationBrief description of the session: Reflecting on the urgent need to eliminate child and forced labour from supply chains in alignment with SDG target 8.7, this session will consider how partnerships can play a crucial role in tackling these challenges. It does so within the broader context of promoting fundamental principles and rights at work (FPRW), which include the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. The session will also bring experts and practitioners together to provide an overview of the key challenges relating to FPRW, specifically forced and child labour, and assess how effective partnership initiatives have been in tackling these amid changing policy and legal environments.
Several initiatives exist to promote FPRW such as the UN Global Compact and Alliance 8.7. With addressing child and forced labour in supply chains as its priority, Alliance 8.7 is a global multistakeholder partnership that brings together over 200 partners and member States to accelerate action towards SDG target 8.7. It provides a platform for partners to share information, promising practices, lessons learned, collaborate and demonstrate progress. This session will, thus, focus on distilling the lessons learned from Alliance 8.7 as a potential roadmap for future collaborations.
Key objectives of the session: - Discuss how the ‘smart mix of measures’, including national action plans on business and human rights, economic incentives, and due diligence by both the public and private sectors, can be used effectively by Governments to create an enabling environment for partnerships with the private sector to tackle child labour, forced labour and other FPRW abuses.
- Exchange insights on the drivers and obstacles faced by Governments and businesses in preventing and addressing risks and abuses related to FPRW.
- Propose pathways for how FPRW, alongside the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, can be protected and respected in supply chains.
Key questions: - What positive practices from Governments, businesses, employers and workers’ organizations, and other social actors have proved central to improving outcomes in relation to the prevention of FPRW abuses, especially forced and child labour?
- How can the voices of affected rightsholders be amplified, including through employer and workers’ organizations, to contribute to upholding FPRW and the Guiding Principles?
- How can global partnership initiatives, such as Alliance 8.7, contribute to strengthening an inclusive approach to the development of a smart mix of measures and foster policy coherence?
Background to Alliance 8.7: As a global multistakeholder partnership, Alliance 8.7 provides data and technical guidance to employers’ organizations and their members, including SMEs, to conduct effective due diligence, in collaboration with governments. It also looks at strengthening the capacity of employers and workers’ organizations to represent the collective voice of their members and address the specific needs of most vulnerable workers in supply chains.
Businesses can participate directly in Alliance 8.7 by joining specialized business initiatives: the Global Business Network on Forced Labour
breaks silos by linking up business actors from across sectors and geographies to eradicate forced labour. It supports its 22 members to engage with government bodies, to find sustainable solutions to address the structural drivers of forced labour. The Child Labour Platform brings together 30 multinational corporations across sectors, to address the root causes of child labour in their supply chains, particularly in the extraction or production of global commodities where child labour is most prevalent.
Additional background documents:Alliance 8.7, ‘Ending child labour, forced labour and human trafficking in global supply chains’ (2019): https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/%40ed_norm/%40ipec/documents/publication/wcms_716930.pdf
