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Monday November 25, 2024 4:40pm - 6:00pm CET
Session co-organized by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, The International Trade Centre (ITC), the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), the German Helpdesk, and UN Global Compact.


Brief description
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) account for 90% of businesses and 50-60% of employment worldwide: they are overwhelmingly present in economic activities around the world. SMEs are vital to economic growth and job creation globally, including when operating in environments where human rights risks are heightened, especially in conflict-affected areas. SMEs frequently lack the enabling legal and policy environment, the incentives, as well as the resources and knowledge to implement effectively the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which may affect their potential of integrating human rights due diligence in their daily operations. This session aims to consider ways to strengthen the capacity of SMEs to address these matters.
It is essential for SMEs to gain awareness about their responsibilities under the UNGPs and build capacities. In addition, the introduction of new regulations with global reach, including the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and national human rights due diligence requirements in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, present SMEs with new challenges and expectations. These new mandatory requirements expect governments to provide support and guidance to SMEs and businesses to devise collaborative approaches.
This session will aim to empower SMEs with the knowledge and tools necessary to incorporate the UNGPs, especially human rights due diligence, into their operations to ensure that they can action better their responsibilities to respect human rights. It also aims to foster sustainable business practices by SMEs and position them as important potential agents for positive transformative local change to reduce adverse human rights impacts from business activities.

Objectives
  • Increase awareness and understanding of the importance for SMEs to integrate human rights due diligence into business operations, including for SMEs in conflict-affected areas.
  • Assist participants with practical tools and resources to implement human rights due diligence and foster responsible business practices. This would also include guidance on conducting human rights impact assessments, stakeholder engagement, and effective grievance mechanisms.
  • Foster stakeholder engagement with SMEs, particularly from supply chain end points, associations, regulators and governments (e.g., through legislation, trade policies, and diplomacy for cross-border cooperation enabling HRDD).
  • Explore challenges SMEs face in taking action and highlight best practices of SMEs that have effectively integrated responsible business practices into their business models.
  • Share resources available for SMEs, including training programs, online-tools, helpdesks, funding opportunities, and partnerships with civil society.

Moderators
avatar for Joan Birika

Joan Birika

Senior Manager for Human Rights, UN Global Compact
Joan Birika is the Senior Manager for Human Rights at the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. She is responsible for programme development and implementation on Business and Human Rights (BHR) at the global level and strategic partnership... Read More →
Speakers
avatar for Omowumi Olumide Obidiran

Omowumi Olumide Obidiran

Deputy Director-General, Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI)
'Mo Olumide is a multidisciplinary Human & Industrial Capacity Ecosystems Builder: Connecting the Education, Employment, & Enterprise E-nnovation Nexus.
avatar for Jenny Ohme

Jenny Ohme

Coordinator, German Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights
Jenny Ohme is coordinator of the German Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights and has been part of the team since 2017. The Helpdesk is a German government support programme for companies that was initiated through the German National Action Plan on BHR (2016). It provides free-of-charge... Read More →
avatar for Tanja Lindell

Tanja Lindell

Responsible Business Hub (RBH), project manager2023 - I have established service center for exporting companies as a part of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia together with support and financing of GIZ Serbia. RBH is a part of RBH global network. We are covering topics concerning... Read More →
avatar for Yousif Yaser

Yousif Yaser

General Manager, Mosul Space for development
Yousif Yasir software engineer from Iraq Mosul, working in the field of NGOs in the path of private sector development by supporting SMEs and Startups
Monday November 25, 2024 4:40pm - 6:00pm CET
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