29/11/2019 Standing Committee
PACE has called on member States to implement the UN Guidelines and Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 on human rights and business, as the issue of businesses responsibilities for human rights abuses is now widely recognised, according to the Assembly.
There are many examples, such as hazardous working conditions, child labour, pollution, employment discrimination and surveillance of employees while at work, the parliamentarians stressed.
By adopting a resolution today, on the basis of the report by Elshad Hasanov (Azerbaijan, NR), PACE encouraged member States to draw up and update National Action Plans (NAPs), and to review their national legislation and practices to ensure that they comply with both instruments, stressing that after the adoption of the UN Guidelines in 2011, only eighteen Council of Europe member States, almost all of which are EU members, had established NAPs.
Finally, the Assembly recommended that the Committee of Ministers examine the implementation of Recommendation CM/Rec(2016)3 as soon as possible and finalise the creation of an online platform for human rights and business in order to disseminate good practices.