"ICAR Submission to EU Council Presidency on Business and Human Rights Priorities", 29 Jan 2016
On January 29, 2016, ICAR submitted the below letter to the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). The EU Council Presidency is currently held by the Netherlands, a strong supporter of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and an early adopter of a National Action Plan (NAP) on business and human rights. As such, the Netherlands Presidency may provide opportunities to promote the business and human rights agenda in the EU.
In its submission, ICAR urges the Presidency to support the following five priority areas:
Development of a Regional Action Plan (RAP) on business and human rights and/or regional guidance to EU Member States on the process and content of National Action Plans (NAPs) on business and human rights;
Development of a dedicated monitoring and peer review process of EU Member States’ NAPs on business and human rights, including measures undertaken by Member States to implement commitments made within NAPs;
Development of guidance to EU Member States on the incorporation of human rights considerations into public procurement processes;
Development of guidance to EU Member States for the removal of legal and practical barriers that prevent victims from accessing effective judicial remedies;
Encourage the exercise of extraterritorial jurisdiction by States to ensure that victims of business-related human rights abuses have access to an effective remedy in businesses’ host and home States.
↧