Amnesty, ECCJ and CIDSE call on the Dutch government to include Business and Human Rights and the implementation of the UNGPs on the agenda of the EU presidency in 2016. In June 2016 the international community will celebrate the 5th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). This offers a unique opportunity for the Dutch presidency.
The Netherlands and the EU have played a leading role in the process toward these unanimously endorsed guidelines. But in the implementation many EU member states are facing important challenges which are reflected on European level too. To date, five Member States (among the Netherlands) have released such plans. For its part, the European Commission has not yet developed its own strategy and Action Plan, despite the commitment it made in 2011. Even where Action Plans have been developed, they tend not to focus on implementation of the third pillar (access to remedies for victims) and not on the question how to ensure a “smart mix” of voluntary and regulatory approaches put forward in the UNGPs.
As one of the Member States which showed leadership on this issue, and considering the opportunity presented by the 5th anniversary of the UNGPs, the Dutch presidency could contribute to ensuring continued progress in the implementation of these guidelines. This would be an essential contribution to ensuring continued progress across Europe. There could be several ways of putting this issue on the agenda.
Read more in the letter from ECCJ, Amnesty and CEDSE (see attachment).
