The ILO Helpdesk is a service from the International Labour Organization that provides a one-stop-shop to help company managers and workers understand the application of international labour standards.

  2022 marks the 10-year anniversary of the Children’s Rights and Business Principles developed jointly by UNICEF, UN Global Compact and Save the Children in consultation with children, businesses, investors, governments, civil society, trade unions, national human rights institutions and United Nations entities. The joint Brief “Charting the Course: Embedding children’s rights in responsible business conduct” summarizes the findings of a more detailed forthcoming report by the three organizations and aims to chart the course for the coming years. Impact at scale is yet to be achieved to put child rights at the heart of corporate sustainability, the time has come to raise the bar towards making business fit for children.

Guides companies around the world to better understand and address human rights impacts in their operations and supply chains. Users can access in-depth analysis of key human rights issues, due diligence recommendations, as well as case studies illustrating how other businesses have responsibly addressed human rights impacts.

Developed by the United Nations Global Compact, UNICEF and Save the Children – the Children’s Rights and Business Principles are the first comprehensive set of principles to guide companies on the full range of actions they can take in the workplace, marketplace and community to respect and support children’s rights. While the business and human rights agenda has evolved significantly in recent years, a child rights perspective has not yet been explicitly addressed. (https://childrenandbusiness.org/)

Description: Part of the UN Global Compact SDG Ambition Accelerator Initiative, the Living Wage Ambition is one of ten SDG Ambition Benchmarks aiming at challenging organizations to set more ambitious targets and accelerating integration of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into core business management. This ambition is encouraging companies to provide and promote a living wage as an essential aspect of decent work to ensure all workers, families and communities can live in dignity. The guide “Achieving the Living Wage Ambition: Reference Sheet and Implementation Guidance” provides illustrative details regarding the steps to take to successfully implement a living wage programme in a company’s business system which will lead to all employees being provided with wages and benefits that are sufficient to cover at least their basic needs. For more information on the SDG Ambition Accelerator Initiative please visit here.

Examines how companies can navigate complex multi-tiered supply chains and their associated challenges as part of their efforts to advance decent work in their global supply chains. While multi-tier supply chains have the advantage of driving efficiency, reducing planning cycle lead times and reducing possible business disruptions, they also increase the risk of causing or contributing to human rights impacts and decent work deficits, particularly in the lower tiers of the chain. This is exacerbated in a crisis situation such as a pandemic, where workers’ rights and conditions may be compromised and income threatened as a result of order cancellations, factory shut-downs, or layoffs. This report seeks to guide multinational enterprises in reducing global supply chain vulnerabilities and provides proactive measures companies can take and best practice examples to draw inspiration from.

Provides guidance on the evolving business and human rights legal landscape and the consequent legal considerations that apply to multinational companies. Today, multinational companies must navigate increasingly complex human rights obligations, identify human rights risk in supply chains through due diligence, and take steps to mitigate such risks or make public disclosures. This topic is relevant to professionals tasked with embedding sustainability and human rights considerations in their business strategy. This report was developed by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP with input from the participants of the UN Global Compact Decent Work in Global Supply Chains Action Platform.

The Decent Work Toolkit for Sustainable Procurement will enable companies, procurement professionals and suppliers to develop a common understanding on how to advance decent work through purchasing decisions and scaling up efforts to improve lives around the globe. With a focus on trust and transparency, the Decent Work Toolkit for Sustainable Procurement is publicly available to all and contains real-life examples of buyers and suppliers jointly addressing decent work concerns in global supply chains.

Provides the first ever estimates of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains. A significant share of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains occurs at lower tiers, in activities such as raw material extraction and agriculture, making due diligence, visibility and traceability challenging. The report outlines several key areas in which governments and businesses can do more. It underscores the critical role of States in addressing gaps in statutory legislation, enforcement, and access to justice and in establishing a framework for responsible business conduct. For business, the report underscores the need for a comprehensive, whole-of-supply-chain approach to due diligence.

Decent Work cannot exist where modern slavery and child labour persist. Forced labour, modern slavery and child labour are complex problems associated with poverty, governance failures and inequalities in the global labour market. Tackling them requires a massive international effort, involving Governments, businesses, civil society organizations, trade unions and international bodies. This brief guide, developed as part of the Decent Work in Global Supply Chains Action Platform, offers a quick overview of the steps businesses can take to help eliminate modern slavery, while highlighting key resources, initiatives and engagement opportunities to support business action.

Summarizes data of bilateral interviews with supply chain, procurement, and sustainability executives of companies that participate in the UN Global Compact Action Platform on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains. The report presents insights into some of the key challenges and opportunities that companies face in their efforts to develop more sustainable procurement strategies. It also offers practical examples of steps taken to combat pressing human rights issues in supply chains, such as modern slavery, child labour and non-compliance with employment standards, and references relevant initiatives and resources for further guidance on these issues.

The Interactive Map for Business of Anti-Human Trafficking Organisations includes information on the organisations that work with the business sector to combat modern slavery. It is a resource for companies to navigate emerging partners, to improve coordination on the eradication of human trafficking and a baseline from which existing and newly formed initiatives move forward fight against human trafficking. The Interactive Map has been developed through the collaboration of the Global Business Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the RESPECT Initiative (consisting of Babson College Initiative on Human Trafficking, the International Organisation for Migration, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime) and the UN Global Compact through the Action Platform on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains, with the support from the Alliance 8.7.