Workshop on the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights

The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs had organised the event to facilitate an exchange of experiences and expectations regarding the development of sector-specific guidelines on human rights due diligence. Dr Miriam Putz attended on behalf of the Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik. Following two panel discussions, the participants discussed, in smaller workshop groups, the objectives of NAP Industrial Dialogues, possible formats for their implementation, and criteria for identifying high-risk sectors.

According to the stakeholders’ recommendations, in order to ensure the success of Industrial Dialogues, preliminary discussions should first be held on, for example, practical antitrust hurdles, effective impact assessment and geographical scope. In the practical phase, the aim should then be to draw on tried-and-tested concepts to ensure a streamlined process and to secure long-term success through clear structures and transparent funding. The need to create an atmosphere of trust in which discussions can take place was also repeatedly emphasised.

Once the findings of this event have been analysed, the Federal Government plans to publish a study identifying particularly relevant high-risk sectors and regions within the supply and value chains of German companies. Following on from this, the specific Industrial Dialogues envisaged under the NAP are then to be held.