Last week, the G20 Labor and Employment Ministers Meeting (LEMM) Declaration was released following six months of multilateral engagement on strategies for promoting productive and decent work worldwide. Containing varied commitments by G20 ministers to prioritize sustainable and ethical global trade, a recurring theme throughout the declaration is the need to eradicate human trafficking and slavery from supply chains.
Among other decisions, the ministers:
- Committed to taking “immediate and effective measures” towards eradicating modern slavery, forced labor and human trafficking in global supply chains, both domestically and abroad
- Supported the strengthening of compliance with foundational labor principles in global supply chains through the development of national action plans to achieve responsible business conduct and regulatory compliance
- Committed to promoting due diligence and transparency in global supply chains by clearly communicating their expectations for businesses, and by welcoming initiatives that allow for industry-wide due diligence and harmonized audit standards
Based on these commitments, we can expect to witness a few key trends in the coming years for which businesses should be prepared.
Do you know which human rights regulations your company is in scope of, and is your supply chain ready for compliance? Find out in our webinar, ‘What Your Company Needs to Know About Human Rights’ on June 1, 2017.
Expected Trends in Human Trafficking and Slavery Compliance
First, regulatory measures to hold companies to account for their human rights impacts are only going to increase, both on the domestic and international fronts. At the country level, we expect this to take the form of even more national action plans (NAPs) designed to increase supply chain transparency and implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. These Guiding Principles set out strict standards for the eradication of trafficking and slavery from corporate supply chains. Presently, there are 14 EU Member States that have already developed NAPs, while an additional 22 are in the process of developing them. This means an increasing number of companies will find themselves in scope of regulatory standards on human rights in supply chains, and will need to be equipped to survey their supply chains, and identify and mitigate potential risks.
Second, in expressing their desire for harmonized audit standards, the G20 ministers signal that the manner in which companies engage their suppliers in due diligence activities must undergo change if it is to be successful. Today, suppliers are typically overwhelmed by the number and diversity of requests for product information they receive from their customers who are in scope of human trafficking and slavery regulations. In the absence of a standardized audit or surveying mechanism, suppliers must respond to requests for information in multiple formats, costing them time and reducing the quality of their responses.
Learn more about human trafficking and slavery regulations in our comprehensive eBook: Anti-Human Trafficking and Your Supply Chain. Download it here.
The Assent Human Rights Module
Common to both of these trends is the need for a harmonized supply chain data collection and reporting tool like the Assent Compliance Human Rights Module. As part of the wider Assent Compliance Platform, the Human Rights Module helps companies comply with key trafficking and slavery regulations like the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, the UK Modern Slavery Act, the French Corporate Duty of Vigilance law, and more.
The Module has the added benefit of integrating seamlessly with the Human Trafficking Risk Template (HTRT). This is the industry-standard template used by companies to identify, assess and mitigate risk of human trafficking and slavery throughout their business operations, from the supplier to the point of sale.
Combined, the Assent Human Rights Module and the HTRT give companies the ability to remain compliant in the kind of rapidly expanding human rights regulatory framework envisioned within the G20 LEMM Declaration.
To learn more about the human rights regulations for which your company may be in scope, and about how Assent’s Human Rights Module can help you maintain compliance, register for our free webinar, ‘What Your Company Needs to Know About Human Rights’ on June 1, 2017, or download the eBook ‘Anti-Human Trafficking and Your Supply Chain’.
Alternatively, get in touch with our human rights subject matter and regulatory experts at info@assentcompliance.com.