National plan of action on business, human rights in offing
A national action plan is being developed to help incorporate the UN guiding principles on business and human rights into existing rules, regulations, and policies.
It is expected to serve as oversight for business and investments in the country.
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The plan seeks to strengthen institutional capacity, operations and coordination efforts of state and non-state actors for the protection and promotion of human rights by businesses; promote human rights compliance by business actors throughout Ghana; remediate business-related human rights abuses when they occur; as well as sensitise people to their rights.
The Deputy Attorney-General, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, announced this at the opening of African Business and Human Rights Forum held in Accra last Wednesday.
She said a National Steering Committee had also been inaugurated for the creation of the plan.
The membership of the steering committee, she said, consisted of the relevant ministries, department and agencies, trade unions, civil society organisations and academia.
According to her, the committee has held a number of meetings and has begun the process of developing the plan.
“The National Baseline Assessment (NBA) report completed by CHRAJ noted that while Ghana has a plethora of laws and regulations promoting and mandating responsible business conduct, significant gaps remain in certain sectors,” she said.
Forum
The forum was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights, German Development Agency (GIZ) and the African Union Commission (AUC).
The forum brought together over 1000 participants both in-person and virtually from 32 African countries to take stock of their progress and discuss challenges and opportunities for promoting responsible business conduct and corporate responsibility in the African region.
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Ms Dapaah said there was the need for a review of current trade and investment promotion agreements which would be brought into compliance with business and human rights standards.
That, she said, would help in the implementation of the plan and ensure that no illicit financial flows and tax evasion by businesses were facilitated.
“It is important that there is an enforcement of compliance with human rights standards by all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) through the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA), including conducting mandatory HR due diligence and developing a universally applicable human rights policy for all SOEs.
“It is proposed that private entities that receive financial support demonstrate a commitment to Business Human Rights (BHR) principles, including by providing access to remedy for human rights violations by requiring a commitment to BHR principles as a basis for receiving continued funding,” she said.
Developing state policy on BHR
In a speech read on behalf of the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Bankole Adeoye, he said the draft AU Policy on Business and Human Rights would significantly contribute to the success of the implementation of the AfCFTA.