This Roundtable on Access to Remedy and Operational Grievance Mechanisms [with a focus on International Supply Chains] is being co-convened by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).

The event is aimed at corporate/in-house legal and compliance / ethics counsel and sustainability / ethical trade professionals and will be held under the Chatham House rule.

ETI will introduce its new Practical Guidance for Companies on establishing and participating in effective remedy mechanisms aligned with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Participants will also hear directly from the OHCHR about the work that has been undertaken as part of the Accountability and Remedy Project and its implications for companies, in particular concerning remedy and operational level grievance mechanisms. The latter is the focus of their current programme of work planned for 2019-20 under this UN Human Rights Council mandated project.

This Roundtable will provide a forum to discuss Participants’ perspectives and experience concerning what constitutes an effective operational grievance mechanism in line with the UNGPs, what works in practice and associated challenges and opportunities, including issues such as the role of collaboration, achieving appropriate levels of transparency and accountability, and how to measure and monitor effectiveness and impact. We will explore how such mechanisms interact with the management of legal liability and risk management. ETI will highlight some of its experience with specific cases of corporate good practice and collaboration as well as the advantages of enhancing access to remedy in international supply chains.

OHCHR / ETI Roundtable on Access to Remedy & Operational Grievance Mechanisms