Promoting Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean

About the project

The Responsible business conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean project, implemented together with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the European Union (EU), aims to promote smart, sustainable and inclusive growth in the EU and Latin America and Caribbean by supporting responsible business conduct practices in line with the OECD, UN, and ILO instruments. It is the first time these three organisations join forces with the support of the EU to promote responsible business conduct within the framework of a joint regional project, which is being implemented over a period of four years (2019-2022).

The RBC-LAC Project supports governments, businesses and stakeholders in their efforts to promote and uphold responsible business conduct in line with international standards, thorough a mix of regional and country-specific activities in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Peru.

Activities will build on the OECD’s experience in promoting RBC policies, the effective uptake by companies of the OECD guidance on due diligence in various sectors, including minerals/extractives, agriculture, garment and footwear, and financial sectors and strengthening access to remedy through the National Contact Points for RBC . Activities will include capacity building, research, convening of stakeholders and peer learning.

The project will be undertaken in partnership with Chile and Mexico, both OECD members, as well Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica and Peru, which have all adhered to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and have set up a NCP, and two partner economies, namely Ecuador and Panama.

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Upcoming events

2019

Regional Global Compact Forum: "Making Global Goals Local Business: México", México, 4-5 December 2019

Consult previous events

RBC LAC Country Factsheets

The Responsible Business Conduct Country Fact sheets will cover all nine countries under the project. They provide a general overview of investment and trade data, a snap shot of RBC related instruments, and also introduce the sectors of major economic and development importance in the country

This fact sheet precedes the launch of Peru’s RBC Policy Review – forthcoming April 2020 – which will address the promotion of an enabling environment to promote responsible business practices, attract quality investment and enhance sustainable development. Its main objective is to provide a reference for further consolidating and implementing a strong RBC policy framework in Peru.

Read the Peru country fact sheet

News

With an active participation of the OECD, the IV Regional Consultation on Business and Human Rights and RBC was held in Santiago, Chile. OHCHR, 5 September 2019

Interview with Froukje Boele, Manager of the RBC-LAC project, ComunicarSe, 17 July 2019

OECD Mission reviews responsible business conduct (RBC) policies in Peru, Proinversion, 1 October 2019

Interview with Germán Zarama, OECD Focal Point in Latin America and the Caribbean of the RBCLAC project, ComunicaRSE, 15 September, 2019

Documents and links

Project factsheet (English | Español | Português)

Project brochure (Español)

Joint project presentation (Español | Português)

OECD scope and activities (English | Español)

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Facts & figures: RBC challenges in LAC

What is Responsible Business Conduct ?

Responsible business conduct (RBC) means that all businesses – regardless of their legal status, size, ownership structure or sector – avoid and address negative consequences of their operations, while contributing to sustainable development of the countries where they operate. RBC means integrating and considering environmental and social issues within core business activities, including throughout the supply chain and business relationships. A key element of RBC is risk-based due diligence – a process through which businesses identify, prevent and mitigate their actual and potential negative impacts and account for how those impacts are addressed.

Find out more about how OECD, ILO and United Nations instruments provide aligned and complementary guidance on responsible business (Español | English)

Role of National Contact Points for RBC

Seven out of the nine countries targeted by the RBC-LAC Project are Adherents to the OECD Guidelines and therefore have National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct (NCPs for RBC) in place. NCPs are agencies established by governments. Their mandate is twofold: to promote the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and related due diligence guidance, and to handle cases (referred to as “specific instances”) as a non-judicial grievance mechanism. To date, 48 governments have an NCP for RBC.

Within the RBC-LAC Project, NCPs also play an important role in supporting the continuity of all activities to be undertaken under the OECD actions and engaging in follow-up capacity building. LAC NCPs include : Argentina, Brazil, Chile, ‎Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru.