By: Gloria A.Anderson
The African Union Forum on Business and Human Rights has ended with firm commitments of participants to push for an implementable policy framework on business and human rights. The stakeholders were drawn from Civil Society Organizations, Media, and Human Rights institutions.
They discussed issues bordering on how African states can firm up laws on the protection of human rights to address rights violations on the continent, using the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human rights.
The two-day meeting was convened by the AU with support from partners like the UNDP and Frieddich Ebert Stifung. Gloria Anderson participated in the forum and reports that, The African Union Policy Organ is more determined to finalize its own Business and Human right principles.
According to the Senior Political Adviser, PAPS Department, John Ikubaje the private sector plays a critical role in businesses therefore he encouraged for more prominence to be reserved for them in order to promote AU’s guiding principles on business and human rights, “We want to see more businesses, the private sector to be actively involved in this process. They are the critical stakeholders.
Come next 2023, we want to see more of private sector to come and express their feelings, their activities, what they have done with regards to the UN guiding principles on business and human rights” He stressed on the need for all stakeholders to extend a helping hand to support businesses and human rights in AU states “The civil society plays a critical role, the media they are also here and also the academia. We do believe that we will continue to be a this is not one thing that the African Union can do. We believe that we need all stakeholders to participate and join hands for us to make way ahead”.
Mr. Ikubaje asserted that many AU states are in the process of developing an international action plan to support their businesses however the AU will support them both technically and financially to lay the grounds for effective implementation.
He said the Union is on a mission of re enforcing and strengthening labor rights in the upcoming policy to protect and avoid labor crises across the continent. He encouraged AU member states to stay committed to the national action plan on business and human right to influence people at the grassroot level.
“What we need to do is to encourage our members more for them to be committed for this type of action plan. A participant said the forum has equipped them with basic understanding with how to interpret the regional and national remedy mechanisms.
“Supporting grassroot communities that are recipients of business investments. And these are victims of corporate abuses.
“He noted that the forum will also support participants shed light and get more visibility about the existing non judicial mechanisms, and “support communities to access remedies “.
