View the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights
Development
Main Coordinating Authority
The Ministry of Employment and the Economy
Drafting Process
The drafting process was launched in November 2012, and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy established an interministerial working group to prepare a proposal for a plan to implement the UN Guiding Principles. In its preparation of the working group memorandum, the working group consulted stakeholders in writing and through two public consultation events in 2014.
A background memorandum dealing with Finnish legislation, provisions on fundamental rights and international conventions, and other measures and practices of the Finnish authorities in relation to the UN Guiding Principles was drafted as a basis for the working group proposals.
The working group proposals were submitted to the Government, and the NAP was adopted based on these proposals and separate political statement in September 2014.
Content
The plan comprises a Government covering note on the UN Guiding Principles, and the working group proposals.
Main Priorities / Focus areas in the Action Plan
The Government covering note sets out a number of key aims for the action plan including:
- The drafting of a legislative report to examine whether domestic legislation corresponds with the aims of the UNGP’s.
- Establishing a broad national understanding on due diligence and its implementation.
- The application of social criteria in public procurement.
The action plan then addresses number of focus areas under the following headings:
The state obligation to protect human rights
- Human rights in Finnish legislation.
- Activities in international organisations.
- Activities in the EU.
The State and companies
- The State as an economic operator.
- The State and the protection of privacy.
- Expectations towards companies and support services.
- Clarification of due diligence.
- Reporting on corporate social responsibility.
- Training and counselling.
- Team Finland cooperation.
- Support for Finnish and international organisations promoting the subject of business and human rights.
Access of victims of human rights violations to legal remedies
- Further development of the OECD National Contact Point.
Within each section the plan details the domestic context and existing measures or initiatives; and provides a list of follow up measures assigned to a responsible Ministry or Ministries.
Review and Monitoring
Ministries will monitor the progress in their respective areas of responsibility.
The overall implementation of the action plan be monitored each year by the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, a consultative body that supports administrative decision making and whose members represent various government authorities, trade and industry, and labour market and civic organisations.
