National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights
ILO facilitated the dialogue among stakeholders to submit 2nd Common Request to the government for development of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP)
On 2 June 2020, the stakeholders comprising the Working Group on the Japan's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP) submitted the second common request to the government as a new recommendation to the NAP, following last year's first common request. The second request has been developed in response to the government's "first draft NAP" published for public comments procedure in February 2020 and to incorporate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on human rights. ILO Office for Japan is leading this stakeholder dialogue as part of its mandate to promote social dialogue.
TOKYO (ILO News) - Intense discussion has been made to date concerning the Japan's National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP), which is to be finalised by mid-2020. In February 2020, the government had released the "first draft NAP" for public comments procedure, on which stakeholders submitted respective opinions. The stakeholders comprising the Working Group on Japan's NAP (*)have also discussed on the draft NAP for further improvement since it did not reflect fully what has been proposed at the first request of the Working Group submitted last November.
Stakeholders also discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on business and human rights, taking into consideration relevant domestic and international trends and concerns expressed.
ILO Office for Japan played a key role in this dialogue and consequently, on 2 June 2020, the stakeholders of the NAP Working Group agreed on and submitted to the government the Stakeholders Common Request (the Second Stakeholders Common Request and the Second Letter of Request) (English tentative translation). Working Group made following requests:
- To properly reflect stakeholders' previous requests included in the First Letter of Request in the final version of the NAP
- To ensure stakeholders' involvement in the system of implementation, monitoring and update of the NAP
- To incorporate the impact of COVID-19 crisis on human rights and its response into the NAP
Further dialogue between the government and stakeholders will be continued towards the finalisation and release of the NAP by mid-2020.
For further information please contact
Ryusuke TANAKA, Programme Officer, ILO Office for Japan
Tel：03-5467-2701
E-mai：tokyo@ilo.org
[See also]
- First Stakeholders' Common Request
- Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration)
- ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
- Topics: COVID-19 and the world of work
- ILO Background Paper "Analysis of the instruments relevant to the NAP formulation: Summary of references by major issue categories" (Japanese)
- OHCHR Statement by the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
* Japan Business Federation (KEIDANREN), Japanese Trade Union Confederation (JTUC-Rengo), National Conference of Association of Small Business Entrepreneurs (Chu-Dou-Kyo), Global Compact Network Japan (GCNJ), Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), Civil Society Platform for Japan’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights, investor (individual status), International Labour Organization (ILO)