Hospitality Sector Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Toolkit for Uganda

Uganda’s hospitality sector is creating new opportunities for young people from refugee and host communities to develop skills and access employment. Building on this progress, the ILO and its partners are taking the next step: developing practical tools to support fair recruitment, decent work and responsible business practices across the sector.

Building on a successful partnership

Under the PROSPECTS programme, the ILO and the Uganda Hotel Owners Association (UHOA) have worked together to expand skills development and employment opportunities through an apprenticeship programme for refugee and host community youth.

Working with government institutions, employers’ and workers’ organizations, training institutions, UNHCR and the private sector, the programme combines classroom learning with practical experience in participating hotels. The collaboration has demonstrated how the hospitality sector can contribute to inclusive labour market opportunities while strengthening the skills and workforce available to the industry.

From apprenticeship to responsible business practices

Building on this partnership, the ILO is now working with UHOA and other national stakeholders to develop a Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) toolkit tailored to Uganda’s hospitality sector.

Human rights due diligence provides businesses with a practical approach to identifying and addressing potential labour and human rights risks in their operations. For hotels, this can help translate commitments to responsible business conduct into everyday recruitment and employment practices.

The toolkit will provide practical guidance to support both locally owned hotels and international hotel brands in strengthening areas such as fair recruitment, equality and non-discrimination, occupational safety and health, working conditions, prevention of violence and harassment, and access to effective grievance mechanisms.

Developing solutions together

The initiative will be developed through engagement with government, employers’ and workers’ organizations, the hospitality industry and other relevant partners, with the perspectives of refugee and host community workers informing the process.

The toolkit will draw on Uganda’s national legal and policy framework as well as relevant ILO principles and guidance on fundamental principles and rights at work, fair recruitment, responsible business conduct and decent work in tourism.

By translating these principles into practical tools for businesses, the initiative aims to support the hospitality sector in strengthening responsible employment practices while contributing to the quality, reputation and competitiveness of Uganda’s tourism industry.

The HRDD toolkit will be developed and piloted with hospitality sector partners in Uganda, generating practical experience that can inform future efforts to advance responsible and inclusive employment in the sector.