Landmark bipartite roadmap launched to advance Responsible Business Conduct and Decent Work in India

On 29 January 2026, the ILO convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue to advance responsible business conduct (RBC) for decent work in India. A defining moment of the dialogue was the launch of India’s first Bipartite Roadmap to promote RBC for decent work – marking the culmination of a year-long consultative process that systematically brought employers’ and workers’ voices together to shape a shared national vision towards responsible business practices in India.

A trajectory built on dialogue and trust

The bipartite roadmap resulted from a phased process spread over a year comprising of capacity building on RBC, structured dialogue, and consensus building between employers and workers.

On 13-14 May 2025, the ILO facilitated a capacity building workshop for nine central trade unions to deepen their understanding of RBC and the Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (ILO MNE Declaration) and the relevant international frameworks to promote RBC. They agreed on a joint declaration at the end of the workshop, reflecting trade unions’ call for stronger oversight of supply chains, improved enforcement of labour standards, greater transparency in trade agreements, and establishment of formal institutional mechanisms for tripartite engagement.

On 9 July 2025, the ILO convened a workshop bringing together leading employers’ and industry organizations to examine RBC from a perspective of businesses. Participants acknowledged that responsible practices enhance competitiveness and market access and emphasized the need to move from reactive compliance to proactive human rights due diligence. Industry leaders called for sector-specific guidance, peer learning, and practical tools to support enterprises (especially MSMEs) in implementing the guidance offered by international RBC instruments effectively.

Across these sessions, a common demand emerged for employers and workers to unpack RBC together and they felt the need to work with each other – leading to the ILO facilitating a landmark bipartite dialogue on 11 September 2025 where seven employers’ and seven workers’ organizations participated. The discussions brought out clear convergence between the two groups on their priorities, and need for collaborative actions for advancing RBC in India. The meeting concluded with unanimous agreement on a joint roadmap grounded in the principles of the ILO MNE Declaration, calling for the establishment of a national tripartite-plus committee to promote RBC for decent work and further advance the application of the MNE Declaration.

From a draft to an official launch

Following the endorsement by both employers’ and workers’ organizations, the roadmap was formally launched on 29 January 2026. The roadmap was jointly presented by Mr Satish Anand, Executive Committee Member, AIOE, and Mr R. D. Chandrasekhar, National Secretary, INTUC, symbolizing shared effort and ownership across employers and workers. Together, they elaborated upon the priority actions listed in the roadmap and shared their views on how these could be taken forward. Mr Anand emphasized that enterprises are committed to “implementing the roadmap in spirit, not just on paper,” and to “ensuring the growth of workers along with the growth of employers” through responsible and forward-looking business practices. From the workers’ perspective, Mr Chandrasekhar stressed that the roadmap must translate labour rights into tangible improvements on the ground, anchored in continuous social dialogue and inclusion of all workers across supply chains. Six employers’ organizations - EFI, CII, AIOE, FICCI, SCOPE, and LUB - and six workers’ organizations - BMS, INTUC, HMS, AITUC, NFITU, and LPF - have endorsed the roadmap, with more expected to join this collaborative effort.

Moderating the launch session, Ms Bharti Birla, Enterprise Development Specialist, ILO DWT South Asia/CO-India, shared that this bipartite engagement mechanism has enabled both sides to openly discuss challenges, align priorities, and identify practical actions, resulting in a roadmap that reflects not only ground realities, but also shared ownership and mutual trust between employers and workers. Ms Michiko Miyamoto, Director, Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India, ILO, described the achievement of developing this bipartite roadmap as a “very unique, special moment” that reflects deep insights and ground-up collaboration between employers and workers.

Shortly after the launch, on 18 February 2026, India's social partners presented the roadmap in the presence of ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo. Emphasizing the importance of responsible business conduct, the Director-General expressed that, “The steps taken here in India contribute to the global movement by demonstrating how dialogue between employers and workers can identify shared priorities and translate them into practical cooperation”.

These events were held as part of the ILO’s project 'Building Responsible Value Chains in Asia through the Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations (Phase II)', funded by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan. The project aims to promote inclusive, responsible and sustainable enterprises and decent work in supply chains through capacity-building programmes for enterprises and ILO’s constituents - government, employers and workers - in four Asian countries including India.