OECD Guidelines for Multinational
Enterprises on Responsible
Business Conduct
OECD Guidelines For Multinational Enterprises on
Responsible Business Conduct
Employment &
Disclosure Human Rights
Industrial Relations
Science, Technology
Environment Consumer Interests
and Innovation
Combating Bribery and
Other Forms of Taxation Competition
Corruption
See slide notes for detail
Responsible
Business
Conduct Due
Diligence
See slide notes for detail
Targeted update
process
• The targeted update was guided by a set of
parameters set out by the Working Party on
Responsible Business Conduct:
o excludes a wholesale revision of the Guidelines or
a full redrafting of existing chapters
o based on issues raised in the preceding
stocktaking exercise and current understanding
and practice by Adherents
o guided by the criteria of (i) ensuring coherence
with OECD priorities and standards; (ii) enhancing
OECD’s leadership on RBC; (iii) building on
achievements and strengths; and (iv) ensuring
focus and proportionality.
See slide notes for detail
Highlights
Recommendations for Introduction of due Recommendations on Better protection for
enterprises to align diligence expectations how enterprises are at-risk persons and
with internationally on the development, expected to conduct groups including those
agreed goals on financing, sale, due diligence on who raise concerns
climate change and licensing, trade and impacts and business regarding the conduct
biodiversity use of technology, relationships related to of businesses
including gathering the use of their
and using data products and services
Updated Expanded due Recommendations for Strengthened
recommendations on diligence enterprises to ensure procedures to ensure
disclosure of recommendations to lobbying activities are the visibility,
responsible business all forms of consistent with the effectiveness, and
conduct information corruption Guidelines functional equivalence
of National Contact
Points on Responsible See slide notes for detail
Business Conduct
Preface
What’s new?
• Highlighting developments in the context for
international business
• Highlighting the concept of risk-based due diligence
• Underscoring the role of government in creating an
enabling environment for responsible business conduct
See slide notes for detail
Chapters I & II: Concepts and Principles; General
Policies
What’s new?
• Concept of a multinational enterprise
• Risk-based due diligence
• Meaningful consultation
• Responsible engagement and disengagement
• Business relationships
• Individual consumers
• Reprisals
• Lobbying activities
• Alignment of self-regulatory initiatives
See slide notes for detail
Chapter III: Disclosure
What’s new?
• Alignment with the G20/OECD Principles of Corporate
Governance
• Corporate disclosure and reporting
• Alignment with due diligence reporting expectations
• Defining materiality
See slide notes for detail
Chapter IV: Human Rights
What’s new?
• Special attention to at-risk individuals and groups
• Human rights defenders
• Indigenous Peoples
• Enhanced due diligence in context of armed conflict
See slide notes for detail
Chapter V: Employment and Industrial Relations
What’s new?
• Respect the rights of all workers to freedom of association
and collective bargaining
• Provide a safe and healthy working environment
• Prevent human trafficking
• Training for up-skilling and re-skilling
• Managing changes related to automation and
green transition
See slide notes for detail
Chapter VI: Environment
What’s new?
• Adverse environmental impact and due diligence
• Climate mitigation and adaptation
• Biodiversity
• Circular economy
• Animal welfare
See slide notes for detail
Chapter VII: Combating Bribery and Other Forms of
Corruption
What’s new?
• Adding other forms of corruption
• Business relationships
• Collective action
See slide notes for detail
Chapter VIII: Consumer Interests
What’s new?
• Risks of e-commerce
• Sustainability-related product claims
See slide notes for detail
Chapter IX: Science, Technology and Innovation
What’s new?
• Included in due diligence expectation
• Sale, development, licensing, use of technology
• Data governance
• High-risk contexts
• Digital security
See slide notes for detail
Chapter X: Competition
What’s new?
• RBC initiatives and competition law
• Labour input
See slide notes for detail
Chapter XI: Taxation
What’s new?
• Highlights provisions of the BEPS project
See slide notes for detail
National Contact Points for RBC
51 NCPs
Promotion Grievance
mechanism
Government
agencies with
two main
responsibilitie
s See slide notes for detail
National Contact Points for RBC
Effectiveness across the board
(“functional equivalence”)
• Definition of functional equivalence through the core
effectiveness criteria
• Human and financial resources
• Stakeholder confidence
• Mechanism to address situation of non-functioning NCPs
• Mandatory periodic peer reviews
See slide notes for detail
National Contact Points for RBC
Mandate and authority
• Non-judicial grievance mechanism
o Recommendations
o Follow up
o Views on observance of the Guidelines and good faith
engagement
• NCP role in promoting the Guidelines
• Public policies to promote RBC
See slide notes for detail
National Contact Points for RBC
Specific instances
• Publication of case-handling procedures
• Coordination among NCPs in multi-country cases
• Initial assessment criteria
• Role of NCP in good offices
• Emphasis on transparency
• Addressing risks of reprisals
See slide notes for detail
