The government will continue to rely heavily on voluntary principles, guidance and codes of conduct, the promotion of good practice, and an expectation that the private sector will itself do more to ensure respect for labour rights in its supply chains.

Through our participation, we hope to promote some of the good practice of our members. But we will also highlight that much more still needs to be done to improve working conditions in global supply chains.

In 2017, over 40% of workers were estimated to be in vulnerable forms of employment. The ILO predicts that this will increase, particularly in emerging economies.

As part of two days of discussions, the OECD’s annual garment trade forum debated recent progress in the commercially sensitive area of purchasing practices.

The OECD has just published the most authoritative, detailed guidance yet for businesses looking to prevent and tackle human rights abuses and other harmful impacts in their supply chains.

New UN recommendations to companies, governments and investors state that human rights due diligence is critical to determining responsibility and accountability amongst states and businesses.

Driven by the UNGPs, there is a proliferation of corporate policies designed to make sure human rights are being respected throughout supply chains. So why isn't this occurring more widely?

Research shows that where business enterprises are involved in rights abuses, victims continue to struggle to access remedy, despite basic human rights principles.