New goals set for human rights and business
On June 20, 2013 more than 75 participants from Zimbabwean businesses, government agencies, parliament, trade unions and civil society organisations, community based organisations and media participated in the first-ever Pillars in Practice Multi-Stakeholder Forum on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in Zimbabwe. Originally, the forum was supposed tointroduce participants to the Guiding Principles — the authoritative global framework defining the responsibilities of governments and companies for preventing business-related human rights abuses.
However, the forum ended up uncovering more than 80 human rights and business recommendations for stakeholders involved in mining.
"These recommendations, although written for Zimbabwe, will prove to be a big help to stakeholders all over the world in their work with human rights and business," Paloma Munoz, human rights and business advisor at the Danish Institute for Human Rights,explains.
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) in partnership with the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) and Social Accountability International (SAI) convened the forum as part of the 18-month Pillars in Practice programme. The partners believe that business, government, civil society , community based organisations and trade unions share a vision of a mining sector that contributes to the sustainable development of all Zimbabweans. This Multi-Stakeholder Forum on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights is a step toward that vision.
The Multi-Stakeholder Forum was built around shared objectives, open-minded engagement and issues-based dialogue. This forum represents a paradigm shift in stakeholder engagement and community advocacy on mining-related issues in Zimbabwe.
After receiving an introduction to the UN Guiding Principles, participants identified key human rights and business issues in Zimbabwe’s mining sector. Participants then developed concrete recommendations for government and business, and suggested proactive actions for each stakeholder group to take toward the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles in Zimbabwe.