Final External Evaluation of the Responsible Business for Sustainable Development Programme

The Responsible Business for Sustainable Development Programme (RB Programme) was a continuation of a long-standing and enduring relationship between the Danish Institute for Human Rights  and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). The RB Programme was designed to enable and incentivise state and business actors to take effective steps to realise responsible business. The Programme’s theory of change had three main pillars:

• increased corporate transparency and reporting;
• increased evidence-based dialogue at regional level; and
• national level implementation of business and human rights framework.

The final external evaluation found that the Danish Institute for Human Rights through the RB Programme  has, inter alia:

• had significant influence on the development of National Action Plans (NAP);
• supported National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) and NHRI regional networks in Africa, Latin America and Europe engage with the business and human rights agenda;
• integrated gender well as a cross-cutting issue, although with a room for further improvement;
• contributed positively to connecting the dots between the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The final external evaluation contains a range of recommendations on how to build on the achievements for future continuation and/or expansion of the RB Programme.

The final external evaluation was conducted by Scanteam, a Norwegian consultancy firm, who were selected through a competitive tender process