Human Rights Now has released the English version of its report “Comparative Analysis of National Action Plans and Other Legal Mechanisms on Business and Human Rights” today. The report is designed to offer guidance to the government of Japan as it formulates its National Action Plan (NAP) on Business and Human Rights by looking at the NAPs (or related documents) of 11 other developed countries, including the G7 countries. The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights has recommended that states create NAPs on business and human rights in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
In its analysis, the report focuses on five topics commonly found in other NAPs: 1) Human Rights Due Diligence and Impact Assessments, 2) Remedies, 3) Trade, 4) Migrant Rights and Migrant Workers, and 5) Development Assistance. While the government of Japan has conducted a baseline study, consisting of multiple meetings with key stakeholders throughout 2018, there is much it can also learn from the varied experience of other states on the same issues.
As one of the largest economies in the world, the approach of the Japanese government to its NAP and protecting human rights in business will have a large and global influence. Above all, the central purpose of the NAP is the protection of human and labour rights in business. The government of Japan thus has a great responsibility to create a just and effective NAP that works for everyone. It is our hope that this report contributes to that goal.
The report is available from the following link in PDF format: HRN_Comparative_Analysis_of_NAPs_(2019).pdf.
The report is available in Japanese from our Japanese website: http://hrn.or.jp/activity/16177/.