Italy: online public consultation on the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 2016-2021 open until 10 September 2016

The Italian Interministerial Committee for Human Rights (CIDU) has launched an online public consultation on the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 2016-2021 with the aim of allowing the broadest participation of the stakeholders involved. All comments and contributions could be sent to the following email address before the 10th of September 2016: dgap.cidu-bhr@esteri.it. All the contributions received will be published on the CIDU website.

In 2011 the UN Human Rights Council unanimously endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), representing the operational instrument of the “Respect, Protect and Remedy Framework” for Business and Human Rights. The UNGPs rest on three pillars:

• the obligation of the State to protect human rights violation by third parties through appropriate policies, regulations and adjudication; 
• the responsibility of business to not harm and to respect human rights, that means acting with due diligence to avoid infringement of human rights;
• the need to guarantee greater access to an independent and effective remedy in case of human rights abuse, both at judicial and non-judicial level.

The UNGPs have been well received among States and Regional Organizations: the European Union called member states to develop Action Plans to address and support their implementation at national level and the UN Human Rights Council followed by requesting the same.

Through CIDU and the creation of two Working Groups composed of institutional (representatives of the different ministers and relevant administrations, Intergovernmental Organizations and Un Agencies) and non-institutional stakeholders (trade unions, NGOs, business representatives and associations), Italy has undertaken the drafting of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights to ensure the integration and implementation of the UNGPs within national policy and strategy.

CIDU also organized several meetings and events in Italy to promote a constructive dialogue around business and human rights with NGOs, representatives of civil society and business. In order to increase public participation and transparency, a draft of the National Action Plan was posted on the CIDU website and a public open consultation has been launched to offer civil society at large the opportunity to comment on the contents by sending individual contributions.