OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

Introduction

Basis

This Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (Guidance) is based on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines for MNEs). The OECD Guidelines for MNEs are non-binding recommendations addressed to multinational enterprises by govern-ments on responsible business conduct (RBC). They acknowledge and encourage the positive contributions that business can make to economic, environmental and social progress, and also recognise that business activities can result in adverse impacts related to workers, human rights, the environment, bribery, consumers and corporate governance. The OECD Guidelines for MNEs therefore recommend that businesses carry out risk-based due diligence to avoid and address such adverse impacts associated with their operations, their supply chains and other business relationships.

Purpose

This Guidance helps businesses (enterprises) to understand and implement due diligence for RBC as foreseen in the OECD Guidelines for MNEs (due diligence). This Guidance also seeks to promote a common understanding amongst governments and stakeholders on due diligence for RBC. The OECD Guidelines for MNEs provide enterprises with the flexibility to adapt the characteris-tics, specific measures and processes of due diligence to their own circumstances. Enterprises should use this Guidance as a framework for developing and strengthening their own tailored due diligence systems and processes, and then seek out additional resources for further in-depth learning as needed.The OECD Guidelines for MNEs have a unique promotion and grievance mechanism – the National Contact Points (NCPs). This Guidance is a useful resource for NCPs in understanding and promoting the OECD Guidelines for MNEs. usee Box 8 for further information on NCPs