"Corporate social responsibility to be promoted with broad-based cooperation", 21 Oct 2014

The national implementation of the corporate social responsibility principles will be carried out according to the plan presented by the civil servants working group. The government has established that an assessment of legislation, specification of the due diligence, and utilisation of social criteria in public procurements will be key procedures in the implementation process. Assessment of legislation: A report detailing legislation related to business and human rights will be drawn up. The objective of this report will be to evaluate whether Finland’s legislation meets with the goals set by the UN Guiding Principles and, if necessary, present concrete proposals for changes.Due diligence: With regard to due diligence it is important to identify best practices. An increase in dialogue in Finland about the subject will aim to achieve a broader common understanding of what due diligence means, both at national and international level.·Social criteria in public procurements: The EU's procurement directive has made it easier than before to take social perspectives into account with regard to procurements. The possibilities that the directive offers for emphasising quality factors and corporate social responsibility will be utilised in the overall reform of Finland’s Public Procurement Act.Compliance with the corporate social responsibility principles will be monitored by the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, which was appointed by the present government.