The following 7 advancements are critical in translating the G7’s encouraging words into concrete action:

1. Governments must understand that responsible business activity is an issue both inside and outside of the borders of the State.

2. Although proactive measures such as conditioning contractor benefits on adherence to human rights standards are to be commended, access to remedy is an equally indispensable part of the equation.

3. National Action Plans for the implementation of business and human rights frameworks, including the UNGPs, must include concrete reforms that support the creation of binding rules on companies.

4. Where the G7’s declaration commits support for particular strands of work, there must be significant follow-through in the form of resource commitments to support the work of civil society actors and their participation in policy development.

5. In promoting responsible business conduct, the G7 must take particular note of [human rights defenders] and prioritize the human rights of freedom of association, assembly, and peaceful protest, as well as the decriminalization of human rights defenders and their work.

6. G7 and other advanced economies have a key role to play in combatting corruption, including monitoring the practices of their companies in making investments abroad and utilizing the robust rule of law in their own jurisdictions to prosecute companies involved in corrupt practices.

7. Finally, the G7 must now walk the talk and stick to these commitments on the global stage...A key opportunity for doing so is the G20 Summit this coming November, where the G7 will join other leading governments in setting a global agenda for sustainable economic growth.