"Effective Remedy: The power and pitfalls of multi-stakeholder engagement", 25 Nov 2017

Over the past few years, the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights [GBI] and the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre [BHRRC], with the support of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights...have organised a series of panels at the UN Annual Forum (Forum) bringing together affected communities, civil society, business representatives and government officials to explore implementation of the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) on the ground...

These sessions were intentionally constructed to be multi-stakeholder in composition, reflecting the critical need for all parties involved to build trust, engage in dialogue, and listen to the voices of those affected...[T]his year’s Forum agenda will once again include two multi-stakeholder case-based sessions: one exploring an independent problem-solving service for communities affected by mining operations in South Africa, and one on community-driven and -involved approaches to access to remedy in the Thilawa Special Economic Zone in Myanmar.

Shared below are high-level observations and insights from previous panels and background research...

...For most organisations (states and civil society, as well as companies), effective implementation of Pillar III may necessitate organizational change...to ensure that many different voices are heard, and for affected communities to propose their own approaches and solutions so that remedial mechanisms best respond to actual needs and realize remedy regarded as effective by victims harmed by business activities.