"「公共調達における人権配慮」に関する政府⽅針へのコメント" 4 April 2023

[ Japanese-to-English translation: Business & Human Rights Resource Centre ]

The Japanese government's policy on human rights considerations in public procurement was decided at the "Promotion and Liaison Conference on the Implementation of the Action Plan on Business and Human Rights" held on 3 April 2023. Specifically, it was decided that "prospective bidders/contractors shall endeavour to respect human rights in accordance with the Guidelines for Respecting Human Rights in Responsible Supply Chains (Human Rights Due Diligence Guidelines)" in tender instructions, contracts and other documents for public procurement. [...]

CSO Network Japan welcomes the policy on human rights considerations in government procurement, with a view to promoting efforts to respect human rights in both the public and private sectors, including the supply chain. At the same time, when considering specific measures in the future, each government ministry and agency should position public procurement as a policy instrument to realise a sustainable society. We hope that a comprehensive, inclusive and effective mechanism for respecting human rights in public procurement, based on dialogue with diverse stakeholders, will be developed in consistency and consistency with the policy.

In December 2022, the CSO Network launched a joint project with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Office in Japan, "Towards a sustainable society through promoting business respect for human rights in government public procurement" (June 2022-December 2023). We published tentative recommendations based on the initial findings, and will engage in dialogue and collaboration with various stakeholders to promote understanding of respect for human rights through public procurement.

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