The document provides an overview of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. It discusses: - The Guidelines are a set of recommendations addressed by governments to multinational companies operating in OECD and adhering countries, providing the only government-backed standards for responsible business conduct. - 45 countries have adopted the Guidelines, representing all world regions and a majority of global investment. - The Guidelines cover 11 issues including human rights, employment, environment, bribery, and consumer interests. They promote both positive contributions and avoiding adverse impacts through risk-based due diligence. - A unique implementation mechanism involves National Contact Points that help resolve issues in "specific instances" and promote the Guidelines.

1. OECD GUIDELINES FOR
MULTINATIONAL
ENTERPRISES
Conference on “Corporate Social Responsibility for Competitive
Entrepreneurship”
Responsible Business for a Better Live
7 November 2013, Riga
By Mari-lou Dupont, Legal Consultant

2. AGENDA
- Context: A new global agenda
- OECD Guidelines overview
- Unique implementation mechanism
- Conclusion

3. CONTEXT
- New global Responsible Business Conduct
(RBC) agenda
- Baseline expectations are now clearer than
ever
- Unique position of the
Guidelines

4. WHAT ARE THE GUIDELINES?
• A set of recommendations
addressed by governments to
multinational enterprises
operating in or from adherent
countries
• The only government-backed
recommendations for
responsible business conduct
in existence today
• Reflect good practices for all

5. ADHERENTS TO THE GUIDELINES
• 45 countries
– OECD members plus 11 non-OECD members:
Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Egypt,
Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Peru, Romania and
Tunisia
– Applications from Jordan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and
Serbia are being considered and Russia is on an
accession path to the OECD
• Representative of all regions of the world
• Account for large majority of global investment

6. COMPREHENSIVE: 11 CHAPTERS
Concept and
Principles
General Policies
Disclosure
Human
Rights
Employment
and Industrial
Relations
Environment
Combating Bribery,
Bribe Solicitation and
Extortion
Science and
Technology
Competition
Taxation
Consumer
Interests
Not covered by any
other RBC
instrument
New

7. TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN
1. Recognizing positive contribution
2. Avoiding adverse impacts and addressing
them when they occur
Risk-based due diligence

8. PROACTIVE AGENDA
• New prospective dimension added in the 2011 Update
- Helps enterprises and stakeholders identify and respond to
risks of adverse impacts in business operations
• Proactive Agenda projects:
1. Project chaired by Netherlands on due diligence in the
financial sector
2. Project on responsible investment in agricultural supply
chains
3. Project chaired by Canada (in co-operation with Norway) on
stakeholder engagement and due diligence in the extractive sector.

9. WHAT MAKES THE GUIDELINES
UNIQUE?
- Implementation mechanism through National Contacts
Points (NCPs)
- NCPs main responsibility is to further the effectiveness of the
Guidelines
Undertaking information and promotion activities;
Contributing to the resolution of issues that arise in
the implementation of the Guidelines in specific
instances;
Reporting on their activities.

10. SPECIFIC INSTANCE PROCESS

11. SPECIFIC INSTANCES
•
More than 300 considered since 2000
– 60 new specific instances since update
•
Trends:
– Human rights, labour and
environment predominant issues
– Most frequently cited sectors: Mining
and Quarrying, Manufacturing and
Financing
– Large number of issues brought up by
NGOs
– Non-adhering countries (50% in
2013)
– Stakeholder engagement and
Indigenous Peoples in developing
countries

12. CONCLUSION
CSR or RBC
Strategy
Values
Charter
Code of
Conduct
Business
Principles
Code of
Ethics

13. FUTURE WORK
 Outreach
 NCP peer learning
Global Forum on Responsible
Business Conduct in 2014

14. “RBC In”… publication series
• Initial focus on Central Asia and South
Caucasus
• Concise, one-stop guidance for
governments, investors and civil society to
better understand the existing RBC
expectations.

15. THANK YOU !