UN Working Group on business and human rights to visit Luxembourg

GENEVA (29 November 2022) – The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights will undertake its first country visit to Luxembourg from 1 to 9 December to assess efforts to identify, prevent and address adverse impacts of business operations on human rights and the environment. The visit had originally been scheduled for July but was postponed at the request of the Government.

The visit is an opportunity for the Working Group, which will be represented by Working Group member Robert McCorquodale, to visit a Western Europe and Others Group country that has two generations of a national action plan on business and human rights. Luxembourg is a major global financial centre with financial services, including investment fund connecting world markets. It is home to a range of small and medium sized enterprises and transnational multinational companies that are operated and domiciled in the country.

“The Government of Luxembourg’s invitation is very timely, as it coincides with the European Union’s human rights due diligence discussions. I look forward to learning about the concrete steps that have been taken, or that are proposed, to implement human rights due diligence legislation in Luxembourg. The visit will be significant for the Working Group, as the first visit to Luxembourg of any Special Procedures mandate holder,” McCorquodale said.

The expert will examine efforts of the Government and private sector companies to implement their respective human rights obligations and responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The Working Group will engage in constructive dialogue with various Government ministries, local authorities, and a range of civil society actors, human rights defenders, academics, trade unions, and representatives of business enterprises and industry associations.

The Working Group will share preliminary observations from the visit at a press conference on Friday December 9 at 9:00 at Novotel Kirchberg. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

A full report on the visit of the Working Group including its recommendations will be presented to the Human Rights Council in June 2023.

ENDS

The Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises was established by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011. Its current members are Ms. Fernanda Hopenhaym (Chairperson), Ms. Pichamon Yeophantong (Vice-Chairperson), Ms. Elżbieta Karska, Mr. Robert McCorquodale and Mr. Damilola Olawuyi.

The Working Group is part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent human rights monitoring mechanisms. The Working Group reports to the Human Rights Council and to the UN General Assembly. Special Procedures mandate-holders are independent human rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council to address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. The experts are not UN staff and are independent from any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and do not receive a salary for their work.

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011 (resolution 17/4), provide the authoritative global standard for action to safeguard human rights in a business context, clarifying what is expected by governments and companies to prevent and address impacts on human rights arising from business activity.

UN Human Rights, country page - Luxembourg