This webinar in our child rights series focused on the responsibilities of business. It coincides with the 10th Anniversary of the Children's Rights and Business Principles - and the launch of the revised and updated principles. One essential part of the CRC is its emphasis on children's right to participation.
In its Concluding Observations on Australia's CRC reports, the UN CRC Committee made recommendations relevant to business, including in relation to the environment and health requiring companies to make full public disclosure of impacts on children's rights and measures to address these. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) set out the responsibilities of companies to respect all human rights, and to exercise due diligence in doing so. Australia's Modern Slavery Act requires companies to assess the risks of child labour in their supply chains.
Professor Surya Deva of Macquarie University and Ida Hyllested from UNICEF's Regional Office in Bangkok provided introductions to the UNGPs and shared reflections on progress and gaps in business and regulatory action in 10 years since the release of the UNICEF Children's Rights and Business Principles.
Kylie Porter, Executive Director Global Compact Network Australia, reflected on challenges that businesses face in conducting due diligence and argued that properly respecting children's rights significantly reduces legal and reputational risk and enhances an organisations social licence to operate.
