OECD Ministerial Meeting
14-15 February 2023

Responsible Business Conduct in the Global Economy

OECD Conference Centre
2 rue André Pascal,
75016 Paris, France

Promoting and enabling responsible business conduct in the global economy

Ministers and high-level representatives from OECD member and non-member countries will meet in Paris on 14-15 February 2023 for the Ministerial Meeting on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) to reflect on the role of RBC as a cornerstone of the international rules-based trade and investment system; across several thematic and policy areas; and as a baseline expectation for business in the global economy.

The Ministerial meeting will be co-chaired by France and the United States. The Vice-Chairs are Canada, Chile, Japan, Morocco and the United Kingdom.

Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct

As a part of the OECD RBC Week, the 10th OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct will take place in a hybrid format in the afternoon of 15 February 2023.

This event will provide the opportunity to discuss the outcomes of the Ministerial Meeting on Responsible Business Conduct.

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Key issues

Addressing the urgent threat of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss requires collective action from governments, consumers and the private sector. To beat the clock, holistic and innovative solutions are needed. For business, this includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening resilience to climate change in their own operations and supply chains. It also means seeking to understand and address the interlinkages between environment issues and impacts on workers, local communities, and society.

Digitalisation can contribute to global development and can also support businesses in their efforts to act responsibly. At the same time it can also be associated with risks to human rights and other social and environmental harms. As digital technologies evolve at an increasingly rapid rate policy makers must seek to keep pace and establish policy frameworks to ensure the digital economy delivers benefits to society while avoiding harms.

The past five years have demonstrated incredible momentum for sustainable finance policy, initiatives and practice. However in order to ensure this trend contributes to development and environmental objectives it will be critical to ensure it does not move capital away from emerging economies and actually drives the green transition and responsible behavior amongst corporates. RBC standards can help.

Businesses face multiple challenges in ensuring and building resilient and sustainable supply chains. Implementation of RBC and risk-based due diligence principles and standards can contribute to addressing challenges and harnessing the benefits of open and rules-based trade and investment.

National Contact Points (NCPs), a unique implementation mechanism of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, play a key role in promotion of RBC and in serving as non-judicial grievance mechanisms contributing to the resolution of issues that arise relating to the implementation of the Guidelines. A wide range of actors have sought the support of NCPs in the past 22 years.

RBC-related principles are increasingly being integrated in various policies and initiatives across the globe, including legislation. Smart design, international co-operation, promotion of policy coherence, and alignment with international instruments can enhance uptake, save time and costs for regulators and practitioners and ensure the objective underlying these initiatives are met.