A/HRC/35/32
“the access point to one of the world’s largest databases on trade statistics, tariff data,
foreign direct investment data and voluntary standards”. 71 The ITC portal allows these
enterprises to have access to five individual tools that improve transparency through
business analysis. The tools furthermore; “enable business enterprises and trade support
institutions to identify export and import opportunities and compare market-access
requirements that help policymakers monitor national trade performance and prepare for
trade negotiations”.72 The tools centre around mapping exercise for enterprises and include
a trade, market access, investment, competitiveness and standards map that allow business
enterprises to view information on; trade statistics, tariffs and market requirements, foreign
direct investment data, voluntary standards, public tender information, market analysis
studies, capacity-building in market analysis, and trade competitiveness. The ITC tools thus
provide yet another entry point to support the uptake by small and medium-sized
enterprises of the Guiding Principles and should incorporate them.
61.
ILO has also developed a number of business initiatives aimed at supporting small
and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs through training programmes, business
practices and statistical data under the umbrella of the “Start and Improve Your Business
Programme”. The Programme claims to be the largest global business management training
programme with a focus on starting and improving businesses as a strategy for creating
more and better employment for women and men. 73 Under the Programme, ILO offers a
range of publications, brochures, evidence based articles and news-based resources aimed
at supporting sustainable development goals by promoting: (a) business development
policies that support decent job creation and entrepreneurship and encourage the growth of
micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises; and (b) productive employment and decent
work for all, including young people and persons with disabilities. With the 2017 revision
of its Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social
Policy (see para. 19), which incorporates the Guiding Principles, ILO will play a
particularly important role in supporting action on small and medium-sized enterprises that
is aligned with the Guiding Principles and in providing a key reference for transnational
corporations in their role to respect human rights throughout global valued chains.
62.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) through its
Enterprise Development Branch, has designed a number of training programmes on policies
for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as capacity-building efforts to empower
individuals from developing countries. These include the EMPRETEC programme, 74
entrepreneurship training, the Entrepreneurship Policy Framework and Implementation
Guidance,75 the Business Linkage Programme, 76 and the e-Tourism Initiative.77 UNCTAD
has also developed a number of transparency and accountancy programmes to help small
and medium-sized enterprises, for example, on corporate responsibility reporting, and
accounting.
63.
Among regional organizations, the European Commission, in addition to offering
specific guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises, has prepared a number of
sectoral guides78 that provide direction for businesses to implement the Guiding Principles.
64.
Many of the existing tools available to small and medium-sized enterprises allow
them not only to analyse critically their shortcoming but also to utilize their capacitybuilding programmes. The ILO Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
16
See www.intracen.org/itc/market-info-tools/market-analysis-tools/.
Ibid.
See www.ilo.org/empent/areas/start-and-improve-your-business/lang--en/index.htm.
See http://empretec.unctad.org/.
See http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurship-Policy-Framework-andImplementation-Guidance.aspx.
See http://unctad.org/en/Pages/DIAE/Enterprise%20Development/Business-LinkageProgramme.aspx.
See http://unctad.org/en/Docs/tdxipbd6_en.pdf.
https://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/publications/european-commission-sector-guides-implementingun-guiding-principles-business-and-hum-0_en.
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