A/HRC/41/49 VI. Overall key messages and takeaways 84. Key messages emerging from Forum discussions, as summarized by the members of the Working Group, included the following observations: (a) Although some States are taking action to incentivize business respect for human rights through legal developments, multi-stakeholder platforms, national action plans and economic incentives, including public procurement, economic diplomacy and in their roles as owners and investors, government action and leadership remains the biggest gap. Linked to this, policy coherence at regional, national and global levels remains a fundamental challenge. For example, development finance and investment promotion are areas where there is little real implementation of the Guiding Principles; (b) Following on from a previous recommendation of the Working Group (A/HRC/38/49, para. 87 (e)), there is a need to develop “regional races to the top”. There are some promising developments in this regard as seen, for example, by commitments by some Governments in Asia, Europe and Latin America. However, much more is needed. There is a need for greater changes of mindset within both Governments and businesses, with stronger action towards including human rights in the “DNA” of economic policy and corporate frameworks; (c) A limited number of companies are currently implementing due diligence as a requirement throughout their business operations. Emerging good practice approaches for corporate human rights due diligence should continue to be built upon and scaled up across all regions (ibid., para. 87 (m)); (d) The financial sector and the investment community are important drivers of change. Investors, together with benchmarking and rating initiatives as well as ESG analysts, are increasingly recognizing the importance of human rights due diligence, both by the companies and as part of the investment decision process. They should do more to develop common approaches and require human rights due diligence by companies; (e) More strategic partnerships among key actors at several levels are needed in order to further advance the implementation of the Guiding Principles; (f) Human rights defenders are critical partners for responsible business, sustainable development and rule of law. Governments and companies must work with human rights defenders as well as with affected communities and workers, whose voices must be heard and their opinions taken into account; (g) Companies need to translate their commitments into action on the ground and throughout their supply chains; (h) Small and medium-sized enterprises play a key role in the global economy and further capacity-building should be directed towards them; (i) Respect for human rights must be at the heart of the corporate contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals, with human rights due diligence being the way for business to know and show that they are preventing and addressing adverse impacts on people. Prevention must be seen by States as well as companies as a key element towards the implementation of the Guiding Principles and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda; (j) The eighth Forum, to be held from 25 to 27 November 2019, will focus on the need for all Governments to demonstrate progress, commitments and plans in implementing the State duty to protect; (k) It is encouraging that private sector representation at the Forum has reached about one third of participants. The goal is to achieve balanced participation of relevant stakeholders. However, currently too few Governments are participating actively, and the 2019 Forum seeks to address this gap. 20