A/HRC/26/20 Compact and developing a non-binding Supplier Code of Conduct.17 The Code of Conduct references human rights; it does not, however, reference the expected standard of conduct of the Guiding Principles, which includes undertaking human rights due diligence and addressing adverse human rights impacts. As noted in the 2012 report of the SecretaryGeneral, a revision of the Supplier Code of Conduct to reflect the Guiding Principles would be beneficial in this regard (A/HRC/21/21 and Corr.1, para. 84). 56. Other United Nations entities, however, also procure goods and services. For example, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is a central resource for the United Nations system for procurement and contracts management and procures for both United Nations agencies and external partners. While it uses the non-binding Supplier Code of Conduct, it also states explicitly that it “does business only with those vendors sharing its respect for fundamental human rights, social justice, human dignity and equal rights of men and women, as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.18 That practice could be emulated by other agencies involved in procurement activities, where relevant. 57. Within private-sector enterprises and a number of State procurement divisions, binding codes of conduct for suppliers are now the standard. It would be beneficial for the United Nations Office for Partnerships to investigate the extent to which the current code of conduct reflects general best practices with regard to managing human rights risks from business relationships, and make recommendations to the Secretary-General for possible future revisions. C. Partnerships 58. The United Nations is increasingly engaging in partnerships with business enterprises for the promotion of the goals and values of the United Nations. That provides important opportunities for promoting corporate respect for human rights, but also increases the risk of being linked to actors potentially involved in human rights abuses (A/HRC/21/21 and Corr.1, paras. 88 and 90). 59. The Secretary-General’s intent to enhance the United Nations partnership capacity arose from this new reality. The aim is to achieve greater accountability, coherence, efficiency and scale, and a more supportive enabling environment for United Nations partnership activity. The Guiding Principles would contribute to building a normative framework, including, for example, in the updating of guidelines on partnerships, between the United Nations and business. 60. The Global Compact serves as a key entry point for the engagement of business with the United Nations. The Secretary-General notes with appreciation the Global Compact’s efforts to use the annual meetings of Private Sector Focal Points in order to spread awareness of the Guiding Principles. VIII. Capacity-building of relevant actors — the feasibility of a global capacity-building fund on business and human rights 61. The Secretary-General’s 2012 report suggested that the need to create a significant capacity and funding base to enable large-scale interventions in the area of business and 17 18 For initiatives and efforts reported in 2012, see A/HRC/21/21. Information on relevant policies is available from www.un.org/depts/ptd/pdf/englishb.pdf. From www.unops.org/english/whatwedo/services/procurement/pages/procurement.aspx. 13