A/HRC/38/48 guarantee agencies are offered classroom training on the Plan and environmental and social specialists act as a helpdesk.22 33. In addition to training trade officials, some States are providing tools for their officials as well as for companies. 34. The Belgian National Action Plan briefly mentions that diplomats do not always have the necessary tools or knowledge of human rights and business in particular, to inform and guide companies to ensure that their extraterritorial activities take account of their impact on human rights. As a result, Belgian trade representatives will receive a toolbox to better inform companies that seek to export. The toolbox will include elements on grievance mechanisms enabling the Belgian diplomatic network to better inform businesses and victims of possible business-related abuses about access to remedy in Belgium. The United Kingdom has developed a government business and human rights toolkit, which aims to give guidance to political, economic, commercial and development officers in embassies as to how to promote responsible business conduct by British companies operating overseas.23 35. Some training for companies is done via partnerships between States. Sweden has entered into memorandums of understanding with certain countries on corporate social responsibility. For example, there are two memorandums between China and Sweden, including an action plan establishing a centre for corporate social responsibility at the Swedish Embassy in Beijing. Among other activities, the centre provides training for companies. 24 Chile and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding on corporate social responsibility in 2012. India and China have a partnership agreement to promote trade and investment, which includes a commitment to fostering stronger cooperation between national chambers of commerce and encourages companies in both States to include corporate social responsibility in their corporate development strategies.25 36. China has also focused on providing sectoral guidance to its companies. The 2014 guidelines for social responsibility in outbound mining investment produced by the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemical Importers and Exporters call for Chinese mining companies undertaking outbound mining investments, cooperation and trade to strictly observe the Guiding Principles during the entire life-cycle of the mining project and to strengthen responsibility throughout the extractive industries value chain. 37. The increasing number of States that are including training and educational resources on corporate social responsibility and on business and human rights for both trade and embassy personnel and companies operating or trading abroad is a positive step. Training and counselling help to raise awareness of key human rights issues in the private sector. States need to consider how to move such training beyond theory into actual practice. To that extent, training needs to include discussions of real-world dilemmas that occur to enable trade officers to start thinking critically about the advisory role they play with companies. At the same time, training and education is at most a partial step towards States fulfilling their duty under Guiding Principle 4. Few States link providing trade promotion services or benefits, such as participation in a trade mission, to requiring businesses to demonstrate respect for human rights and use of the Guiding Principles. III. Role of export credit agencies 38. Export credit is a tool used by Governments to provide trade finance to the private sector. Under an export credit regime, States provide loans and other types of risk cover (for example, insurance) for a domestic exporter’s international buyers. Providing financing 22 23 24 25 8 National Action Plan. Implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights 2016–2020, available from https://globalnaps.org/country/germany/. See OECD, “Responsible business conduct and economic diplomacy tools”. See, for example, http://csr2.mofcom.gov.cn/article/media/201709/20170902652354.shtml. See Five-Year Development Program for Economic and Trade Cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of India (September 2014).