81304454-Maintenance and improvement CSR risk check tool

1. Context The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has commissioned the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) and the German Investment Corporation (DEG) to run the Agency for Business and Economic Development (AWE). The agency is based in the House of Associations, Weidendamm 1A, Berlin. The Agency for Business and Economic Development of the BMZ forms a link between the Federal Ministry and private sector. It acts as a central point of contact for business actors, advises companies on the support and cooperation offers of the BMZ and establishes contacts with relevant partners and development organizations. The AWE mission is also to pursue a value-oriented approach to advising businesses on the protection of human rights. The Federal Government"s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP) details the establishment of a Helpdesk on Business and Human Rights for companies within the AWE (NAP, p. 34). The Helpdesk is mandated to provide advisory services to German companies of all sizes, in order to support appropriate implementation of the NAP company requirements. It also functions as a primary company support offer by the German government in the context of the German supply chain act. Alongside the AWE"s commissioned services for private sector, the Helpdesk offers companies additional individual consultation on the requirements of the NAP (by telephone, in person and by email). The advice focusses on activities in developing and emerging markets, most notably with regards to engagement with suppliers and affected persons such as local communities. In order to reach companies that may not initially require such individual advice and to offer the widest possible range of support, however, the AWE also provides a free of charge online service. It is a focus of the NAP to assist private sector in respecting human rights by aiding German companies operating in and/or sourcing from developing and emerging markets to fulfill due diligence obligations as well as to put into practice corporate social responsibility strategies. What form the structure of these obligations may take for businesses in their own activities and in their supply chains is dependent on the local context. Most notably, the human rights risks associated with business activities and supply chains differ very significantly between countries and sectors. In order to make it easier for companies to better understand these country-specific and sector-specific risks, the AWE together with its implementing partners (a consortium of UPJ and MVO Nederland) has launched a German-language version of the CSR Risk Check in 2018. The CSR Risk Check is an online tool established by the Dutch foundation MVO Nederland in 2013. The online tool is designed to help companies understand the due diligence required to ensure that their own activities and supply chains meet human rights standards. The CSR risk check tool is a pre-existing product developed for the Dutch market on behalf of the Dutch government to implement the NAP. It was developed by MVO Nederland. The tool therefore fosters a coherent implementation of the requirements set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which serve as the foundation for action plans at national and international levels.