On 13 December 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an international seminar, “The method of responsible business conduct: A Polish example”.
The Head of the OECD and Economic Cooperation Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dace Liberte, introduced the participants to the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises on responsible business conduct, to national contact points, as well as “due diligence” laid down in the guidelines, which is understood as the responsibility of companies to identify risks and prevent and mitigate their adverse impacts on people and environment. Upon entry into force of the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, “due diligence” will become legally binding on all Latvian companies that would like to take up or preserve their place in international value chains.
A representative from the Polish OECD National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, Jacqueline Kacprzak, commented on the update of the OECD Guidelines in 2023, and on their impact on the European Union legislation – the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the Taxonomy Regulation. Dr Kacprzak outlined the history of the establishment of the Polish National Contact Point, the progress made in promoting standards of responsible business conduct through cooperation with the business community, non-governmental organisations, trade unions, public administration and academia. Dr Kacprzak also provided examples of proceedings conducted in cases (specific instances) concerning breeches of the OECD Guidelines on responsible business conduct.
Both the public and economic operators are increasingly demanding compliance with responsible business standards, being aware that a negative environmental impact of companies is a threat to human rights.
