8 Given the economic power and influence of the G20, this represents a massive step forward on this issue.
7 This includes working toward establishing policy frameworks and National Action Plans on business and human rights to effectively eliminate forced labour, human trafficking, and modern slavery. In 2017, G20 leaders committed to fostering human rights due diligence in corporate operations and supply chains in line with internationally recognised standards such as the UNGPs. While some G20 countries have a focus on modern slavery abroad through their aid programs, it is critical to examine their efforts to address modern slavery through economic and trade measures. 4 Two of the G20’s member countries, China 5 and the United States (US), 6 are the world’s largest exporting and importing economies respectively. The G20 countries collectively account for nearly 80 percent of world trade and about 85 percent of the world’s GDP. While initiatives like the SDGs apply to all countries, individual countries have different levels of impact and influence on the global economy.
#UPPER VOLTA NON ALIGNED MOVEMENT FREE#
2 The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and in particular Target 8.7, which calls for effective measures to end forced labour, modern slavery, and human trafficking, as well as child labour in all its forms, 3 has further contributed to the push within the international community to eradicate modern slavery, including through initiatives and policies to ensure public and private supply chains are free from this crime.
Adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, the UNGPs placed on the international agenda the issue of identifying potential adverse impacts on human rights by business activity.
The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) were the first international reference framework on human rights in the context of business. The methodology behind this research can be found in Appendix 3. However, in the absence of information on the proportion that is tainted, our analysis shows the potential reach of modern slavery into countries considered to have low levels of vulnerability and comparatively strong responses. It is important to note that no single product is completely the result of forced labour. This chapter draws on research to identify and validate a short list of products at risk of modern slavery, and then maps out the extent to which these products are imported by G20 countries 1. Nonetheless, businesses and governments in G20 countries are importing products that are at risk of modern slavery, with hardly any effort being applied by governments to regulate the labour conditions involved in their production. As the research in this Index confirms, citizens in G20 countries enjoy relatively low levels of vulnerability to this crime within their borders and many aspects of their government responses to preventing this crime are comparatively strong. The resulting analysis presents a stark contrast in terms of both risk and responsibility. While this focus is important, the realities of global trade and commerce make it inevitable that products generated by modern slavery will travel across borders and into higher income countries where the prevalence of modern slavery is low.Īccordingly, in this chapter we examine the issue of modern slavery not from the perspective of where the crime is perpetrated, but rather from where the products of the crime are sold and consumed, with a specific focus on G20 countries. To date, most research on modern slavery has focused on the countries where the exploitation is taking place, which typically are the world’s least developed countries and particularly those that are heavily impacted by known risk factors, such as conflict, failure of rule of law, mass displacement, and endemic discrimination. There is a clear, compelling, and urgent need to find solutions to the many complex factors that enable modern slavery to persist.
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