Business and Human Rights

Around 800 million people globally rely on agriculture to make a living. It is a sector that depends on manual labour and is known for its low skilled, low paid and casual work. It is also a sector where abuses of labour rights occur. 

Workers may be vulnerable to exploitation due to migration, lack of alternative work opportunities, or third party labour recruiters. On a structural level, labour violations can emerge where there is weak rule of law, low union density, and intense price pressure in the food supply chain. Products made by workers whose rights have been violated can end up on supermarket shelves and on consumers’ plates. 

What measures can be put in place to ensure better protection for workers at the production level of global food supply chains? To what extent can supply chain legislation improve accountability linked to exploitation occurring in food supply chains? How can addressing indecent work conditions in the agriculture sector positively impact the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal agenda?

Panellists: 
    
Tina Davis, Senior Advisor, Business and Human Rights, Rafto Foundation for Human Rights
    
Bjart Pedersen, Manager, sustainable sourcing, Norgesgruppen
    
Neill Wilkins, Programme Manager, Migrant Workers, Institute for Human Rights and Business 

This debate is open to the public!