Switzerland – Finance and Banking
2 National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 2020-23
2.1 Pillar 1: state duty to protect
2.1.5 Policy coherence
Guiding Principle 10
Measure 19: Promotion of respect for human rights and labour standards within financial institutions
As part of its involvement in international financial institutions, Switzerland actively promotes the systematic reinforcement of ESG standards. It supports the strictest transparency standards and helps to mitigate the potential adverse human rights impacts of projects by strengthening the independent inspection committees that handle project-related complaints lodged by the communities concerned. By creating frameworks and exemplary programmes, financial institutions can advance the promotion of ESG standards, respect for human rights at international level and a shared understanding of problems.
| Objective | Indicator | Responsibility |
|---|---|---|
| Ensuring that investments and projects supported by Switzerland in relation to its economic development cooperation and international financial institutions do not have an adverse impact on human rights and serve as an example of international best practices. | Human rights due diligence as part of SIFEM investments (source: summary report of the Federal Council on the achievement of its strategic goals).
Swiss contributions within international financial institutions to promote ESG standards, transparency and respect for human rights |
EAER [Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research] |