Belgium

PLANNED ACTIONS:

Action point 1, Elaborer une boîte à outils destinée aux entreprises et organisations concernant les droits de l’Homme [Develop a toolkit for companies and organizations on human rights], presents the action of developing, in collaboration with experts and main human rights stakeholders and organizations, a toolbox that will help companies prevent human rights violations and promote the respect for human rights through their activities. This “Toolbox” will be composed of different elements including how companies can create grievance mechanisms; launch initiatives for data collection in order to prepare human rights commitments and policy statements; and apply proper human rights due diligence.

In context of Action point 2, Elaborer une brochure sur les mécanismes de réparation liés à l’autorité publique [Prepare a brochure on grievance mechanisms related to public authority] the NAP explains that in Belgium, various legal procedures (both judicial and extra-judicial procedures and grievance mechanisms) form the basis of the grievance system. Mediation procedures can be accessed through the OECD NCP, and different provisions included in the criminal law can be imposed through the Belgian courts, etc. However, many of these grievance mechanisms are insufficiently known about. The federal government will engage in a research mission to list all of the different state-based mechanisms (both judicial and non-judicial) that can be used in cases of human rights violations by companies or organizations (Belgian or foreign). The results of this research will be integrated into a readable, comprehensible and practical brochure that will be made available to stakeholders, both online and in print (limited). This brochure will focus on companies, organizations and victims of human rights violations. Both procedural and substantive aspects of these grievance mechanisms will be addressed and will be available in Dutch, French, German and English.