Denmark

By Daniel Morris | 27. November 2017

Introduction [page 9]

In 2012, the Danish Government started to take dedicated measures to implement the UNGPs on each of the pillars in the Protect, Respect and Remedy-framework based on recommendations from the Council for CSR. Some of these initiatives are part of the second National Action Plan for CSR; Responsible Growth 2012–2015, which the Government presented in March 2012. The CSR Action Plan focuses on business and human rights and was inspired by the recent international development in the field of CSR including the revision of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises from May 2011, the ratification of the UNGPs in June 2011 and the renewed EU Strategy 2011–14 for Corporate Social Responsibility.

2. State Duty to Protect Human Rights

2.3 Actions taken

Ensuring policy coherence across governmental departments and agencies [page 11]

The Government’s CSR efforts are coordinated by an inter-ministerial working group with representatives from departments and agencies who work with CSR and human rights related areas. These include Ministry of Business and Growth, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Employment, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Ministry for Climate, Energy and Building and the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) (GP 8).”

Promoting CSR in the Public Sector [page 16]

“The public authorities should assume social responsibility relating to environmental, social and economic conditions as well as human rights in connection with their activities. To obtain this objective, the Government will invite municipalities and regions to jointly prepare guidelines for how public authorities can avoid having an adverse impact on international guidelines. The guidelines should be used to manage the challenges the public authorities are facing today when acting as a private company.”

Appendix 1. Overview of the implementation of the state duty to protect

Status in Denmark (initiatives implemented before the UN ratification of the Guiding Principles) [page 31]

  • Together with poverty reduction, promoting human rights is at the core of Danish development cooperation. The Danish rights-based approach to development cooperation includes a focus on improving the overall framework conditions for ensuring respect for human rights, capacity building in governmental and legal institutions, research institutions, civil society and business organisations.
  • The Government’s CSR efforts are coordinated by an inter-ministerial working group with representatives from departments and agencies, who work with CSR and human rights related areas.

Initiatives taken or planned as a dedicated measure to implement the UNGPs (after the UN ratification of the Guiding Principles)

  • The Government has updated the CSR Compass which is an online tool that helps companies exercise due diligence in the supply chain. The guide has been updated in accordance with the UNGPs and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. This online tool will also be promoted to governmental departments, agencies and other State-based institutions.
  • Danida/the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is increasingly integrating business and human rights issues in its bilateral development assistance programs, especially within private sector development. The most far-reaching attempt at this so far has been the new program on Responsible Business in Myanmar which is directly based on the Guiding principles.