National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights 2024-2027

Reasons given by the contracting authority

Lot 1

Der erfolgreiche Anbieter überzeugte insbesondere durch:
− anerkannte Fachkompetenz im Bereich der Sorgfaltspflicht im Bereich Menschenrechte und praktische Erfahrung in der Begleitung von Schweizer Unternehmen;
− ein pragmatisches Schulungs- und Sensibilisierungskonzept, das je nach Zielgruppe (Privatunternehmen, bundesnahe Unternehmen, Handelskammern, Hochschulen) angepasst werden kann;
− die bereichsübergreifende Einbeziehung von Themen im Zusammenhang mit den Rechten von Frauen, Kindern und schutzbedürftigen Gruppen;
− die Mobilisierung eines Netzwerks von Partnern aus Wirtschaft, Wissenschaft und Zivilgesellschaft, das eine wirksame Umsetzung im Einklang mit internationalen Standards und den gesetzlichen Entwicklungen in der Schweiz und in Europa gewährleistet.

Lot 2

Der erfolgreiche Anbieter überzeugte insbesondere durch:
− Branchenexpertise: Begleitung strategischer Sektoren (Finanzen, Energiewende) gemäß den Leitprinzipien der Vereinten Nationen.
− Modularer und praktischer Ansatz: Auf die Bedürfnisse der verschiedenen Zielgruppen zugeschnittene Schulungsformate und konkrete Integration der Sorgfaltspflicht in Schlüsselprozesse.
- Engagement verschiedener Akteure: Multi-Stakeholder-Dialog und Zusammenarbeit mit internationalen Partnern, NGOs und Fachorganisationen.
−Vielfältige Formate: Workshops, Online-Module, Peer Learning und Zugang zu bestehenden E-Learning-Angeboten.
− Ausrichtung an den Prioritäten des NAP: Energiewende, Rolle der Finanzakteure, öffentliches Beschaffungswesen und Bekämpfung der Ausbeutung von Kindern.

Lot 3

Für das Los 3 erhält die Firma Kompetenzzentrum Menschenrechte der Universität Zürich (KMZ) den Zuschlag, da:
−
Umfassende Expertise: Detaillierte Analyse gerichtlicher und aussergerichtlicher Beschwer-demechanismen, einschliesslich Zugänglichkeit und Hindernissen, gemäss UNGP;
−
nutzerzentrierter Ansatz: Einbezug der Perspektiven von Betroffenen und Fallstudien zur Be-wertung der Wirksamkeit;
−
Multistakeholder-Dialog: Einbindung von Zivilgesellschaft, Gewerkschaften und weiteren An-spruchsgruppen zur Stärkung von Vertrauen und Glaubwürdigkeit;
−
praktische Begleitung: Entwicklung von Schulungen und Tools zur Implementierung wirksamer Beschwerdemechanismen;
−
Ausrichtung am NAP: Empfehlungen entsprechen internationalen Standards und fördern die Verbreitung bewährter Praktiken.

Lot 4

Für das Los 4 erhält die Firma Helvetas den Zuschlag, da:
− Multipartite Expertise: Moderation von Foren und Roundtables mit Unternehmen, Zivilgesell-schaft, Wissenschaft und öffentlichem Sektor;
− strukturierter Ansatz: Vorbereitungsphasen, Nationales Forum 2026 und Arbeitsgruppen nach dem Forum zur Förderung von Vertrauen, Transparenz und Zusammenarbeit;
-praktische Wirkung: Interaktive, handlungsorientierte Veranstaltungen, Austausch bewährter Praktiken und gemeinsame Entwicklung konkreter Lösungen;
− Wissensvermittlung: Konsolidierung und Kommunikation der Ergebnisse über zugängliche, zielgruppengerechte Formate;
− Neutralität und Glaubwürdigkeit: Sicherer Raum für konstruktiven Dialog zwischen allen Akteuren.

Description

Lot 1

Objective: To raise awareness and provide training for Swiss companies on general human rights issues in order to integrate due diligence procedures into their business activities.

Activities:
· (Measure 2) Promote the UN Guiding Principles within the framework of Swiss economic promotion. This involves:
o raising awareness of human rights due diligence among federal and cantonal economic promotion agencies and chambers of commerce, including through training and guidance;
o and companies participating in trade missions are encouraged to maintain human rights due diligence in their international business activities by receiving standardized information on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles.
· (Measure 3) Integration of human rights into corporate governance and risk management. This involves:
o In cooperation with rectors of Swiss universities, students in management and economics should be made aware of the importance of respecting human rights as part of their education through targeted documentation and presentations.
o The private sector should be made aware of its legal obligations and international human rights standards through information events.
o industry dialogues, especially with priority sectors, on corporate accountability should be strengthened;
o and information on human rights due diligence and the role of company management and boards of directors should be disseminated to the private sector.
· (Measure 6) Greater consideration of women and children in due diligence procedures. To this end:
o the federal administrations' expectations that women, children, and vulnerable groups should be given special consideration in human rights due diligence should be communicated to companies and taken into account by them.
· (Measure 9 reinforced) Encourage companies with close ties to the federal government to introduce procedures for human rights-compliant business practices and to act as role models. To this end:
o Federal government-related companies that are organized as stock corporations should be supported by the federal administration and work with their boards of directors to discuss human rights requirements and promote the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles.

Lot 2

Objective: To raise awareness and train Swiss companies in the relevant sectors on specific priority human rights issues in order to strengthen their capacity to integrate appropriate due diligence into their practices.

Activities:
· (Measure 4) Promote specific due diligence procedures in key sectors of the energy transition. To this end:
o in collaboration with external partners, organise a multilateral dialogue and other events with the sectors concerned, with the aim of encouraging companies to incorporate human rights due diligence into their climate change measures.
· (Measure 5) Promote the key role of actors in the financial and investment services sector so that, thanks to their influence, they can exert a positive effect on companies and promote investments and services that respect human rights. To this end:
o raise awareness among actors in the financial and investment services sector, through events and specific information, of the influence they can exert on promoting respect for human rights in companies' business activities.
· (Strengthened Measure 12) Promote the integration of ILO core labour standards in the Confederation's public procurement by raising awareness among the staff concerned of their duty of diligence. To this end:
o raise awareness among public procurement staff of their duty of diligence in relation to human rights in order to promote responsible practices among tenderers.
· (Strengthened measure 27) Support companies in combating child exploitation in global supply chains, in particular through practical tools and awareness-raising campaigns. To this end, the following measures should be taken:
o Swiss-based companies in fulfilling their legal obligations under Art. 964j et seq. CO and OSL (in cases of suspected child labour) by providing an analysis tool and cooperating with platforms of international organisations active in the field of child labour.

Lot 3

Objective: Improve access to grievance mechanisms and train Swiss companies in setting up grievance mechanisms.

Activities:
· (Measure 8) Identify and analyze obstacles to access to legal remedies. This involves:
o An inventory of judicial and non-judicial mechanisms should be carried out and made available. This should include an analysis of the complementary role of the mechanisms and an analysis of the obstacles to accessing them. This will increase the visibility of judicial and non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of human rights violations and analyze existing obstacles.
· (Measure 9) Promote and support the establishment of accessible, effective, and appropriate grievance mechanisms by private companies in accordance with the United Nations Guiding Principles. This should involve:
o information on non-state complaint mechanisms should be made available on the NAP website and disseminated to companies by the Federal Administration;
o and existing complaint mechanisms of companies, multi-stakeholder initiatives and sports associations based in Switzerland should be introduced.

Lot 4

Objective: To promote dialogue between stakeholders in order to strengthen the implementation of human rights in the practices of Swiss companies.

Activities:
· (Measure 3) Organise the third national forum on business and human rights in 2026 and roundtable discussions involving companies, academia, non-governmental organisations, the public sector and international organisations.

· (Measure 5 reinforced) Ensuring the transfer of knowledge and best practices between the various actors. In doing so:
o Promote dialogue between stakeholders, including business associations and civil society, by supporting roundtable discussions and discussion platforms. The aim is to promote constructive cooperation by developing practical solutions for better respect for human rights in business activities. The focus here is primarily on multi-stakeholder initiatives in the cocoa, gold, sustainable textiles and coffee sectors, as well as on the implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Service Providers, in which Switzerland already plays an active role.