Agenda & Speakers
- Welcoming remarks – Tom Mackall, Chair of the GBNFL Steering Committee and representative of the United States Council for International Business (USCIB).
- Updates on the GBNFL – Andrea Davila, Coordinator of the Global Business Network on Forced Labour – International Labour Organization (ILO).
- Preview of the GBNFL – IOE Handbook for Businesses and Employers on Combatting Forced Labour – Jason Pegat-Toquet, Advisor, International Organisation of Employers (IOE).
- Overview and Introduction to Sustainable Procurement at the ILO and the UN Interagency Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Supply Chains – Julia Gin, Procurement Officer of the Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Supply Chains – ILO.
- Panel Discussion with representatives of employers’ organisations from Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan and Uganda, on country-level actions to combat forced labour, challenges faced, and the essential role of employers’ organisations in supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these efforts. It was moderated by Douglas Opio, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Uganda Employers, with representatives from employers’ organisations:
- ·Dr. Linda Lumayag – Head of Big Data, Research, and Information of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF)
- Eduardo Ocampo Bautista – President of the Labour, Social Security and Human Resources Commission of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States (CONCAMIN)
- Syed Nazar Ali – Secretary General of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP)
Translation was available in Spanish and French.
Part I and II of the meeting: Welcoming remarks and update on the GBNFL
Opening the Annual Event, the GBNFL Chair, Thomas Mackall, welcomed all participants and announced the agenda. He outlined how GBNFL´s focus for the upcoming year will be working at country or sectoral levels in supporting the private sector and employers. He emphasized the need to obtain government support for the Network and increased membership from companies to ensure its sustainability in the coming future. A warm welcome was given to two new members of the Network, the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan and the Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Andrea Davila, the GBNFL’s Coordinator, provided an update of the Network’s activities in 2024. She noted the country level work carried out in Malaysia including roundtable discussions with government and employers, hosting a country briefing with the private sector, as well as launching a due diligence toolkit for fair recruitment customized for the Malaysian businesses. In Mexico, GBNFL has been working with its member, the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States (CONCAMIN) on a roadmap to support the private sector in their efforts to prevent and eliminate forced labour. The roadmap includes sectoral dialogues in the mining, automobile and agricultural sector to identify challenges and propose targeted activities. As part of this roadmap, the Network co-hosted, in November, a seminar for the private sector with CONCAMIN. The objective of this workshop was to raise awareness about forced labour, fair recruitment and the 11 indicators of forced labour and responsible business conduct. The event also facilitated three sectoral panel discussions with key stakeholders from the automotive, mining and agricultural industries, to understand their specific challenges and concerns with respect to preventing forced labour, as well as their needs in terms of targeted technical support.
The Network is also increasing its capacity building portfolio to better equip its members and bring value added to its country interventions. A large part of the year was spent on producing the GBNFL – IOE Handbook for Businesses and Employers on Combatting Forced Labour, which will be published next year. The aim is to roll out the tools globally and translate them into different languages. The Network has also conducted a needs assessment for its upcoming e-learning modules tackling specific functions within companies such as procurement, human resources, etc. The modules will be developed next year. It is expected that these tools will be rolled out, translated and adapted in the coming years.
Looking ahead, the Network will continue its country level in Mexico, Pakistan and Mongolia and hopes to add new countries. It also expects collaboration with ongoing ILO projects in the fishing industry to support private sector work, and to organize a global dialogue on forced labour and fair recruitment with supply chain actors in the fishing industry. In 2025, informative webinars will be organized, the first of these webinars will be a dialogue with European Union representatives on the newly approved regulation on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market.
Part III and IV of the meeting: Preview of the GBNFL – IOE Handbook for Businesses and Employers on Combatting Forced Labour; and an Overview and Introduction to Sustainable Procurement at the ILO and the UN Interagency Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Supply Chains
Jason Pegat-Toquet, Advisor to the International Organisation of Employers, provided a sneak peak of the soon to be published GBNFL-IOE Handbook for Businesses and Employers on Combatting Forced Labour. He mentioned that this handbook is an updated version of the 2015 edition, and provides general guidance (definitions, facts and figures, causes, indicators) on forced labour, and includes a toolbox with 18 practical tools and examples for companies to easily identify, prevent and monitor progress on forced labour prevention, considering the changing regulatory context. The handbook also contains a list of useful resources. The document is aligned with the UN Guiding Principles to ensure policy coherence and to reflect what the United Nations and the ILO are working on. The objective is to later roll out specific handbooks tailored to SMEs and employer federations.
Julia Gin, Procurement Officer and Co-Chair of the Interagency UN Task Force for Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Supply Chains, provided a summary of the UN and ILO sustainable procurement framework. She also introduced the work of the UN Interagency Task Force on Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labour in Supply Chains. The Task Force was established in 2019 and comprises experts in procurement, human trafficking, forced labour, and supply chains from 17 organizations as an effort to combine areas of technical expertise to ensure that policies meet with operational realities. The Task Force was created as a result of the UN Resolution (2017), Art. 31 which “calls upon United Nations system organizations to enhance transparency in their procurement and supply chains and step up their efforts to strengthen protections against trafficking in persons in all United Nations procurement and to that effect request major suppliers to establish and implement anti-human trafficking policies and disclose information on measures taken to counter trafficking in persons in their operations and supply chains.”
Part V of the meeting: Panel Discussion with representatives of employers’ organisations from Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan and Uganda on their actions to prevent and eliminate forced labour
Addressing several key questions concerning country-level implementation, the panel discussion was facilitated by Douglas Opio, Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Uganda Employers, with the following representatives from employers’ organisations:
- Dr. Linda Lumayag – Head of Big Data, Research, and Information of the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF)
- Eduardo Ocampo Bautista – President of the Labour, Social Security and Human Resources Commission of the Confederation of Industrial Chambers of the United Mexican States (CONCAMIN)
- Syed Nazar Ali – Secretary General of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP)
Q1: Please list some of the activities undertaken in the last year to fight forced labour, indicating challenges and opportunities.
MEF expressed how Malaysia has come a long way in its national discussions on forced labour, reaffirming a commitment to transparency and accountability with respect to human rights in the context of business activities. Dr Lumayag reiterated the need for all actors (employers, civil society, workers and government) to be engaged in the fight to eradicate forced labour. A single actor on its own cannot solely eradicate forced labour. Malaysia has implemented a national action plan on forced labour and a national action plan on anti-trafficking in persons for the period 2021-2025. A National Baseline Assessment on Business and Human Rights was also published in 2024. This assessment provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of business and human rights in Malaysia, as well as insights into areas of strength and areas that require improvement. The ultimate objective of this assessment is to inform the development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
In terms of challenges, the Malaysian business community needs more specific tools and resources to identify and prevent forced labour, as well as the sharing of good practices on a sectoral or regional basis. A change in perception and attitude of the business community, trade unions and civil society with respect to forced labour through increased awareness is also crucial. Lastly, MEF strongly advocated for the need to engage governments across borders in national dialogues, as forced labour is not only a national issue but requires a cross-border solution.
CONCAMIN mentioned that they have been actively working on raising awareness on forced labour and building the capacity of businesses and their supply chains to identify and prevent forced labour in Mexico. CONCAMIN has shown an increased commitment to fighting forced labour by becoming a member of GBNFL in 2023 and a member of the GBNFL Steering Committee in 2024. As part of its ongoing collaboration, CONCAMIN and GBNFL co-hosted in November, a one-day seminar in Mexico City aimed at raising awareness about forced labour, fair recruitment and the 11 indicators of forced labour for Mexican employer organisations and companies. The event culminated with very insightful sectoral panel discussions with key stakeholders from the automotive, mining and agricultural industries, which listed their specific challenges and concerns with respect to preventing forced labour; summarized the impact of the various international treaties and regulations with respect to forced labour; and outlined the needs of the industries in terms of targeted technical support.
The focus on forced labour is growing amongst the business community in Mexico, in large part due to the special chapter in the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement which bans products produced with forced labour in supply chains.
EFP mentioned that they have been fully engaged in discussions with government and relevant stakeholders in formulating relevant legislation. Similarly, they been actively involved in the technical consultation of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention 29, 1930 and in influencing the government on the ratification of this instrument. The Federation worked together with the ILO to implement a project with the Informal Sector Employers Association (in the brick kilns, mining, and agriculture sectors) to better understand how to engage with members and government, and to train them on forced labour prevention and identification, as well as on local and international legislation related to this matter. The Federation launched the “Roadmap for Business Engagement” under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Pakistan. The initiative aims to contribute meaningfully to the achievement of the SDGs in Pakistan. The informal sector presents significant challenges and risks, including those related to forced labour, primarily due to outdated practices and inadequate regulatory oversight.
Q2: How can employer federations support SMEs to fight forced labour?
MEF acknowledged how the perspective of the business community must be louder to understand their challenges so that employer federations can move forward with an action plan. 90% of companies worldwide are micro and SMEs, which do not have the capital or resources for training on forced labour within their operations and supply chains. Roundtable discussions organised by employer federations are critical, as well as having direct links with members and government.
It is important that the perspective of employers be heard. This is only possible if there is a platform that can convene different stakeholders. International organisations like the ILO have a key role to play in this regard.
CONCAMIN mentioned how the role of employers is fundamental to support SMEs. In Mexico more than 85% of companies are micro and SMEs which lack the resources or access to training on forced labour matters. Employers have the obligation to help SMEs access these resources. Tools provided by the ILO such as the upcoming GBNFL-IOE Handbook for Businesses and Employers on Combatting Forced Labour, are extremely helpful. They provide essential guidance that allows employers organisations to support companies of all sizes and sectors and help them meet their legal obligations with respect to forced labour.
EFP expressed how SMEs need to be more compliant with local and international standards. EFP is conscious of the need to mobilize support for SMEs so that they can fight against forced labour and is working actively on exchanging and disseminating information and good practices to SMEs.
Q3: What is the relevance of GBNFL for your country level activities?
MEF expressed how they need the support, technical guidance and tools provided by GBNFL. This Network is a global “anchor” that can convene different stakeholders, allowing them to share information and identify common challenges, solutions, and best practices to raise awareness and facilitate learning. MEF needs the support of GBNFL at a country level to help them engage with the government and build a comprehensive plan of action or program to help all companies, including SMEs.
CONCAMIN highlighted how GBNFL has helped them understand the “real dimension” of forced labour. The training they have received from GBNFL has been most useful to improve the working conduct of their member companies. Also, GBNFL has helped them appreciate what is going on in different parts of the world with respect to forced labour and understand what counterparts with similar problems are doing to tackle forced labour.
EFP indicated how the Network has direct relevance to their work and has been of great help in advancing the agenda of forced labour. The wealth of knowledge and experience the Network brings is very useful for countries like Pakistan. EFP would like to obtain more technical support and capitalize on the interventions carried out during the last year with the informal sector association. The brick kilns and mining sectors are ready to continue working on eradicating forced labour.
During this session, participants wanted to understand the role of the government in tackling forced labour and the importance of public-private partnerships.
MEF reiterated how every country needs robust regulations. Governments have the sole responsibility to set up an adequate and solid legal framework in line with international laws and ILO conventions. Crucially important, however, is the need to work with border countries in terms of labour migration. A solid cooperation between countries is needed to resolve issues. Forced labour is a major issue affecting the world today. But it cannot be tackled by government or civil society alone. Employers and the business community are critical actors in this fight. They need to be part and parcel of the whole solution, as their profits are affected if there is forced labour.
CONCAMIN added how the power of the state to regulate and inspect the private sector to improve their compliance and actions to eradicate forced labour is important. However, all employer organisations should also be committed to the issue of forced labour.
EFP added that employer federations can influence policy making to fight forced labour. Poverty, lack of social protection and climate change are some of the main causes of forced labour and governments have the responsibility to deal with these issues. The media also has a crucial role to play and can complement government action by influencing people on how to think about forced labour. Forced labour is socially unacceptable. It is a dire social issue with serious consequences for a nation; one that requires the collaboration of a broad set of actors to eradicate it.
