4 June 2021

In 2018 the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission’s Environment (ZHRC) Thematic Working Group observed that over 40 percent of the complaints it received were related to business and human rights. This realisation led the ZHRC to pass a resolution to take concrete steps towards the development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights which is an evolving policy strategy document developed by a State to address adverse human rights impacts of business in conformity with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). UNGPs is an instrument consisting of 31 principles implementing the United Nations‘ (UN) “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

On the 28th of May 2021, The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in collaboration with Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association hosted an Open House on the development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in Zimbabwe. The Open House was a platform for stakeholders to contribute to a holistic analysis of the human rights impacts of business enterprises in Zimbabwe and to define ways of engaging the government and influence it to develop a national action plan on business and human rights and ensure adherence to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Open House was attended by representatives from Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Public Service and Labour, Zimbabwe Farmers Union, Community based organizations and civil society organisations.

The meeting also noted that for the success of a NAP and to ensure an inclusive process it is essential to address any reservations from stakeholders (State actors, National Human Rights Institutions, Private Sector, labour unions, academia and community members/rights-holders) and build trust from the onset.Whilst a number of stakeholders attended the Open House, representatives from the private sector were not present and this  flagged the urgent need to find ways of engaging the private sector across key economic sectors such as agriculture, mining and tourism. To promote participation of the private sector, the Open House was of the view that the lack of understanding of the NAP on BHR especially by this sector may hinder its participation in this process, thus, there is a need to invest in reaching out to the private sector to make this process a success.

The Open House brought to the fore how critical it is to have the NAP on BHR’s development to be grounded in context to promote sustainable development. As a tool, a NAP on Business and Human Rights can accelerate foreign direct investment and sustainable growth of the economy. Participants also agreed that the NAP on BHR is one of the ways towards contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and the aspirations of the National Development Strategy 1. To create shared ownership among the stakeholders, the House recommended that the Commissioners of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission should hasten to facilitate high level cross-ministerial engagements on the NAP on Business and Human Rights. This will assist in the achievement of a balanced and comprehensive approach in development of the NAP. The High-Level government actors are critical in defining the scope of the NAP on BHR.

For Zimbabwe to make strides in the development of a NAP on BHR, the House also recommended that there is a need for broad based awareness raising on business and human rights concepts in Zimbabwe. This involves packaging the issues in a way that is more understood by various stakeholders. A bottom-up approach was encouraged including ensuring that the affected become part of the process.