As of 1 December 2021, Liesbeth Enneking, Professor of Legal Aspects of International Corporate Social Responsibility at Erasmus School of Law, has been appointed as an independent member of the Netherlands National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct for a period of four years.
The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises set out the principles and standards for responsible international business conduct in the 50 countries that endorse the Guidelines. They help companies deal with responsible supply chain management, human rights, child labour and corruption. In essence, the Guidelines require companies to apply due diligence to identify potential and actual risks in their supply chains and to take steps to prevent, limit or eliminate these risks.
The OECD Guidelines form the basis for Dutch policy with respect to Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) in international business operations. This policy is aimed at encouraging companies to prevent or limit the harmful effects of their activities on people and the environment and at helping them to contribute to the positive impact that entrepreneurship can have on the supply chain.
Every country that endorses the OECD Guidelines has a National Contact Point (NCP), consisting of four independent and four advisory members. An NCP has two core tasks: raising awareness of the OECD Guidelines with businesses, trade unions and non-governmental organisations, and contributing to the resolution of issues that arise from the alleged non-observance of the Guidelines in specific instances.
As of 1 December 2021, Enneking will be active as an independent member of the Dutch NCP, in addition to her work at Erasmus School of Law. She is pleased with her appointment: “My ancillary position at the NCP offers a wonderful opportunity for cross-fertilisation between my academic research at Erasmus School of Law into the legal aspects of RBC and my task at the NCP to help settle disputes relating to allegedly irresponsible business practices in global supply chains. Moreover, academic teaching at Erasmus School of Law offers an excellent platform for familiarising future generations of attorneys, corporate lawyers and policymakers with the Guidelines and their legal and societal implications at an early stage.”
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More information about the Dutch NCP, its responsibilities, and its members can be found here.
