Guidelines for multinational enterprises
OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains
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Agricultural enterprises are a major source of growth and development. They bring expertise, technology and financing capacities to provide safe and nutritious food to a growing population, and meet our changing energy demands. Enterprises involved in the agricultural sector are critical for the fulfilment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They play a key role in generating quality investment, decent employment and supply chains that benefit producers and consumers.
The OECD-FAO Guidance for Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains (OECD-FAO Guidance) provides a common framework and globally applicable benchmark to help agri-businesses and investors contribute to sustainable development identify and mitigate adverse impacts. The guidance is relevant for all enterprises across the entire agricultural supply chain, from the farm to the consumer across a wide range of food and non-food commodities.
One of the key value-adds of the OECD-FAO Guidance is the framework on risk-based due diligence. The framework provides a step by step approach on how companies can integrate due diligence into their operations and supply chains. By implementing the recommendations of the OECD-FAO Guidance companies can systematically identify, assess and mitigate potential negative impacts associated with their business.
HOW IS THE OECD WORKING WITH BUSINESS ?Global Pilot on Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains To support the practical application of the OECD-FAO Guidance the OECD and FAO launched an implementation pilot with over thirty companies and industry initiatives from February 2018 to October 2019. Many companies in agricultural supply chains have a sophisticated approach to RBC, but the adoption of due diligence strategies is often impacted by reactions to external pressures. Gaps remain in how companies translate policy commitments into implementation actions. In particular, systemic challenges require closer collaboration with key stakeholders. Following the pilot, the OECD and FAO are looking to scale-up awareness and implementation of the guidance globally. As such, actions will be targeted to engaging with key stakeholders such as:
Pilot project final report, 2019 Pilot project baseline report, 2018
Southeast Asia Pilot on Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains As part of the EU-OECD-ILO “Responsible Supply Chains in Asia” programme, the OECD is conducting a pilot on the OECD-FAO Guidance with companies in Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam. This pilot runs from September 2019 to end-2020.
Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains in Latin America As part of the Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean programme, the OECD is conducting a baseline review of the agricultural sector in the region.
TOOLS AND RESOURCES FOR BUSINESS
CONVENING STAKEHOLDERS TO SUPPORT RESPONSIBLE AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY CHAINS2019 OECD-FAO Roundtable on Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains The multi-stakeholder roundtable brought together over 60 policy makers, business, international organisations, civil society, worker representatives and academia in Paris. Drawing from the findings and lessons learned during the pilot project, suggested activities to further promote the uptake of the OECD-FAO Guidance were discussed.
About the OECD-FAO Guidance The OECD-FAO Guidance helps enterprises observe standards of responsible business conduct to ensure that their operations contribute to sustainable development and do not lead to adverse impacts.
The OECD-FAO Guidance includes:
The Guidance was developed with the support of a multi-stakeholder advisory group and benefited from feedback received during an online public consultation. |
 Download the Guidance
Resources and materialsOECD-FAO Guidance fact sheet - English OECD-FAO Guidance fact sheet - French Brochure - Responsible Agricultural Supply Chains and the SDGs 2019 Final report on the implementation of the OECD-FAO Guidance 2018 Baseline report on the implementation of the OECD-FAO Guidance 2018 OECD-FAO call for responsible investment in agriculture Lessons learnt and best practices Additional tools and standards Launch of the OECD-FAO Guidance Links
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