24/12/2004 - The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises aim to help businesses, labour unions and NGOs meet this challenge by providing a global framework for responsible business conduct.  While observance of the Guidelines is voluntary for businesses, adhering governments are committed to promoting them and to making them influential among companies operating in or from their territories. 

The 2004 Annual Report on the Guidelines, the fourth in a series, describes what governments have done to live up to this commitment over the period June 2003-June 2004.  It also provides an overview of how the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises can help to promote the positive contribution of business to the environment.