ישראל ב-OECD מינהל סחר חוץ במשרד הכלכלה והתעשייה
בתחילת החודש, השיק ה-OECD עדכון לנהלי התנהגות עסקית נאותה לחברות רב לאומיות ” OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct“, במסגרת מועצת השרים השנתית. מדובר בנהלים מובילים ומרכזיים בתחום. עדכון 2023 מתייחס לתיעדוף בנושאים חברתיים, סביבתיים וטכנולוגיים בוערים העומדים בפני חברות ועסקים. ז’ופיה בורסי ממשלחתנו משתפת על תהליך המו”מ והעדכון החדש:
Launched on 8 June 2023 at the Ministerial Council Meeting in the OECD, the OECD adopted the updated version of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct, the key legal instrument and globally leading standard on RBC.
The Guidelines are recommendations jointly addressed by governments to multinational enterprises to enhance the business contribution to sustainable development and address adverse impacts of business on people, the planet and society. They are supported by a unique implementation mechanism, the National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct (NCPs), on-the-ground agencies, established by governments to further the effectiveness of the Guidelines.
The Guidelines were last updated in 2011. The 2023 update responds to urgent social, environmental, and technological priorities facing societies and businesses.The update of the Guidelines was agreed by the 51 countries that adhere to the Guidelines, including both OECD members and non-members accounting for two-thirds of global trade and investment, in close cooperation with institutional stakeholders such as Business at the OECD, OECD Watch and TUAC.
Started in late 2021, the negotiations to update the text of the Guidelines were an intense and sometimes challenging, but ultimately fruitful process. Led by the Working Party on Responsible Business Conduct under the Investment Committee, Israel was represented in the discussions by the Israeli NCP team:
- Ronen Katz, Head of the RBC Unit in the Ministry of Economy and Industry
- Joseph Akerman, Head of the Israeli Economic Mission to the OECD, Investment Committee Bureau Member and Chair of the Working Party on Trade
- Ahuva Seiferas, Deputy Head of International Trade Agreements and Foreign Trade Affairs, Legal Dept., Ministry of Economy and Industry
- Zsofia Borsi, Policy Officer in the Israeli Economic Mission to the OECD
Israel is proud to have actively participated in the negotiation process, with the objective to ensure the leading role of the Guidelines in the RBC field, and to represent the interest of Israeli society, stakeholders and business.
Find out more about the work and procedures of the Israeli NCP here.
Key changes in the updated version of the Guidelines include:
● Recommendations for enterprises to align with internationally agreed goals on climate change and biodiversity
● Introduction of due diligence expectations on the development, financing, sale, licensing, trade and use of technology, including gathering and using data
● Recommendations on how enterprises are expected to conduct due diligence on impacts and business relationships related to the use of their products and services
● Better protection for at-risk persons and groups, including those who raise concerns regarding the conduct of businesses
● Updated recommendations on disclosure of responsible business conduct information
● Expanded due diligence recommendations to all forms of corruption
● Recommendations for enterprises to ensure lobbying activities are consistent with the Guidelines
● Strengthened procedures to ensure the visibility, effectiveness, and functional equivalence of National Contact Points on Responsible Business Conduct
Beyond these changes, the Israeli team welcomes the name change of the Guidelines to ‘Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct’ and of the NCPs to ‘National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct’ given its potential to bring further clarity and visibility to this important work. We also particularly welcome the changes made to the Implementation Procedure of the Guidelines, that now ensure the effectiveness of coordination between NCPs from the very beginning when receiving and dealing with a specific instance.
We would like to thank all participating members, the OECD Secretariat, and the Israeli NCP for their hard work with this negotiation. With the launch of the updated Guidelines, the Israeli NCP team looks forward to working on its promotion and on-the-ground implementation, and thereby contributing to making international business fairer, more sustainable, and better equipped for the future.
Read the updated version of the OECD Guidelines here.
Read more about the OECD’s NCP system and work on RBC here.
