I have been following with great interest the preparations for discussions on decent work in global supply chains at the upcoming International Labour Conference.  And I very much welcome the references to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in the ILO background report (“Decent work in global supply chains”).  As you know, the UNGPs carefully frame corporate responsibility in supply chain contexts in a manner that all stakeholder groups have found useful, and which contributed to the UNGP’s unanimous endorsement by the UN Human Rights Council.

In the interest of sustaining and building on that consensus, allow me to offer two points of clarification intended to ensure that the excellent background paper is not misunderstood on the subject of the UNGPs.  (I will share this letter with interested stakeholders).  The first point concerns the concept of “control” by lead firms, and the second the “cause/contribute/linked to” distinction embodied in the UNGPs…