"ICAR Statement on the 2024 U.S. NAP on Responsible Business Conduct," 5 Apr. 2024

On March 22, the Biden Administration released the 2024 United States Government National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct (NAP). This 2024 NAP is the result of a roughly two-and-a-half-year process to revitalize and update the first NAP released at the end of the Obama Administration in December 2016. While it has limitations, the 2024 NAP represents a significant improvement from the 2016 NAP, and overall, it reflects a clear commitment to use the levers of governmental power to drive business respect for human rights.

... “While ICAR would have loved to see more ambitious commitments laid out in this NAP, there is a lot in here that we’re excited about and that can be built on moving forward,” said David McKean, Executive Director of the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable (ICAR). “NAPs are meant to be iterative, living documents, so we see this as the next step in a longer, continuous dialogue and process of engagement with the U.S. Government on the issue of responsible business conduct.”

... ICAR’s initial assessment has found that while the 2016 NAP was largely focused on reciting past actions, the 2024 NAP is much more focused on laying out forward-looking commitments. These commitments are also quite specific, and clearly identify the government bodies responsible for implementation. The NAP also pays clear attention to the issue of access to remedy and seeks to reflect a whole-of-government approach, with commitments coming from 33 offices at 15 agencies, including via three interagency working groups or councils. Among the key drawbacks of this 2024 NAP include the late timing of its release and the fact that many of the commitments are focused on continued exploration or consideration of taking an action, rather than a commitment to taking that action.