During the last week of November, more than 2,000 people met in Geneva for the largest annual gathering on business and human rights. For years, Verité has actively participated in this busy week of learning and sharing, along with participants from government, business, civil society, law firms, investor organizations, trade unions, academia and the media, among others. Shawn MacDonald, CEO of Verité, and Elizabeth Garland, Senior Director of Verité’s Raw Materials Program, attended the forum this year and shared Verité’s work in a range of meetings and venues.
From ground-breaking research and new technological tools to advocacy and addressing the changing regulatory landscape in 2016, Verité continues to be at the forefront of fighting forced labor, human trafficking, and unsafe labor conditions worldwide. Read below for some highlights from 2016 in five crucial areas.
The Leadership Group for Responsible Recruitment formally launched in London on May 4th with an ambitious announcement of its intention to eradicate the charging of recruitment fees to workers within a decade. Labor recruitment fees charged to vulnerable workers are a major contributing factor to forced labor in global supply chains and the Leadership Group is squarely focused on promoting the ‘Employer Pays Principle’ and facilitating its implementation across all industries and geographies.
