The Regional Commission of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra Region (CRDH) of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and the Rabat-Salé-Kenitra branch of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), will sign a partnership agreement, on Tuesday 20 April 2021, at 11 am at the headquarters of Rabat-Salé-Kenitra CGEM branch.

The agreement aims at enhancing cooperation between enterprises and the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) Regional Commission. It consolidates the effectiveness of rights, respect of civil society actions and the exercise of the right for trade union. Besides, this agreement intends to prevent all forms of discrimination, encourage equal opportunities and promote equality between men and women by limiting restrictions that hinder the professional promotion for women within the enterprise.

The objective of this agreement is also focused on supporting the establishment of networks working on human rights and developing mechanisms incubating youth initiatives and ideas that taking into account the needs of vulnerable and underrepresented groups, especially persons with a disability.

Furthermore, this agreement aims at developing an environmental policy to limit the effects of enterprise actions on the environment and enhancing communication and cooperation with the public, institutional, local and civil society activists and inhabitant.

To be noted, the CNDH conducted several actions and initiatives to promote the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) embedded in the 2020-21 action plan of the Working Group on Business and Human Rights (BHR) of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).

The Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are international standards initially proposed by John Ruggie, UN Special Representative on Business & Human Rights. They were endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in June 2011, in its resolution # A/HRC/RES/17/4.

The Principles were designed to implement the United Nations ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ Framework, which rests on three core pillars: (1) the duty of the State to protect against human rights abuses by, or involving, transnational corporations and other business enterprises, (2) the corporate responsibility to respect all human rights, and (3) the need for access to effective remedies, including through appropriate judicial or non-judicial mechanisms.