LocationsUnited Nations Development Programme and Pakistan Textile Council conduct a consultation for the development of a Human Rights Due Diligence Code of Conduct for Pakistan’s Textile Sector
June 21, 2023
Faisalabad, 21 June 2023 — As part of a partnership with the Embassy of Norway in Pakistan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in collaboration with Pakistan Textile Council (PTC), organised a two-day consultation on the development of a Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Code of Conduct for Pakistan's textile sector.
This collaborative initiative aims to provide practical guidance to Pakistan’s textile companies on fulfilling their responsibility to respect human rights throughout their value chains. Implementing the Code of Conduct will contribute to enhanced protection of the rights of vulnerable informal workers and local communities.
Over the course of the two-day consultation, UNDP Pakistan provided an overview of its support to the Government of Pakistan in implementing the National Action Plan on Business & Human Rights since 2018. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights were also presented, highlighting their relevance to the textile sector. Detailed technical presentations and brainstorming sessions were held with representatives of textile sector companies on the practice of HRDD to inform the design and drafting of the Code of Conduct. The consultation also provided a platform for home-based workers in Pakistan’s textiles sector to highlight their challenges.
"Shahnaz, a home-based worker from Faisalabad, shared her appreciation for the consultation and said, “Today we learned a lot about our fundamental rights as informal workers and how businesses are responsible for ensuring that our rights are not violated through their activities. Informal workers form the backbone of Pakistan’s textile industry, so we encourage further such events to be organised to raise our awareness so that we may stand up for our rights as informal workers.”
During the consultation, Mr. Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal, CEO at PTC, appreciated UNDP's engagement with the private sector in Pakistan and its commitment to strengthening human rights protections across the country's value chains. He emphasized the benefit of a HRDD Code of Conduct and suggested a phased approach in its application in Pakistan to ensure real-world impact for rights-holders without disrupting business continuity.
A similar consultation was held in Lahore over May 24-25, and will also be conducted in Karachi, Multan, and Sialkot in the coming weeks.
For additional information, please contact Tabindah Anwar at tabindah.anwar@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5650
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