Mexico City, February 2, 2023. The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Mexico, with the support of the Government of Japan, and in alliance with the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Mexico, formally started the training sessions contemplated in the framework of the Business and Human Rights Academy. The trainings involved 41 people affiliated with more than 30 Japanese companies interested in adopting and implementing human rights due diligence practices.

The objective of the Academy, which is carried out within the framework of the Business and Human Rights Project of UNDP in Mexico, is to guide Japanese companies and their suppliers in the implementation of human rights due diligence, to identify, estimate, prevent and mitigate potential risks associated with their operations in Mexico.

The Academy will be implemented in two phases. The first, from February 2 to 3, consisting of three sessions: one aimed at high-level executives of Japanese companies (CEOs, Presidents, Vice-Presidents, and General Directors); and another two aimed at managers of Japanese companies and their suppliers.

The launching event, which took place on February 2, was attended by Augusto Rey, Assistant to the Rule of Law Program for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean; Fukunaga Shinsuke, First Secretary of the Economic Section of the Embassy of Japan; Arturo Isaías Parra, Coordinator of the UNDP Business and Human Rights Project in Mexico.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Augusto Rey mentioned that the focus of the work of the Regional Bureau seeks to make the private sector a strategic partner in the promotion and protection of human rights to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. He emphasized that the Academy is a concrete breakthrough in that line.

Likewise, Mr. Fukunaga Shinsuke, pointed out that at a global level the relevance of business and human rights is continuously rising. Moreover, he asserted that it is of the utmost importance that Japanese companies and their suppliers undertake human rights due diligence to identify and mitigate the risks associated with their operations.

Arturo Isaías Parra expressed his gratitude to the Government of Japan for its commitment to promote respect for human rights through the Project. He also pointed out the relevance of the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles in a global context that demands the protection of human rights.

The contents of the Academy trainings were based on the UNDP "Human Rights Due Diligence Training Facilitation Guidelines". Among the main topics that the Academy will address are the following:

• Analysis and identification of human rights risks faced by Japanese companies.
• The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights: key factors for their implementation.
• Essential pillars of due diligence in the field of human rights.
• Main drivers for implementing due diligence policies.

As part of the second phase of the Academy, eight personalized support sessions will be held during March for Japanese companies interested in implementing human rights due diligence mechanisms.

For more information about the Business and Human Rights Academy, please contact Mr. Arturo Isaías Parra Rivera, Project Coordinator (arturo.parra@undp.org)

Original text: https://www.undp.org/es/mexico/noticias/llevan-cabo-lanzamiento-oficial-de-la-academia-empresas-y-derechos-humanos#:~:text=El%20objetivo%20de%20la%20Academia,impactos%20adversos%20en%20este%20%C3%A1mbito.