The Guiding Principles for Combating Forced Labor project was presented

On November 29, 2022, the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine presented the first version of the "Guidelines for Combating Forced Labor. A guide for employers and business" to representatives of the largest business associations and employers' organizations of Ukraine.

As Oleksii Miroshnychenko, President of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine, noted, «Cooperation with the International Labor Organization in the field of formation and promotion of responsible business behavior of Ukraine in the area combating forced labor and human trafficking will bring us one step closer to European and global practices of conducting responsible business.»

Olena Stepanenko, project expert, presenting the Guiding Principles, in particular, noted that «In Ukraine since 1991 more than 300,000 citizens have been affected by forced labor and human trafficking, and this situation is only exacerbated by the millions of internally displaced persons and forced migrants. Considering the fact that the majority of both mentioned categories are women with children, the risk of forced labor, especially in forms that differ from our traditional ideas of forced labor, increases significantly».

The representative of the International Labor Organization Mr. Zholt Dudash noted in his speech that «According to the latest data of the ILO in the world as of 2022 more than 50 million people are victims of forced labor, which as many believe is not a feature of developing countries. This phenomenon is present in almost every country and, unfortunately, it is precisely private businesses that accounts for the vast majority of cases of forced labor. And it depends only on the business how responsibly it treats itself, its behavior, and its employees. The guidelines, while not belonging to the category of «hard» regulation, are precisely aimed at helping businesses determine their attitude to forced labor.»

The next event, during which Ukrainian business has to decide on the acceptance of the Guiding Principles, will take place on December 13, 2022. Details of the meeting will be announced separately. For additional information, please contact the Project Coordinator, Rodion Kolyshko, Councilor of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine (rkolyshko@gmail.com, 050 385 2034).