NAIROBI, June 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Working Group on business and human rights is due in Kenya next week to assess efforts to prevent, mitigate and address adverse human rights impacts of business operations, the UN body said on Thursday.
Anita Ramasastry, chairperson of the Working Group, said the experts who arrive in Nairobi on July 2 will meet representatives of national and local government, private and state-owned enterprises, business associations and human rights organizations.
"We look forward to learning more about efforts to develop the first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in the region, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the State to protect against business-related human rights abuses and ensuring that companies respect human rights," Ramasastry said in a statement ahead of the visit.
The East African nation which relies on sectors such as agriculture, small-scale consumer goods, tourism, services, transport, information technology, and a growing oil and mining sector, is one of the fastest growing economies in sub-Saharan Africa.
The experts will particularly focus on the situations of individuals and groups that are particularly at risk from business-related human rights abuse.
The delegation which will be in the country until July 11 will visit five regions to assess how the government and businesses are implementing their respective human rights obligations and responsibilities under with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The Guiding Principles, unanimously endorsed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011, offer clarity and guidance for governments and companies on how to prevent and address adverse human rights risks and ensure that victims of business-related human rights abuses have access to effective remedies.
