NCP Activities
2023/12/13 – Event AICEP
On December 13th, AICEP, in collaboration with the Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE), organized a webinar on "Responsible Business Conduct in the Portuguese Business Activity". The webinar was aimed at Portuguese companies from all sectors and included practical examples from the speakers.
As co-coordinator of the Portuguese National Contact Point (NCP PT) for Responsible Business Conduct, DGAE gave a brief presentation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on RBC, the respective Due Diligence Guides and the mandate of the NCP PT. AICEP took this opportunity to present the ESG Capacity Building Program for SME Exporters.
The second part of the event assumed the format of a roundtable discussion, moderated by AICEP and with the participation of representatives from the companies Fravizel, Grupo Casais and Somincor, who presented good practices regarding sustainability. Finally, Allan Jorgensen, Head of the OECD's Center for Responsible Business Conduct, delivered a closing message to the event's participants, which can be viewed on the NCP PT’s YouTube channel.
2023/11/29 – Briefing session with students from the European Law Students Association (ELSA)
On November 29, the Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE) has participated in an online briefing session with students from the European Law Students Association (ELSA) responsible for developing a legal brief on the updated version of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct. The session focused on different aspects of this update and the role of the Portuguese National Contact Point (PCN PT) for Responsible Business Conduct.
The session was recorded and is available at:
2023/11/24 – Participation in Workshop at IMPIC
On November 24th, the Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE) took part in a workshop organized by the Institute of Public Markets for Real Estate and Construction, P.I. (IMPIC), aimed to the development of a dialogue on the use of strategic public procurement in promoting environmental, social and innovation issues. This workshop was supported by the European Commission, the ICLEI Network - Local Governments for Sustainability and the consultancy firm PwC.
DGAE helped to identify challenges and also solutions in terms of public procurement in the social area by sharing its experience and vision as co-coordinator of the Portuguese National Contact Point (PT NCP) for Responsible Business Conduct.
In its presentation, DGAE explained the concept of Responsible Business Conduct and Due Diligence and identified the expectations placed on governments in terms of their role in promoting Responsible Business Conduct and Due Diligence, particularly in terms of public procurement. In addition, DGAE presented the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct ("the Guidelines") and corresponding Due Diligence Guides, as internationally recognized instruments in this field, as well as the role of NCPs as non-judicial mediation platforms for dealing with specific instances and promoting the Guidelines.
2023/09/26 – Third Annual
Conference of the NOVA BHRE | Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: From Law
to Practice
On the 26th of September 2023, the Third Annual Conference of the NOVA BHRE took place. This year’s topic was: Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence: From Law to Practice. The conference was held in Lisbon at the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Zona de Congressos, Auditórium 3). The event included four panels that addressed topics such as global expectations regarding corporate sustainability due diligence, the intersection between business, human rights and technology, responsible disengagement and the role of remedy. Experts in the different areas led the 4 discussion panels, which included the intervention of young ambassadors to ask questions of the speakers.
Lídia Farropas, Head of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE) and responsible for coordinating the DGAE's technical team for the Portuguese National Contact Point (NCP PT) for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC), shared some closing remarks.
In her remarks, she framed the topic of due diligence in the context of the European political agenda, focusing on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on corporate sustainability due diligence and explaining the challenge of carrying out this agenda taking into account the current economic and social landscape, as well as the specific circumstances of SMEs and business partners operating in developing countries, pointing to the adoption of binding and voluntary RBC instruments as a solution.
The need to raise awareness of the value of products and services produced by responsible companies, including consumers, governments, SMEs and workers, was also highlighted. In this context, Lídia Farropas emphasized the positive role of the most recent update of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on RBC and the future Portugal’s Action Plan for Responsible Business Conduct and Human Rights, which is awaiting political validation.
Lídia Farropas ended her speech by giving a positive note to the peer review exercise to which the PT NCP was subjected and attributed the success of this exercise to the great involvement of stakeholders, in particular academia. Taking this opportunity, Lídia Farropas informed that the PT NCP is collaborating on the Portuguese translation of the new update of the OECD Guidelines and launched the challenge to NOVA BHRE to participate in the next PT NCP event, to be held in April 2024. For more information, visit the page: Third Annual Conference of the NOVA BHRE - NOVA BHRE
2023/06/26 - 2023/06/28 – OIT Training: Labour issues in Responsible Business Conduct
The International Training Center of the International Labor Organization (ILO), located in Turin, provided, with funding from the European Union, and in partnership with the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intensive seminar, face-to-face, aimed at the National Contact Points (NCP) for Responsible Business Conduct, called “Labor issues in responsible business conduct”, in which the Portuguese NCP participated. The same took place on June 26th to 28th, 2023.
The ILO dates back to 1919, when the Treaty of Versailles stipulated, in its Article 23, its creation. It currently has the status of an Agency of the United Nations (UN), based in Geneva. Labor rights - universally recognized in the ILO's International Labor Standards (ILS) constitute a crucial element of responsible business conduct.
This intensive seminar was created specifically to support NCPs to enhance their skills in work-related human rights and core elements of HRDD (Human Rights Due Diligence) by providing information on ILO standards, tools and networks and promoting policy coherence, synergies and collaboration between NCPs and the ILO on issues related to “decent work” (a designation that is part of the ILO motto) and responsible business conduct.
2023/05/15
– Round Table | EU Directive Proposal on corporate sustainability due diligence
On May 15th 2023, the Roundtable on the proposed EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD) was held. This event was coordinated by #OurFoodOurFuture in collaboration with Oxfam, o IMVF and Universidade Nova Business, Human Rights and Environment and had the aim of promoting debate on key issues in the CSDDD negotiation process, bringing together a diverse range of policy makers and stakeholders.
The National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct Portuguese (NCP PT) was represented at this event through the participation of Lídia Farropas (responsible for the technical team of the NCP PT of DGAE) in a panel that addressed the role of the government in the negotiation and transposition of the CSDDD. In this context, Lídia Farropas highlighted the relevance of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in the context of the implementation of Responsible Business Conduct practices and how the PCN PT and the NCP network can support companies in the implementation and promotion of due diligence practices.
2023/04/13
– Webinar | The Role of the NCP for the RBC
On April 13th, the Directorate-General for Economic Activities, in collaboration with aicep Portugal Global, organized the webinar dedicated to the topic “The Role of the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct”.
This event marked the start of the cycle of annual events dedicated to promoting the activity of the National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct.
Watch the recording of the event at: https://youtu.be/Uort1GAed2I
2022/12/12 – 2023/03/20 – Mediation Training for NCPs: Tools and Techniques for Success
Between December 12th of 2022 and March 20th of 2023, the Portuguese National Contact Point (NCP PT) team participated in the "Mediation training for NCPs: Tools and techniques for success". This training was part of the third Action Plan for Strengthening National Contact Points for Responsible Business Conduct 2022-2024.
The aim of this training was to support NCPs in developing mediation skills, as well as in using online dispute resolution tools and techniques to deal with specific instances. This online training was delivered by experienced mediators with a specialization in Online Dispute Resolution, provided by ODR Foundations.
The training consisted in both theoretical content and practical work through the simulation of online mediation scenarios in the context of dealing with specific instances, allowing NCPs to apply the skills acquired. The training was divided into 4 online training sessions and 4 sessions of autonomous work between the trainees.
2022/11/23 – Portugal Export Fair
PT NCP was present at the event “Portugal Exportador”, which took place on November 23, 2022, at the Lisbon Congress Centre. This event aimed to accelerate companies' internationalization strategies, being especially focused on SMEs and opening up the opportunity for business and networking.
In this context, the DGAE developed a video, displayed at the aicep Portugal Global stand, with a view to transmitting relevant information on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, as well as on the proposal for a Directive on the Corporate Sustainability Due Dilligence of Enterprises, two interconnected subjects within the scope of Responsible Business Conduct.
2022/11/22 - Participation in the peer review exercise of the NCP of Peru
PT NCP, through DGAE, was part of the team that participated in the peer review exercise of the National Contact Point of Peru, promoted by the Secretariat of the Working Group “Responsible Business Conduct” of the OECD.
As part of this exercise, an on-site visit (city of Lima) was carried out between the 22nd and 24th of November 2022. Carrying out these exercises is part of the OECD Action Plan to strengthen its NCP network for Responsible Business Conduct .
2022/05/04 – Participation in the Anti-corruption International Congress
PT NCP, through DGAE, participated in the panel “Public-Private Action to Integrity” at the Anti-Corruption International Congress, organized by the Faculty of Law of Universidade Lusíada (Porto), on May 4, 2022.
PT NCP’s intervention focused on the definition of Responsible Business Conduct, identified the main international instruments relevant to Responsible Business Conduct, highlighted the leadership role of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, presenting in greater detail the respective Chapter VII, dedicated to Combating Corruption, Soliciting Bribery and Extortion.
