Homepage
Siga-nos no LinkedIn
Siga-nos no LinkedIn
Direção-Geral das Atividades Económicas
Comércio com HistóriaEspaço Comerciante
DGAE - topo

NCP Activities 


NCP PT closes 2024 on a positive note and reveals new goals for 2025

(text drafted on 23 December 2024)

The Portuguese National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NCP PT) closes 2024 with significant progress and looks ahead to 2025 with ambitious new goals. One of this year's main milestones was the successful conclusion of the follow-up process to the PCN PT peer review exercise, which assessed the implementation of the recommendations made in 2023. This moment reflected NCP PT's commitment to improving its practices and increasingly aligning itself with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (the Guidelines). 


Throughout 2024, NCP PT carried out various awareness-raising initiatives with different stakeholder groups. 12 awareness-raising sessions were held, reaching a wide range of stakeholders, contributing to the promotion of responsible business conduct and the dissemination of the Guidelines and the respective Due Diligence Guides.


As 2024 draws to a close, NCP PT launches its first Annual Activity Report, a periodic publication that offers a clear and transparent overview of the activities carried out throughout the year. This report not only highlights key events and initiatives, but also emphasises NCP PT's ongoing efforts to foster constructive dialogue around best business practices.


In 2025, the NCP PT will hold a stakeholder consultation on the draft revision of the NCP PT Guide to Procedures. The aim of this consultation is to gather contributions and comments that will help improve this guide, which will be a fundamental tool for enabling the handling of specific instances (complaints) and the provision of good offices (handling of complaints) by this NCP.


It can therefore be concluded that the year 2024 was extremely important for consolidating the foundations of the NCP PT's work and expanding its reach. With the launch of the Guide to Procedures in sight, and closer relations with various institutional stakeholders, 2025 will be a year that reveals a NCP PT prepared to fulfil its mandate of promoting Responsible Business Conduct and acting as a platform for mediation between companies and stakeholders.


The NCP PT thus reiterates its commitment to working collaboratively with all stakeholders and encourages the business, academic and civil community to actively participate in upcoming events and initiatives - already signalled in the 2025 promotional plan.  By continuing its efforts, NCP PT hopes to further strengthen its position as a key pillar in promoting responsible business behaviour in Portugal.


For more information, visit the NCP PT website and check out the 2024 Activity Report and the 2025 Promotional Plan, soon to be available in Portuguese and English.


 

2024/07/18 – Webinar ‘Responsible Business Conduct and Transparency: Responding to Emerging Challenges’

The Directorate-General for Economic Activities (DGAE), on behalf of the Portuguese National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NCP PT), is organising a webinar on ‘Responsible Business Conduct and Transparency: Responding to Emerging Challenges’ on 18 July at 2.30pm (GMT +0, Lisbon time). The event will be held on the Microsoft Teams platform and will be attended by various experts and representatives of national and international organisations.


For more information, see the full article at: Webinar “Responsible Business Conduct and Transparency: Responding to Emerging Challenges” (article in Portuguese). You can watch the recording of this event at: https://youtu.be/lH-FzlhGA0U.



 

2024/03/28 – Review of the NCP PT's promotional activity in the 1st quarter of 2024

Review of the NCP PT's promotional activity in the 1st quarter of 2024

In 2024, the NCP PT has carried out its promotional activity in order to respond to the implementation of the recommendations contained in the OECD Report "Peer Review Report of the National Contact Point of Portugal".


These recommendations stated that the NCP PT should, on the one hand, strive to promote relations with relevant stakeholders, paying particular attention to strengthening relations with trade unions and civil society and, on the other hand, work to promote the OECD Guidelines and Recommendation on the Role of Government in Promoting RBC with other parts of the government, especially in other important ministries, such as the Ministries of Labour and of Environment.


Thus, at the end of December 2023, the NCP PT contacted all the national entities that took part in the NCP PT's peer review exercise, so that they could express their interest in hosting an awareness-raising session organised by the NCP PT. At the beginning of the year, this exercise allowed the NCP PT team to programme the promotional plan for 2024 (available on the NCP PT website in Portuguese and English), including 13 awareness-raising sessions aimed at the general public, academia, workers' representatives, the public administration and civil society.


During the 1st quarter of 2024, NCP PT has already held 3 awareness-raising sessions aimed at the following organisations: Nova School of Business & Economics, Direção-Geral do Consumidor (DGC) and Entidade de Serviços Partilhados da Administração Pública, I.P. (ESPAP, I.P.). The PCN PT sessions are evaluated using a form, and the evaluation of the sessions held can be consulted in this document


On 23 January 2024, the NCP PT also took part in an interview for a study developed by New York University, called the Grievance Redress and Accountability Mechanisms Project and coordinated by post-doctoral student Claire Sieffert.


The NCP PT is currently preparing its next promotional activities, including the video tutorial for the 1st chapter of the 2023 edition of the Guidelines, participation in a podcast episode developed by the NOVA Knowledge Centre for Business, Human Rights and the Environment and the launch of its next edition of the Newsletter (available in Portuguese and English).


 

2024/03/12 – NCP Romania Peer Review

NCP Romania Peer Review

The NCP PT took part in the visit of the Romanian NCP Peer Review exercise, which took place in Bucharest from 12th to 14th March 2024. In addition to the NCP PT, the team of evaluators was made up of members from the OECD Secretariat, the Spanish NCP and the Kazakhstani NCP.


The exercise included meetings with representatives from the business sector, labour, civil society and government departments. The exercise also included a promotional event focussing on the best practices of the NCPs that made up the exercise's peer team.


The report on this exercise is expected to be published in the upcoming months.


 

2023/12/13 – Event AICEP

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) 

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:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-1EV5l8u58.

 


2023/11/24 – Participation in Workshop at IMPIC

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

Third Annual Conference of the NOVA BHRE

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


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

Mesa redonda

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

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

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 

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

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

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. 


 
  • PRR
  • Comunicar às Empresas
  • Financiamento
  • Estatuto de Bloqueio
  • Dashboard e outras Estatísticas
  • Rótulo Ecológico
  • Canal de Denúncias