Driving Responsible Business in Latin America and the Caribbean

Introduction

As global markets evolve, the demand for responsible, transparent, and sustainable business practices has never been higher. In Latin America and the Caribbean, governments and companies are showing growing interest in aligning with international standards on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC). Yet turning commitment into action remains a challenge.

With the European Union stepping up its leadership through stronger policies and regulations, RBC has become a key pillar of its trade and investment agenda—anchored in human rights, decent work, and sustainable development. For LAC businesses, meeting these standards is not only a matter of principle, but also a passport to global markets, particularly in the EU.

Objectives

Phase II of the Responsible Business Conduct in Latin America and the Caribbean project (2024–2028) builds on five years of regional progress. It continues to support a smart, sustainable, and inclusive economic model—by promoting practical RBC tools, policy alignment, and capacity building rooted in internationally agreed standards from the United Nations (UN), International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and aligned with evolving EU regulatory frameworks on due diligence.

Project activities

• Trainings
• Specialised sectoral tools
• Peer-to-peer learning
• Multi-stakeholder dialogues
• Knowledge-based documents 

Expected results

• Improved practices by businesses and employers’ organisations and supply chain actors on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) due diligence, particularly in high impact sectors such as minerals/ extractives and agriculture, in line with internationally agreed instruments and standards.
• Improved and coherent policy, regulatory and legislative frameworks on RBC and their implementation in alignment with RBC instruments and standards.
• Improved role of the workers’ organisations, civil society and communities in uptake of RBC.

Implementing partners

• International Labor Organization (ILO)
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)