Public Procurement and Human Rights in Africa

Workshop Objectives Increase awareness of key challenges and opportunities in leveraging public procurement to address human rights and sustainable development in Africa; Develop a roadmap of opportunities to operationalizing the UNGPs and SDGs in public procurement in the African context; Explore best practices, challenges, and opportunities to address human rights abuses by private military and security companies (PMSCs) through public procurement; Explore best practices, challenges, and opportunities to address sustainable development through public procurement; and Foster a network on public procurement and human rights in Africa.

International Learning Lab on Public Procurement and Human Rights Network of public procurement policy makers, procurement officers, NGOs, NHRIs, academics, and other relevant actors. The Learning Lab’s global network is a platform and mechanism for: Experience-sharing among procurement actors on approaches to integrating respect for human rights; Generating knowledge about public procurement law and policy and human rights; Producing and disseminating tools and guidance to build capacity to integrate human rights issues among procurement professionals; and Promoting coherence between procurement and human rights in international and regional frameworks and initiatives. Activities include: research, producing reports and tools, engaging in advocacy, and convening workshops.

Public Procurement and Human Rights: A Survey of Twenty Jurisdictions The Inaugural Report of the Learning Lab Includes: An overview of key standards, issues, and policy or practitioner initiatives concerning the interface between public procurement and human rights Key findings from a 20-jurisdiction survey of law, policy, and practice on public procurement and human rights conducted in collaboration with local partners; and Recommendations on measures needed to bring public procurement into alignment with human rights and sustainable development.

Survey Report Conclusions There is a need for dedicated efforts by government to achieve policy coherence between public procurement laws, policies, and practices, on one hand, and on the other government responsibilities to avoid human rights abuses Clear legal requirements and policies at international and national levels on the responsibilities of public bodies in connection with purchasing activities are currently lacking Existing public procurement standards generally fail to refer to state responsibilities to avoid human rights abuses

Survey Report Conclusions Cont. Monitoring of conditions in government supply chains is an extremely rare occurrence Access to remedy for victims of human rights abuses in government supply chains are lacking There is a clear need for guidance and training for public buyers New actions on public procurement and human rights must build on and capture synergies with existing sustainable, green, ethical, or social public procurement initiatives.

Other Key Initiatives UNEP 10yfp SPP Inter-American Network on Government Procurement Sustainable Purchasing Consortium European working Group on Sustainable Public Procurement

Visit Us Visit our website at www.hrprocurementlab.org For more information contact Nicole Vander Meulen at Nicole@icar.ngo