International Learning Lab on Public Procurement and Human Rights

The Learning Lab’s global network is a platform and mechanism for: 1. experience-sharing among procurement actors on approaches to integrating respect for human rights; 2. generating knowledge about public procurement law and policy and human rights; 3. producing and disseminating tools and guidance to build capacity to integrate human rights issues among procurement professionals; and 4. promoting coherence between procurement and human rights in international and regional frameworks and initiatives. Outputs/Deliverables: 1 – Public Procurement and Human Rights Toolkit The Public Procurement and Human Rights Toolkit will enable public buyers with little or no prior knowledge of human rights issues to establish and put into practice a policy and operational framework for identifying, assessing, and managing human rights risks in government supply chains. The primary audience for the toolkit is practitioners, however, the Toolkit would also be relevant to and useful for policy makers. This Toolkit will be published as a PDF. 2 – Monthly Interviews of Experts for 10YFP SPP Network ICAR and DIHR will facilitate the sharing of knowledge, resources, and experience, and will connect the 10YFP SPP network and the network of the International Learning Lab. As part of these efforts, ICAR will host a series of virtual interviews of prominent experts on public procurement and human rights. These interviews will take place on a monthly basis. 3 - Web version of Toolkit and e-learning modules The PDF version of the Toolkit will be converted into an online road-testing version of the Toolkit, which will include an integrated suite of e-learning modules. 4 – Pilot Toolkit This road-testing version will be piloted with selected public procurers and further revised to incorporate improvements suggested during the pilot exercises and feedback from other users. Amongst achievements of the Learning Lab since its formation in 2015 are the following: • Hosting of 2 international Learning Lab conferences on public procurement and human rights in 2015 and 2016, including participation by national public procurement agencies, UN special mandate holders, representatives of international organisations, practitioners, national human rights institutions and civil society stakeholders • The publication of the first major survey of legal and policy frameworks on public procurement and human rights, Public Procurement and Human Rights: A Survey of Twenty Jurisdictions in July 2016, based on research undertaken in collaboration with local Learning Lab partners in 20 countries • Establishment of the Learning Lab website (www.hrprocurementlab.org) which gathers resources such as reports and e-learnings, a regular Learning Lab blog to which practitioners and stakeholders contribute • Collaborating with UNEP to host a 10YFP SPP e-learning on public procurement and human rights for more than 70 participants • Facilitating human rights inputs to the development of ISO’s new 20400 Sustainable Procurement Guidance • Providing expert input and capacity development support for practitioners on procurement and human rights at international conferences and workshops (OSCE, World Bank, Sustainable Leadership Purchasing Consortium, International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management, International Purchasing and Supply Research and Education Association) • Hosting panel discussions on public procurement and human rights at the UN Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva in 2015 and 2016, highlighting the role of public procurement under the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (12.7) and emerging good practices of integrating human rights into public procurement Providing expert input on public procurement and human rights to the development of National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights (including in USA, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Scotland, UK) During the process, a Practitioner Review Group will be established to review drafts of the Toolkit to ensure it is relevant, practical and accessible, and responsive to implementation challenges such as supplier capacity and internal resource constraints.