In partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
From 3 – 5 February 2025, Wilton Park brought together a unique blend of human rights and economic development expertise alongside perspectives from developing and emerging economies. The participants explored innovative solutions that aimed to balance the urgency of tackling modern slavery with the broader goals of SDG8, which emphasise enterprise growth, decent work, and sustainable economic development.
Emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs) account for nearly 80% of global economic growth and have become increasingly integrated into global economic systems and markets through global supply chains. While the expansion of global supply chains has resulted in increased market and employment opportunities and economic growth, it has also exacerbated labour conditions and workers’ rights in EMDEs. Modern slavery remains a pressing challenge in the global supply chain. SDG Target 8.7 calls on countries to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking, and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour. Initiatives such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) represent key steps forward in promoting sustainable and transparent global supply chains. However, challenges persist in the practical implementation of business and human rights (BHR) standards set out in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, particularly in the domestic context of EMDEs. Many businesses in EMDEs face increasing challenges in aligning with transparency and due diligence requirements from markets, regulators, and investors.
The event aimed to identify tools and approaches that could empower governments, investors and EMDE businesses to create sustainable, market-based solutions that reduce exploitation in international supply chains and domestic markets, whilst facilitating critical access to global markets and investment even in high-risk contexts. A key focus was on the fair sharing of responsibilities across the value chain while developing sustainable, empowered and non-dependent capacity of EMDE businesses to address supply chain issues and meet regulatory market and investor requirements.
A series of plenary sessions explored:
- EMDE business perspectives and on-the-ground realities in accessing and meeting export market BHR requirements.
- EMDE buyer perspectives on and experiences of creating decent work in high-risk contexts, while meeting human rights disclosure and due diligence expectations of regulators, markets and investors.
- The BHR data ecosystem and challenges and opportunities in collecting and utilising data to assess modern slavery risks, measure progress, and demonstrate compliance.
- Opportunities for positive spillover effects of BHR measures, such as how solutions targeting global supply chains can improve standards in local and domestic supply chains.
- This report provides a summary of key themes and conclusions emerging from the event. The discussions highlighted the importance of adopting a systems approach to tackling modern slavery in supply chains, focusing on impact, equitable partnerships, and fair distribution of responsibilities.