Stronger cooperation in the area of protection and improvement of human rights in the business sector

December 11, 2023 | Belgrade

The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (CCIS) signed today an Agreement on cooperation with the aim of improving knowledge and skills in the field of protection and improvement of human rights in the business sector.

The agreement was signed by the Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue Tomislav Žigmanov and the Director of the Sector for Strategic Analysis, Services and Internationalization of CCIS Mihailo Vesović as part of the "Business and Human Rights" conference.

By signing this document, it will be possible to improve cooperation in the area of promoting CCIS services, such as the Responsible Business Hub (RBH) service center, then, encouraging the creation and promotion of company ethical codes and anti-discrimination policies, work on the development of seminars, training and training programs for the business sector in with the aim of improving knowledge in the field of human rights and internal procedures in the business sector in accordance with international standards.

Although Serbia as a country has not yet adopted an action plan related to sustainable development and the fulfillment of global goals, the economy and the Serbian Chamber of Commerce as its representative demand that the laws of other countries, such as Germany or European Union directives, be respected, Vesović explained after signing the agreement.

"Their request is that all suppliers who come from outside the EU countries, therefore also Serbia, respect human rights, children's rights, and ecological principles. CCIS, with the support of the German agency GIZ, founded the Responsible Business Hub at the beginning of the year, as a place where we help companies from Serbia to fill in and give appropriate statements and to reach the standards set in this area," he said.

Today's agreement with the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, pointed out Vesović, speaks in favor of the fact that there is a need for business to improve and respect human rights and all norms outlined by the United Nations.

"Through discussions with the Government of Serbia and the relevant ministry, the Chamber of Commerce will be the one that, on behalf of the business community, will propose possible solutions that the state would bring. We will also help companies to meet the goals that are set before them, and above all those that have already been set by suppliers and importers from the EU and Germany," he said.

The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights signed an agreement on cooperation with the Republic Agency for peaceful settlement of labor disputes.

The conference on business and human rights was organized by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue and the United Nations Development Organization (UNDP) with the support of PKS, Organization for European Security and Cooperation, OSCE Mission in Serbia, Belgrade Center for Human Rights.