Background

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In 2019, the Japan Responsible Supply Chains Committee (JRSC), which is comprised of multi-stakeholder members, led by BHR Lawyers and GCNJ, has formulated and announced   the "Engagement" and "Remedy" Guidelines for Promotion of Responsible Business Conduct and Responsible Supply Chains. In one of the guidelines, they proposed an idea of a collective grievance mechanism, or a grievance center. It says that it may rather improve the trust and legitimacy of the grievance mechanism, and also considered to facilitate to provide relief to victims by accumulating cases or experiences which improve the effectiveness of grievance mechanism and problem resolution in Japanese companies.

 

​With the support of Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, among others, efforts were made to bring this idea to fruition. The establishment of the Japan Center for Engagement and Remedy on Business and Human Rights, or “JaCER” in short, was finally announced last year, and began its work in October 2022. This can be one of the prominent models for the future grievance mechanisms, and what we learned from the establishment process as well as short experience in our work so far may be useful for all those who are interested in this field.

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About the session

This session proposes to address an issue of access to remedy. It is one of the main pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and yet, it has been most neglected. The focus of this session is advantages and challenges of a collective grievance mechanism in which multiple companies participate, or what we call a “Joint Platform for Engagement & Remedy”.

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Objectives

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The main objectives of this session are to:​

• To share and learn about grievance mechanisms in general, and joint platform in particular.

• To share and learn about good practices regarding to access to remedy.

• To learn how to achieve effectiveness and legitimacy of grievance mechanisms.

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Key questions

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Panelists will reflect on the following questions:

• What is “joint” grievance mechanisms and how does it work?

• How can we engage with business enterprises regarding to access to remedy?

• How can “effectiveness” and “legitimacy” of Grievance Mechanisms can be achieved?

• Share good practices regarding to grievance mechanisms.

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