Call for Session Proposals

Overview

The 2026 Forum theme, Building Resilience, Advancing Rights, reflects a shared recognition that in a context of growing geopolitical, economic, and environmental pressures, resilience must go beyond managing disruption. It is about strengthening the systems, relationships, and governance needed to ensure that respect for human rights is sustained in practice. This includes addressing structural risks, power imbalances, and ensuring that responses to change do not shift burdens onto workers or marginalized groups.

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Consultations across stakeholders point to a clear direction: the priority now is implementation. While policy frameworks and commitments have advanced, persistent gaps remain in translating these into tangible outcomes – particularly in deep-tier supply chains, access to remedy, and meaningful stakeholder engagement. 

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Proposals should therefore focus on practical application, bringing forward concrete case studies, tools, and lessons learned. We particularly encourage interactive sessions that foster open dialogue, problem solving, and collaboration, and that bring together diverse voices to generate actionable insights and solutions.

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Venue 

The Forum will be held in person at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, Thailand. For participants, virtual access will be provided for most sessions.

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Dates  

The Forum will be held from 15-19 September 2026. 

 

To make the most of the convening opportunity, affiliated events are encouraged on the Monday before and the Friday following the Forum. These events are independently organized but may be listed on the Forum website and included in promotional materials.

 

Thematic Tracks

Proposals linked to the overall theme, and specifically to the following thematic tracks, are strongly encouraged, though there will also be limited space to discuss other relevant responsible business issues. The session may address, but are not limited to, the following topics:​

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Strengthening Governance and Regulatory Coherence

This track focuses on how governance systems can better support the implementation of business and human rights commitments. It will focus on:

• Assessing the effectiveness and strengthening the development and implementation of NAPs and HRDD frameworks and regulations

• Using data-driven approaches and technology to advance the business and human rights agenda

• Navigating regulatory complexity and strengthening enforcement by aligning trade, investment and economic policies with human rights obligations, responsibilities and standards

 

Resilient Markets and Supply Chains 

This track focuses on strengthening resilience across market systems and supply chains.

It will examine:

• Extending HRDD in complex, deep-tier supply chains 

• Reaching (M)SMEs, informal actors, and high-risk segments 

• Addressing critical risks such as forced labor and unethical recruitment 

• Addressing human rights risks arising from products, services, marketing and purchasing practices, including food and beverage, digital, financial services.

• Leveraging markets, buyers, and investors, and ESG frameworks to drive responsible business conduct 

 

Remedy, Accountability and Trust

This track focuses on strengthening accountability and governance systems to prevent human rights and environmental harms and ensure access to effective remedies. It will explore:

• Strengthening accountability and governance across policy, regulatory and corporate systems

• Improving access to justice and to remedy, including through judicial and non-judicial mechanisms such as the National Contact Points under the OECD, accountability mechanisms of international financial institutions, and operational-level grievance mechanisms.  

• Promoting trust through credible, transparent and outcome-oriented accountability approaches 

 

Inclusion, Participation and Protection

This track recognizes that resilience depends on inclusive participation and protection of affected stakeholders.

It will focus on:

• Strengthening the voice and participation of workers, communities, human rights defenders, and disproportionately affected groups, including migrant and informal workers, women, children and youths, people with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples

• Addressing barriers to participation and shrinking civic space 

• Promoting inclusive and meaningful stakeholder engagement and collective action​

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Proposal Review and Selection Criteria

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All session proposals will be assessed against the following areas, which apply equally to all session types and will form the basis for the review committee to make decisions:

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• Strategic Relevance

• Focus on Practice and Outcomes

• Format and Engagement Quality

• Inclusion and Representation

• Addressing Key Priorities Identified in Consultations

• Added Value and Originality

• Feasibility and Design Quality

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Please find the full evaluation criteria linked below

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📌 Please note: Based on the themes of submitted proposals, availability of session slots, and other logistical considerations, some organizers may be invited to collaborate with others to co-host joint sessions. 

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Collaboration and Consolidation of Proposals

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To ensure a coherent, high-quality programme and avoid duplication, proposals may be merged or proposers may be invited to collaborate where there is strong overlap in topic, approach, country focus or intended outcomes. Given the limited number of session slots, this approach helps ensure broader representation and allows for a greater diversity of voices and experiences to be included.

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Proposals are more likely to be consolidated where:

• Multiple submissions address the same or closely related themes (e.g. HRDD implementation, remedy, supply chains) or countries and sectors without clear differentiation 

• Sessions target similar audiences or objectives and could benefit from a joint, more comprehensive discussion 

• Proposals cover a widely discussed topic but individually lack sufficient depth, practical examples, or diversity of perspectives 

• Combining proposals would enable stronger multi-stakeholder representation (e.g. bringing together business, civil society, government, and rights-holder voices) 

• There is clear potential to create a more interactive, solution-oriented format through collaboration 

 

What this means for proposers:

You may be contacted and invited to co-develop a joint session with other organizations 

• Co-organizing UN agencies will arrange an introductory call to discuss submissions requiring collaboration. The proposers may decide not to collaborate, but that does not guarantee the proposers will have individual sessions if it falls under the criteria mentioned above. 

• Developing joint sessions may involve aligning content, refining scope, or adjusting format to strengthen overall quality and coherence 

• The final session design (including format, speakers, and structure) will be agreed collaboratively, with facilitation from the organizers. 

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Important:

• Willingness to collaborate will be considered positively in the selection process 

• The co-organizing UN agencies (ILO, UN Women, IOM, UNEP, UNICEF, OHCHR, UNDP) reserve the right to make final decisions to ensure balance, diversity, and overall programme quality

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Submission Deadline

16 May 2026

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A committee will review applications and respond the first half of June, following which full concept notes and final session information will be requested.

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Support Provided

The Forum co-organizers will provide collaborating partners with facilities (e.g. rooms, general IT support, Zoom webinar links) and guide them on the steps they need to take to organize a session. Side session organizers will be responsible for all logistics pertaining to their session, including concept note development, session delivery, coordination with speakers, visa, travel, accommodation, and managing their sessions on Zoom (e.g. sharing presentations, highlighting speakers, monitoring Q&A). 

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Queries

For the lastest information on the Forum, please visit our website. For general queries related to this application process, please reach out to the Forum Secretariat at unrbhrforum@undp.org with cc to amy.sellmyer@undp.org.