•
The UN Global Compact, adopted in 2000,
is the world’s largest corporate sustainability
initiative. It is a voluntary initiative that
3. National framework on
human rights and business
seeks to align business operations and
A decade after their endorsement by the UN
strategies with ten universally accepted
Human Rights Council, the UN Guiding Principles
principles in the areas of human rights,
are increasingly being embedded into law, policy
labour, environment and anti-corruption.
and practice globally. Following a call from the
In Vietnam, implementation of the UN
UN Human Rights Council for all Member States
Global Compact’s Ten Principles is driven
to develop National Action Plans on business and
by the local network, the Global Compact
human rights (NAPs),32 a number of countries
Network of Vietnam (GCNV). GCNV was
worldwide have been engaging in processes to
launched in 2007 by VCCI and the United
develop NAPs to support the implementation of
Nations in Vietnam. The goal of GCNV is
the UN Guiding Principles and drive responsible
to be a national centre of excellence for
business conduct.
corporate responsibility. The GCNV seeks
to identify challenges and solutions related
to interactions between business and the
community,
environment,
government
and consumers, in order to advance
corporate sustainability and contribute to
the achievement of the SDGs. By signing
up to the UN Global Compact, a business
is making a commitment to uphold and
implement the UN Global Compact’s Ten
Notably,
several
countries
have
explicitly
addressed the risks and challenges posed by
the tourism industry in their NAPs. For example,
Poland’s NAP commits to amending legislation
to address sexual exploitation of minors in
the hospitality industry, and the German NAP
commits
to
providing
increased
financial
support for the Round Table on Human Rights in
Tourism.33
Principles. The UN Guiding Principles and
the OECD Guidelines provide the practical
tools and actions to make this possible.
Responsible business conduct and the tourism industry in Vietnam • Guidance for companies • 2022 | 21