In June 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced plans to update the U.S. National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct. This presents an important opportunity to fix weaknesses in the original plan, published in 2016, which lacks concrete commitments concerning accountability and remedy for harms stemming from U.S. government and private sector investments and development activities.
Inclusive Development International and Accountability Counsel recently submitted comments for the revision of the National Action Plan, recommending ways in which the U.S. government can increase accountability for environmental, social, human rights, and labor harms overseas. Based on our experience working with communities harmed by internationally financed projects to seek justice, we advise that the revised plan require an accountability framework to apply to all U.S. money that might harm individuals or the environment. In doing so, the revised plan needs to significantly increase the U.S.’s commitment to ensuring that accountability and remedy are achieved when negative impacts occur from projects or investments, whether these projects or investments are put forward by the U.S. government, U.S.-supported multilateral institutions, or by U.S. based companies.
Our full recommendations can be found here.