Sustainable development requires appropriate political and other instruments, including with regard to the private sector’s social responsibility. The question here is not one of mandatory versus voluntary approaches, but one of how different approaches can be combined and integrated in the most effective way.

In this context, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights – the internationally accepted framework for companies’ human rights responsibilities – call for a “Smart Mix” of measures.

Against this background, the workshop seeks to address the following guiding questions: What kind of approaches are there (public, private, mandatory, voluntary, national, European / international)? How can they be effectively combined? What role do different actors – from business, civil society, politics – have to play in developing and implementing a smart mix?

The plenary sessions of this workshop will be in English.