Machine Translated by Google The Federal Council Berne, June 21, 2017 Position paper and action plan of the Federal Council on the responsibility of companies for society and environment Federal Council report on the status of implementation of the action plan (Period April 2015 to March 2017) Machine Translated by Google Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................. .................................................. ................ 1 1.1 Starting point ................................................ .................................................. ............ 1 1.2 Status of implementation and outlook ............................................ ................................. 1 2 Helping to shape the CSR framework ..................................................... ............... 2 2.1 Measures ..................................................... .................................................. ............. 2 2.2 Activities in international organizations ..................................................... .................. 3 2.2.1 OECD...................................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 ONE................................................. .................................................. ..................... 4 2.2.3 ILO .......................................................................................................................... 5 2.2.4 Council of Europe ................................................ .................................................. ............. 6 2.3 Theme-specific activities ..................................................... ...................................... 6 2.3.1 Public Procurement ..................................................... ....................... 6 2.3.2 Human rights ........................................ .................................................. ...... 7 2.3.3 Environment and health ........................................ .............................................. 8th 2.3.4 Commodity report ..................................................... .................................................. ..... 9 3 Awareness raising and support for Swiss companies ........................ 10 3.1 Measures ..................................................... .................................................. ........... 10 3.2 General awareness-raising activities................................................. ....................... 10 3.3 Theme-specific awareness-raising activities ........................................................ .......... 11 3.3.1 Procurement ........................................ .................................................. .......... 11 3.3.2 Finance area ................................................ .................................................. ..... 11 3.3.3 Corruption................................................. .................................................. ........... 12 3.3.4 Compatibility of work and family ..................................................... .............................. 12 3.3.5 Equal opportunities and wages ........................................ ..................................... 13 3.3.6 Professional integration ................................................ ....................................... 14 3.3.7 Health promotion ................................................ ....................................... 15 3.4 Role model role of the Confederation ..................................... .................................................. ...... 15 4 Promoting CSR in developing and transition countries ........................................ 16 4.1 Measures ..................................................... .................................................. ........... 16 4.2 Value chains ........................................................ ....................................... 16 4.3 Corporate governance, taxation, financing instruments ..................................... 17 5 Promoting transparency ..................................................... .......................................... 18 5.1 Measures ..................................................... .................................................. ........... 18 5.2 Sustainability reporting ..................................................... ................................ 18 5.3 Raw materials, products, consumer information ............................................ .............. 19 List of abbreviations ................................................. .................................................. .. 21 II/2 Machine Translated by Google 1 introduction 1.1 initial position On April 1, 2015, the Federal Council adopted a position paper and action plan on corporate social responsibility ( CSR1 ) (CSR position paper).2 It has two main objectives: It informs companies and their stakeholders about the goals and Federal expectations with regard to CSR and provides an overview of current and future CSR activities at federal level. The CSR position paper defines four strategic directions for federal activities. The Confederation is committed to shaping CSR framework conditions, raises awareness and supports Swiss companies in implementing CSR, strengthens CSR in developing and transition countries and promotes the transparency of CSR activities. Ten measures and around 80 activities relating to the four strategic directions are set out in an action plan for 2015-2019, which is part of the position paper. This report provides information on the status of the implementation of the measures along the four strategic directions for the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2017. 1.2 Status of implementation and outlook Since the publication of the CSR position paper, important developments at international and national level have brought CSR even more into the public eye. At the international level, the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDG) were adopted in 2015 as part of the UN Agenda 2030.3 Companies can make an important contribution to the fulfillment of these goals4 . In its Leaders' Declaration at its summit in June 2015, the G7 pledged to strengthen mechanisms that enable access to remedies (e.g. in connection with violations of labor rights or environmental standards), including the national contact points for the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.5 In order for companies to implement the OECD Guidelines, the OECD developed and launched guidelines for the raw materials, agriculture, textile and financial sectors as well as a cross-industry due diligence tool. In addition, the revised G20/OECD Principles of Corporate Governance for the Private Sector and the OECD Guidelines for State-Owned Enterprises were published in 2015. The implementation work for the EU Transparency Directive (Sustainability Reporting)6 passed in October 2014 will then run in the EU member states . In Switzerland, in December 2016, the Federal Council passed a report with a national action plan for the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights raw materials industry and reduction of risks (e.g. regarding social standards) are achieved 1 The term CSR is derived from the term “responsible corporate governance” (Responsible Business Conduct, RBC). 2www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Aussenwirtschaftspolitik_Wirttliche_Teamwork/Economic Relations/Gesells chaftliche_responsibility_of_companies/position paper_and_action plan_BR.html 3www.eda.admin.ch/agenda2030/de/home/aktuell/news.html/content/agenda2030/de/meta/news/2017/1/17-ziele-fuer sustainable development 4 According to goal 12.6. Large and transnational companies in particular are encouraged to introduce and report on sustainable practices. 5 www.bundesregierung.de/Content/EN/_Anlagen/G7/2015-06-08-g7-schluss-deu.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3, p.8 6 Directive 2014/95/EU of the European Parliament and Council of 22 October 2014 amending Directive 2013/34/EU as regards disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by certain large companies and groups; http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ legal-content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0095&from=DE 7 www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/46597.pdf Machine Translated by Google den.8 An external review (peer review) carried out in 2016 gave the Swiss National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (NCP) a good rating. 9 In October 2016, an alliance of 80 civil society organizations submitted the federal popular initiative “For responsible companies – to protect people and the environment”. The popular initiative demands a legally binding due diligence on human rights and the environment as well as liability provisions for Swiss companies with regard to foreign activities. The Federal Council essentially recognizes the concerns of the people's initiative, but recommends that Parliament reject it without a counter-proposal, as this goes too far, particularly in the area of liability.10 This report shows progress in all four strategic directions of the federal government in the area of CSR. In the opinion of the Federal Council, these have proven their worth. He still considers it expedient that Switzerland actively participates in the development of multilateral CSR standards and implements them. However, this has been coordinated internationally so that no disadvantageous framework conditions arise for Swiss companies. The Federal Council also welcomes the progress made in supporting companies and raising awareness, such as the activities supported by the Confederation within the framework of the Global Compact Network Switzerland or the new CSR web portal of the Confederation.11 This work should be continued and, if possible, geared even more towards SMEs in the future. The promotion of CSR and transparency in developing and transition countries in specific sectors (e.g. cocoa, gold, textiles) is welcomed and should be continued. Finally, the Confederation should continue to campaign at national and international level for the promotion, harmonization and proportionality of sustainability reporting by companies. The Federal Council recognizes that CSR can contribute to achieving the UN's sustainability goals. At the same time, it can create a direct benefit for companies (e.g. through savings in energy and raw material consumption or thanks to more productive employees). The Federal Council attaches great importance to CSR being promoted in dialogue with companies and stakeholder groups (eg NGOs, trade unions). To ensure policy coherence, SECO will continue to coordinate the implementation and further development of the action plan together with the departments and offices concerned. Representatives of external interest groups (including companies, associations, employee organisations, non-governmental organisations, science) are involved in this work. Important national and international CSR developments are also taken into account. 2 Shaping the CSR framework 2.1 Measures A.1. The Confederation represents Switzerland as an active member in international organizations and is committed to the development and updating of effective and transparent CSR standards. He works towards their coherence, proportionality and harmonization. Commitments made are implemented. A.2. The federal government promotes CSR by developing, updating and implementing sector- and topic-specific national strategies and action plans. 8 www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-58384.html and www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen/bundesrat.msg-id-64777.html 9 https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/ncppeerreviews.htm 10 www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen/bundesrat.msg-id-65222.html 11 www.csr.admin.ch 2/21 Machine Translated by Google 2.2 Activities in international organizations 2.2.1 OECD With a view to the implementation of the OECD guidelines for multinational companies, Switzerland supports the development and practical application of industry-specific OECD instruments for due diligence in the value chain.12 In these activities for the raw materials, agriculture and finance sectors, it is a member of the respective steering committee and makes a financial contribution. For example, she is involved in the planned pilot project for companies to apply the guidelines from the OECD and the Food and Agriculture Organization on responsible agricultural supply chains. Furthermore, companies were informed about the sectoral OECD guidelines through events and direct contacts. Switzerland is also representing its position at the OECD regarding the work on instructions with recommendations for due diligence in the value chain for all sectors. The Swiss National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (NCP)13 voluntarily undertook a peer review to review its practice . de, gives the Swiss NKP a good report. The six recommendations contained therein concern the area of responsibility of the NKP Advisory Board, the role of the ad hoc working groups, promotional activities (including the role of NGO representatives in the NKP Advisory Board) and certain process steps of the NKP procedure. In the reporting period, four suspected violations of the Guidelines were submitted to the NKP. These concerned the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Qatar and Bahrain, the World Wide Fund for Nature International (WWF) in Cameroon and SGS in Mali. Mediation procedures have been initiated on the submissions regarding Fifa in Qatar and WWF in Cameroon. The NCP did not respond to the submissions regarding FIFA in Bahrain and SGS in Mali because the criteria were not met. The submission on Holcim in Indonesia submitted prior to the reporting period is being processed.16 In the area of Corporate Governance (CG), the G20/OECD Principles for CG in the private sector and the guidelines for the CG of state-owned enterprises were revised and the result published in 2015. As part of the bill on the revision of company law, which is currently being discussed in Parliament, the Federal Council also proposes strengthening corporate governance in the Swiss private sector in accordance with the OECD principles (e.g. strengthening shareholder rights, provisions on remuneration). Furthermore, the Financial Stability Board17 examined the implementation of the principles at financial institutions as part of a peer rev Compliance with the guidelines (state-owned companies) at the federal level was continuously checked during the revision of the OECD regulations. It has been shown that the federal instruments in the area of CG meet the OECD guidelines in practically all respects. There remains a certain need for action when it comes to the appointment of the top management bodies of state-related companies (standardization of the elections to the top management bodies in order to increase transparency and uniformity). 12 http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/sectors/ 13 www.seco.admin.ch/nkp Report on 14 foreign trade policy 2016, p. 59/60, www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Publikationen_dienstleistungen/Publikationen_und_Formulare/ Foreign Trade/Reports _zu_Aussenwirtschaftspolitik/bericht-zu-Aussenwirtschaftspolitik-2016.html 15 https://mneguidelines.oecd.org/ncppeerreviews.htm 16 Reports on NKP cases, www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Aussenwirtschaftspolitik_Wirttliche_Teamwork/Wirtschaftsverbindungen/NKP/S tatements_zu_konkreten_Faellen.html 17 www.fsb.org/2016/08/thematic-peer-review-on-corporate-governance-summary-terms-of-reference/. 3/21 Machine Translated by Google In order to implement the OECD Anti-Corruption Convention18 and a recommendation resulting from the third phase of the OECD country assessment in 2013, various federal agencies are sensitizing small and medium-sized internationally active Swiss companies in particular to corruption risks in foreign business (cf. Section 3.3.3). Switzerland is currently preparing the fourth phase of the country assessment for the implementation of the OECD convention. Switzerland also supports Eastern European and Central Asian countries in implementing the anti-corruption conventions of the OECD, the Council of Europe and the UN. With regard to the activities of the Swiss Export Risk Insurance (SERV), Switzerland was involved in the further development of the sustainability guidelines of the OECD for state export credit institutions19 . Based on this guideline, among other things, the obligation of companies to provide SERV with information on human rights relevant to the insurance business was included in the SERV Ordinance.20 2.2.2 ONE As part of the adoption of the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development in autumn 2015, 17 political goals (Sustainable Development Goals, SDG) were defined, which are intended to ensure sustainable development on an economic, social and ecological level. These targets apply to all Member States. The implementation of the SDGs at national level requires comprehensive coordination within the federal administration, but also beyond, for example with the cantons and with the private sector. This coordination process was launched in 2016 and aims, among other things, to set up a monitoring system that will ensure reporting on Switzerland's implementation of the 2030 Agenda to the UN 's high-level political forum for sustainable development . The Swiss private sector should be systematically involved in this. In particular, companies should be encouraged to make a contribution to the implementation of the SDG according to their possibilities. In addition, they should disclose their contributions to the SDGs as part of their corporate CSR reporting. The interdepartmental To this end, the Agenda 2030 working group engages in regular dialogue with key players in the private sector, such as economiesuisse, the Swiss network of the Global Compact and the Association for Sustainable Business (öbu21). The UN Global Compact (UNGC) is an initiative that encourages companies to take more responsibility in the areas of human rights, working conditions, environmental protection, corruption prevention and accountability. The federal government supports this initiative financially through the Global Compact Trust Fund and by financing specific activities in areas such as gender equality, combating corruption and corporate behavior in conflict regions. In 2016, the UNGC adopted a new four-year strategy, the 2020 Strategy. This puts the SDG in the foreground and aims to substantially expand the UNGC by 2020, both in terms of the number of companies that have joined the UNGC and in terms of geographical spread on a global level. Finally, the new strategy introduces mandatory membership fees for companies with annual sales of more than $50 million. The implementation of the 2020 strategy should contribute to the consolidation and expansion of the UNGC network on a global level. In November 2015, Switzerland took part in the sixth international conference of the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) in St. Petersburg. On the basis of a resolution submitted by Switzerland, the second evaluation cycle was launched, which deals with the chapters on prevention and asset recovery . The second evaluation 18 OECD Convention of 17 December 1997 on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, SR 0.311.21 OECD Common Approaches for Officially Supported Export Credits and Environmental 19 and Social Due Diligence, www.oecd.org/tad/xcred/ oecd-recommendations.htm Art. 8, SR 946.101 Association for Sustainable Management, www.oebu.ch 20 21 4/21 Machine Translated by Google The implementation cycle was operationalized at the meeting of the Implementation Review Group in June 2016. Switzerland will act as an examiner22 and will be examined itself from summer 2020. In addition, Switzerland is involved in the thematic working groups that are subordinate to the international conference and that meet regularly in Vienna. For example, she presented her new potentate money law, which is already internationally regarded as a model. In the UN Human Rights Council, Switzerland advocated expanding the criminal law focus of anti-corruption law, which has hitherto been primarily perpetrator-oriented, to include a complementary human rights approach. This in particular with a follow-up to Resolution 29/11 (2015), which led to the report of the UN High Commissioner on Good Practices in Combating the Negative Influences of Corruption on the Realization of Human Rights. For example, bribery of government officials by investors can have a negative impact on public education23 . The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is one of the core conventions of international human rights protection and plays a central role in the realization of women's rights and equality between women and men. Switzerland acceded to the Convention in 1997 and has undertaken to implement the human rights guarantees of the Convention domestically. Among other things, Switzerland is working to ensure that companies based in Switzerland also observe human rights in relation to women in their activities abroad. In November 2016, the 4th and 5th Swiss state reports were presented to the CEDAW committee. This deals with the status of the implementation of all CEDAW areas in Switzerland (equality in working life, compatibility of family and work, human rights, etc.). The new CEDAW recommendations will be implemented at federal and canton level, also with a view to the next reporting from 2017. One of the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child regarding the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for Switzerland deals with the impact of economic activities on children's rights.24 Switzerland has to present its next report on the implementation of this convention by September 2020. 2.2.3 ILO As part of the implementation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the Federal Council aims to ratify the Protocol to Core Convention No. 29 on Forced Labour. The Council of States approved the ratification in March 2017 as a second chamber. After the optional referendum period has expired, the Federal Council will be in a position to ratify the protocol. In partner countries, Switzerland supports the implementation of the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work by means of ILO programs (Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) and Better Work cf. Section 4.2). Since 2015, SCORE has 3,000 managers and workers from 370 SMEs trained in responsible business management. Based on the ILO declarations, Switzerland has established an institutional dialogue on labor and employment issues with China and Vietnam, which focuses on exchanging experiences with labor authorities and social partners. Based on the ILO declaration on social justice, Switzerland was involved in the discussion on decent working conditions in the value chains at the 2016 International Labor Conference (IAC). The ILC commissioned the ILO to close existing governance gaps in global value chains that lead to unworthy working conditions and thus contribute to sustainable growth. 22 period pending A/ 23 HRC/32/22; www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Development/GoodGovernance/Pages/BestPractices.aspx 24 www.eda.admin.ch/content/dam/eda/en/documents/aussenpolitik/internationale-organisationen/Empfehlungen-Ausschusses Report-Convention-Rights-Child-2015_EN.pdf 5/21 Machine Translated by Google Switzerland underlined the importance of a sectoral and pragmatic approach, based on successful and Swiss-supported programs such as SCORE and Better Work . The mechanism of the 1977 ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles on Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy was reviewed by the ILO Governing Body in March 2017. The Governing Body decided to promote the policy statement at national level through tripartite, national contact points. In cooperation with the ILO, Switzerland will examine whether this new task can be carried out within the framework of the Tripartite Commission for ILO Affairs. This would improve cooperation between the social partners in this area. 2.2.4 Council of Europe In March 2016, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted recommendations on human rights and business.25 These support member states in preventing and remedying human rights violations by companies. the Switzerland is an active member of the Working Group on Corporate Social Responsibility and was instrumental in the development of this recommendation as one of 12 members of the drafting committee. The task of the Council of Europe's Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) is to carry out mutual country checks on the implementation of conventions and other Council of Europe instruments for preventing and combating corruption. The current fourth round of evaluation deals with the prevention of corruption in parliaments, courts and public prosecutors. In the audit report published in March 2017, GRECO recognizes Switzerland's institutions, which are characterized by a high degree of independence, consensual decision-making, a militia and concordance system and a culture of trust and discretion. She notes that there are hardly any major cases of corruption. However, the group of states identifies weaknesses in the system in the subtle pressure that can be exerted on actors in politics and the judiciary. GRECO recommends that Switzerland should have Parliament, the courts and the Office of the Attorney General issue codes of conduct with comments and concrete examples and sensitize their members accordingly 2.3 Thematic activities 2.3.1 Government Procurement The work program on sustainable public procurement in the context of international trade commitments, anchored in the revised WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), is implemented within the framework of the regular meetings of the GPA Committee in Geneva. Various GPA members - including Switzerland - have provided information on national practices in this area, on the basis of which a symposium was held. The results of this work will be included in the planned revision of the GPA in 2017. Switzerland aims to ratify the revised GPA in 2017. In addition to implementing the revised GPA, the total revision of procurement law aims to largely harmonize federal and cantonal procurement decrees.27 In terms of CSR market incentives, the draft of the revised Federal Act on Public Procurement28 contains specifications regarding mandatory working conditions and occupational health and safety regulations. Accordingly, if a 25 Recommendation CM/ Rec(2016)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member States on human rights and business, https://search.coe.int/cm/Pages/result_details.aspx?ObjectID=09000016805c1ad4 26 www.bj.admin.ch/bj/de/home/aktuell/news/2017/2017-03-15.html 27 www.bkb.admin.ch/bkb/de/home/oeffentliches-beschaffungswesen/revision-des-beschaffungsrechts.html 28 E-BöB 6/21 Machine Translated by Google If, for example, the service is provided abroad, at least the eight core conventions of the ILO are complied with, as is already the case under current law. On the other hand, contracting authorities can provide award criteria and technical specifications that serve to conserve natural resources or to protect the environment. If there is a factual connection with the object of procurement, it should also be possible to consider socially motivated award criteria (e.g. fair trade). The economically, ecologically and socially sustainable use of public funds is mentioned in the purpose article29 . As a result, sustainable procurement will become even more important than it is today. As part of the work of the Green Public Procurement Advisory Group of the EU Commission30 , a method for calculating the life cycle costs (excluding environmental externalities) of products was developed. Switzerland contributes its experience in monitoring sustainable public procurement to this body. The Commission is very interested in Switzerland's approaches. The exchange of experiences allows Switzerland to get to know the latest developments, for example regarding ecological public procurement in favor of innovation or in favor of the circular economy baby 2.3.2 human rights In December 2016, the Federal Council passed a report on the Swiss strategy for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights with a national action plan.31 Switzerland is one of the first countries to have such a strategy to promote coherence between economic activities and human rights. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, adopted by the Human Rights Council in June 2011, are based on three pillars: (i) the duty of states to protect human rights, (ii) the responsibility of companies to respect human rights, and (iii) adequate and effective human rights Provide grievance procedures in cases of human rights violations by economic actors. According to the UN Guiding Principles, states should consider an intelligent mix of national and international, binding and voluntary measures (so-called “smart mix”) to promote respect for human rights by companies. The Swiss strategy for implementing the UN Guiding Principles focuses on state responsibility. It contains fifty instruments to promote compliance with human rights by Switzerland and by Swiss companies that are active in Switzerland and abroad, and for redress. This includes, for example, promoting the issue of companies and human rights as part of political consultations or raising awareness among companies through Swiss representations abroad. The report on the Swiss strategy for implementing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the national action plan were the subject of broad consultations with business circles, non-governmental organisations, social partners, universities and research institutes. Switzerland also provides content and financial support to the annual UN forum on business and human rights, the UN working group on business and human rights UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and promotes the UN Guiding Principles through bilateral cooperation and exchange activities with partner states. The international code of conduct for private security service providers (ICoC), co-financed by Switzerland, defines norms and standards for the sector that are based on international human rights norms and international humanitarian law. The document is endorsed by private security companies, by various industry associations as well 29 E-BöB, Art. 30 2 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/expert_meeting_en.htm 31 www.newsd.admin.ch/newsd/message/attachments/46597.pdf 7/21 Machine Translated by Google supported by humanitarian and civil society organizations. In September 2016, the General Assembly of the ICoC Association, chaired by Switzerland, adopted the procedures of the governance mechanism of the Code of Conduct for certification, monitoring and reporting . The certification process of the companies started on 01.01. started November 2016. At the end of 2016, 91 private security providers, seven governments and 18 NGOs were members of the initiative. The code of conduct forms the basis for the federal law on private security services provided abroad.32 Companies to which the law applies are obliged under Article 7 to adhere to the international code of conduct for private security service providers. The Voluntary Principles on Safety and Human Rights (VP) aim to ensure that raw material extraction companies implement safety measures that respect human rights. As a full member of the VP (Participating Government) , Switzerland promotes and monitors the implementation of the principles by Swiss companies and, for this purpose, carries out mine visits and technical cooperation projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and Peru. During the reporting period, the VP Initiative developed verification frameworks for all interest groups to check the implementation of the VP. Switzerland supports the working groups for the implementation of the VP in Myanmar, Peru and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Confederation has established the Swiss Competence Center for Human Rights (SKMR), which among other things Expert reports and studies with practical recommendations drawn up, financially supported in a pilot phase. Due to the positive evaluation results, the Federal Council decided in June 2016 to set up a national human rights institution to further develop the SCHR.33 2.3.3 Environment and Health In April 2016, the Federal Council took note of the report “Green Economy - Federal measures for a resource-saving, sustainable Switzerland” .34 The report takes stock of the implementation of the Green Economy Action Plan 2013 and shows the further development for 2016-2019. The aim of the 23 measures is to reduce the environmental pollution caused by Swiss consumption and production at home and abroad. The measures will be further developed by the responsible departments. In 2019, a report will be made on the implementation status of the measures, the progress made and further developments. Switzerland is involved in the ten-year framework for sustainable consumption and production behavior of the UN Environment Program (10YFP).35 This promotes, among other things, the exchange on sustainability standards, labels and practices of sustainable public procurement. In May 2015, the first Global Meeting of the 10YFP took place, as well as several meetings and roundtables in the regions. In 2017 the Mid-Term Review of the 10YFP will take place. The number of knowledge partners of the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) has grown significantly since 2015. Today, this includes more than 50 organisations, research institutes and think tanks. The fourth annual GGKP conference was held in Korea in 2016 and addressed the theme of Transforming Development through Inclusive Green Growth . In 2015 the third conference was held 32 www.admin.ch/opc/de/classified-compilation/20122320/index.html 33 www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen/bundesrat.msg-id-62431.html 34www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/wirtschaft-konsum/fachinformationen/gruene-wirtschaft/politischer-auftrag-fuer one-green-economy.html 35 10-Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), 2012-2022; Switzerland is a member of the Board (2012-2016), a member of the Advisory Committee in the Sustainable Public Procurement Program and has co-lead responsibility for the Sustainable Food Systems Program 8/21 Machine Translated by Google was held in Venice on "The role of tax policy in the transition to a green economy", attended by several hundred people. Switzerland has supported the GGKP since it was founded. As part of the 2015 World Resource Forum in Davos, the International Resource Panel of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) started a study on the governance of mineral resources. Switzerland is following this work closely because, in accordance with the green economy action plan, it is committed to strengthening ecological responsibility in the raw materials sector. As part of a decision by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the panel was invited to prepare a report by 2019 on the status, trends and perspectives regarding the use of natural resources. The Life Cycle Initiative , launched in 2002 by UNEP and the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry36 , is supported by a broad, international group of actors from business, governments and non-governmental organisations. The federal government is one of the main sponsors. The third four-year work phase is currently ending with the aim of establishing life cycle thinking on a broad scale worldwide. For this purpose, the basis for easy access to methods and reliable data was created. In order to raise awareness, a dialogue was held in 2014 with the financial sector, academia, non-governmental organizations and other federal agencies on the subject of sustainable financial systems. This resulted in the publication Proposals for a Roadmap towards a Sustainable Financial System in Switzerland37 , which contains concrete measures for a sustainable Swiss financial system. The report was presented to an interested public at the 2016 annual meeting of the organization Swiss Sustainable Finance, which was a co-author of the report. The WHO Tobacco Convention, signed by the Federal Council in 2004, stipulates that health policy measures relating to tobacco control must be protected from the commercial and other legitimate interests of the tobacco industry in accordance with national legislation.38 In November 2015, the Federal Council submitted to Parliament a draft federal law on tobacco products that would allow ratification of the WHO Tobacco Convention. The Council of States sent the bill back to the Federal Council in June 2016. The National Council approved the decision of the Council of States in December 2016. 2.3.4 Commodity Report In December 2016, the Federal Council approved the third report39 on the status of implementation of the recommendations of the March 2013 basic report on raw materials. The Federal Council was satisfied with the progress made and emphasized that the thrust of the ongoing work has proven its worth and that it continues to work in the raw materials sector to strengthen competitiveness and reduce the risks associated with human rights, environmental and social standards and corruption and reputation sets in. As part of the bill on the revision of company law, which is currently being discussed in Parliament, the Federal Council is proposing provisions to increase transparency in the raw materials sector, for example40 . The Federal Council is confident that most of the recommendations can be implemented in the next one to two years. Some topics, such as in the environmental area, still require concrete further development and will be able to build on the progress made so far. He therefore has the interdepartmental 36 Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, SETAC 37 www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/wirtschaft-konsum/publikationen-studien/publikationen/vorschlaege-fahrplan finanzsystem-schweiz.html 38 Art. 5, Abs. 3 FCTC, Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 39 www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-64777.html 40 www.ejpd.admin.ch/ejpd/de/home/aktuell/news/2016/2016-11-232.html 9/21 Machine Translated by Google tale platform raw materials to reassess the situation in the Swiss raw materials industry in terms of competitiveness, integrity, environmental and other aspects by November 2018. The interdepartmental raw materials platform will remain in place and continue the previous work. 3 Awareness and support for the Swiss company 3.1 Measures B.1. The Confederation communicates and informs target groups about CSR standards and instruments as well as about its CSR activities and offers. Target groups are primarily companies, but also other interested parties from civil society and the general public. B.2. The Confederation supports companies in implementing CSR and uses instruments such as dialogue forums with companies and stakeholders, public-private partnerships, training courses, exchange of best practices and other information and awareness-raising measures. Target audience are companies of all sizes and industries, especially SMEs. B.3. The Confederation integrates responsible entrepreneurial behavior into its own relevant activities in the sense of a role model function. This affects the Confederation in particular as an employer, investor, procurer and company owner (state-affiliated companies). 3.2 General awareness activities During the reporting period, the federal government developed a CSR web portal41 as a service for companies and other interest groups . It provides an overview of the federal government's diverse commitments in the field of CSR and contains information on international developments, industry-specific instruments and assistance for the implementation of CSR. Web links provide topic-specific information from the responsible offices. The web portal then serves as a point of contact for companies and other interested parties, where questions and concerns about CSR can be entered (one stop shop) and contact information for the federal agency responsible for the topic is available. Federal representatives gave presentations and took part in dialogue forums to raise awareness of CSR. These were organized by associations (economiesuisse, SwissHoldings, Swiss Employers' Association), scientific stakeholders (University of Zurich and ETHZ) or non- governmental organizations such as Swiss Sustainable Finance, Solidarsuisse and Terre des hommes . CSR is also an issue in the presentations of managers in public administration, on trade missions, when receiving foreign delegations and in the training of prospective Swiss diplomats. In addition, the Confederation provides information on CSR with internet platforms and information material, such as a guideline on the operational application of the OECD guidelines for multinational companies that was created in 2017.42 The Swiss network of the United Nations Global Compact43 (see Section 2.2.2) entered into cooperation with federal agencies44 in the sense of a public-private partnership in spring 2015 . This strengthened the network institutionally. It plays an important role in raising companies' awareness of CSR issues. For example, 41 www.csr.admin.ch 42www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Aussenwirtschaftspolitik_Wirtschaftliche_Zusammenarbeit/Wirtschaftsbeziehungen/OECD Guidelines.html 43 www.globalcompact.ch 44 Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Federal Department ment for Foreign Affairs - Political Directorate 10/21 Machine Translated by Google After the first Swiss Global Compact Dialogue on responsible business in February 201745 around 200 interested participants were reached with presentations by managers from business and administration. An important prerequisite for the promotion of CSR is the knowledge and skills of managers. The federal government has sensitized the sponsorship swissuniversities46 to the CSR expectations of the federal government with regard to their integration into the curricula of the universities. In 2015 and 2016, the federal government47 led a dialogue (impulse group dialogue green economy) with personalities from business, science and society in order to develop parameters for a sustainable, resource-saving economy and consumption. The results (among other things that innovation and cooperation between the various interest groups are central) were summarized in the form of a conceptual model (Go for Impact)48 . This is based on the SDG and was presented to the public at the Swiss Green Economy Symposium 2016. 3.3 Thematic awareness-raising activities 3.3.1 procurement In its own activities, especially when it acts as an employer, buyer, investor or owner of a company, the Confederation ensures that it behaves responsibly in accordance with the CSR. By acting as a role model, this contributes to raising awareness in the private sector (cf. Section 3.4.). The federal government has supported the online platform “Kompass-Nachhaltigkeit.ch” since 2013. The platform helps private and public buyers to better integrate social and ecological criteria into their procurement processes. The platform offers orientation and practical support through a model for a sustainable procurement process, guidelines for various product categories, practical examples from Swiss companies and background information. In line with the two different target groups, the platform includes a separate website for the public and private procurement markets. The content of the sustainability compass is to be further developed over the next few years and geared even more closely to the needs of those responsible for procurement. The renewed website, which went online at the beginning of 2017, further improved the user-friendliness of the platform. 3.3.2 financial area In 2014, the federal government supported the establishment of the umbrella organization Swiss Sustainable Finance (SSF) with start-up financing. The SSF association now has over 90 members and network partners and is therefore very broadly based. The aim of the association is to anchor sustainability factors - ie the consideration of environmental, social and governance criteria - in the financial business and to further expand Switzerland's existing strengths. According to the most recent market study, sustainable investments in Switzerland grew from CHF 96.5 billion in 2014 to around CHF 190 billion in 201549. In addition, in the subcategory of development investments, primarily microfinance investments, around a third of the global volume is managed from Switzerland50 . In 2016, SSF also presented the "Manual for Sustainable Investments for Institutional Investors", which has already become a standard work. 45www.globalcompact.ch/gcns-activities-archive/event/50-public-event-swiss-global-compact-dialogue-2017-on-responsible business-let-s-make-global-goals-local-business 46 www.swissuniversities.ch, swissuniversities is committed to intensifying and further developing cooperation the Swiss universities. 47 Federal Office for the Environment 48 (FOEN) www.gruenewirtschaft.admin.ch/grwi/de/home/go-for-impact/Go-for-Impact/ueber-go-for-impact/der-bericht.html 49 Forum Nachhaltige Geldanalgen/Swiss Sustainable Finance, Nachhaltige Geldananlagen in Switzerland, 2016 50 Swiss Sustainable Finance, Swiss Investments for a Better World, 2016 11/21 Machine Translated by Google whose launch was supported by the Swiss Pension Fund Association, the Swiss Insurance Association and Swiss Foundations51 . 3.3.3 Corruption The IDAG Anti-Corruption52 (IDAG) sensitizes companies, especially internationally active SMEs, to corruption risks in foreign business. Examples include the participation of IDAG representatives in an event organized by the Ticino Chamber of Commerce and Industry in cooperation with Switzerland Global Enterprise Lugano, the Swiss-Africa Chamber of Commerce and Transparency International in May 2015, as well as holding a joint event with the Chamber of Commerce Switzerland Africa and the University of St. Gallen in June 2016. In addition, the IDAG held a series of events for its members in 2015 and 2016 on current anti-corruption topics (e.g Whistleblowing in the Private Sector and Risks of Corruption Abroad) to which external experts and representatives of large, medium-sized and small companies were invited. Representatives of IDAG also regularly took part in the compliance roundtable with compliance officers from large Swiss companies, the University of Lucerne, the Chur University of Applied Sciences and Transparency International , each at the invitation of a member. This roundtable serves to exchange information in the area of compliance and current anti-corruption issues between the public and private sectors. The IDAG allows the effective coordination of the international instruments of the OECD, UNO and the Council of Europe against corruption.53 3.3.4 Work-life balance The federal government is committed to good conditions, including in SMEs, for the compatibility of work and family by, among other things, providing information about good practices and raising awareness among companies. The compatibility of work and family is, for example, one of the four fields of action of the Skilled Workers Initiative (FKI). In 2016, the federal government updated the SME handbook on work and family and added practical company examples. The handbook was launched in September 2016 on the occasion of the national top-level meeting “Swiss professionals”. It provides companies with a modern tool to support family- friendly HR strategies.54 Information on family-friendly working conditions is summarized in a report55 published in January 2017 , which for 2016 contains information on support measures by the cantons and communes in favor of companies and on the public administration as an employer. The report also contains statistical key figures, an overview of personnel regulations and information sheets as well as information on the responsible administrative offices. An increasing need for care and support that cannot be covered by the health system alone, new forms of family coexistence and the constantly increasing employment rate among women have brought the compatibility of work and caring for relatives into the political focus. In March 2016, based on the “Action plan for the support and relief of caring relatives” passed by the Federal Council, it approved the support program “Support and relief offers for caring relatives56” . The proposals relate, for example, to a short- term leave 51www.swissfoundations.ch 52 www.eda.admin.ch/eda/de/home/aussenpolitik/finanzplatz-und wirtschaft/korruption/interdepartementalearbeitsgruppeidag zurkorruptionbekaempfung.html 53 OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) 54www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/ home/Publikationen_dienstleistungen/ Publications_and_Forms/Work/Labor Market/Women _Arbeitsmarkt.html 55www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Publikationen_dienstleistungen/Publikationen_und_Formulare/Arbeit/Arbeitsmarkt/Frauen _Labor market/family-friendly-working conditions.html 56www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/themen/strategien-politik/nationale-gesundheitspolitik/foerderprogramme-der Fachkraefteinitiative-plus/foerderprogramme-entlastung-angehoerige.html 12/21 Machine Translated by Google ment to care for sick family members or long-term care leave for parents of seriously ill children. 3.3.5 Equal opportunities and wages For the active promotion of equal opportunities for women and men in working life, the federal government provides financial aid in accordance with Article 14 of the Gender Equality Act57. Innovative and practical projects with a long-term effect are supported. The loan for 2017 is CHF 4.5 million. A priority order has been in place since January 2017 in order to align the projects even more specifically with the goals of the federal FKI.58 One focus is on programs to promote the development and use of services and products for companies (e.g. consulting and audits, analysis, Diagnosis and controlling instruments for workplace equality and corporate culture), in particular to promote the compatibility of work and family.59 In order to implement equal pay, the Confederation provides companies with the free self- test tool “Logib” and a telephone helpline.60 With this, companies can use an independent and widely accepted tool to independently check their wage practice for compliance with equal pay between women and men. Logib received a positive assessment from the majority of companies61 as part of the regulatory impact assessment for the revision of the Gender Equality Act.62 The simplicity of the instrument is appreciated above all. Although more than three quarters of the companies surveyed stated that they had fully implemented equal pay between men and women, 57% of the companies had never carried out an equal pay analysis. Half of the companies surveyed that have already carried out an equal pay analysis have subsequently taken corrective measures, in particular wage adjustments for women. The federal government also uses publications to promote equality in working life.63 In October 2016, after taking note of the results of the consultation on the amendment to the Gender Equality Act, the Federal Council commissioned the administration to draw up a draft law by summer 2017 that would oblige companies with 50 or more employees to carry out a wage analysis every four years and have it checked by an external auditor to let. 64 The Confederation also supported the advancement of women in managerial positions, for example by providing information on good practices and writing publications.65 The message on the revision of company law submitted to Parliament in November 2016 also provides guidelines (comply or ex plain) for the representation of both sexes in top management large listed companies (executive board 20%, board of directors 30%). The Confederation works together with the social partners and the cantons to create good conditions for gainful employment up to retirement age and beyond. As part of the FKI, the Confederation passed various measures at the first national conference on the subject of older employees in 2015, which was attended by representatives of the cantons and social partners, which are intended to promote the labor market integration of older employees. This applies to measures in the areas of optimization of the instruments 57 GlG, SR 151.1 58 Order of priorities for the allocation of financial aid in accordance with Article 14 of the Gender Equality Act (GIG), valid from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2020, www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/de/home/dienstleistungen/finanzhilfe/gesuche - submit.html Portrait Financial Aid 59 GlG, www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/de/home/dienstleistungen/finanzhilfe.html 60 www.logib.ch 61 1,305 replies to 62 the regulatory impact assessment on the planned measures to implement equal pay, September 2015, www.ejpd.admin.ch/dam/data/bj/ staat/legislation/lohngleichheit/ber-infras-rfa-d. pdf. www.ebg.admin.ch/ebg/de/home/dokumentation/publikationen/publikationen-zu- 63 gleichstellung-im-berufsleben.html www.ejpd.admin.ch/ejpd/de/home/aktuell/news/2016/2016 -10-261.html 64 65www.seco.admin.ch/seco/de/home/Publikationen_Dienstleistungen/Publikationen_und_Formulare/Arbeit/Arbeitsmarkt/Frauen _Job market/women-in-management-positions--how-to-succeed-.html 13/21 Machine Translated by Google the ALV and the RAV, promotion of further vocational training, raising awareness among employers, employees and the public as well as in the area of old-age provision. At the second national conference on the subject of older employees in April 2016, an initial assessment of the status of implementation was taken and demographic change and the education-intensive growth in employment were described as challenges. Representatives of the Confederation, cantons and social partners presented ongoing projects in their respective areas of responsibility. The participants agreed that the ongoing measures should be consistently pursued and that awareness-raising among companies and the public should be promoted. The third national conference on older workers is in preparation for 2017. 3.3.6 professional integration The federal government financially supports pilot tests for the integration and equality of people with disabilities in working life. Financial contributions can be made for internal company projects that have a clear thematic focus.66 Special mention should be made of the study “Combating Discrimination in Personnel Recruitment”67, which shows voluntary measures by employers in Switzerland. From 2017, the competent federal agency68 will focus its activities on equality in the world of work. In January 2017, the National Conference on the Labor Market Integration of People with Disabilities took place. A master plan for the implementation of specific measures is to be drawn up by the end of 2017. The national information platform Compasso supports companies with questions of occupational integration and dealing with employees with health-related limitations in their ability to work. The platform's broad-based association brings together partners from the private and public sectors. Compasso has a strong network with daily sickness benefits and accident insurers, IV offices, pension funds, institutions for the disabled and with providers in the areas of case management, employment agencies and job coaching. Within the framework of Compasso, information events and congresses are organized and relevant information is published. Since 2014, the number of Compasso members has increased from 21 to 55. This means that employers with over 350,000 employees in Switzerland are committed to Compasso. The Federal Administration, the largest public employer, has also been a member of Compasso since 2016. In the reporting period, instruments were updated and revised, among other things, which provide practical support to employers in recognizing changes in employee performance and behavior and in intervening in the early phase of an illness/accident. Furthermore, new practical examples were published and an advisory board with central interest groups and well-known personalities was constituted. Priorities in 2017 include the professional integration of young people, cooperation with doctors on professional integration, a needs analysis for SMEs and the expansion of the offer in French-speaking Switzerland. The workplace plays an important role in the integration of immigrants. In 2012, the tripartite agglomeration conference TAK69 launched the “Work” integration dialogue with business associations. This should promote innovative integration projects in the world of work and show good practices . One of the best- known projects within the framework of the integration dialogue is “German at work”, which was initiated in cooperation with the Swiss Builders’ Association and UNIA and reached around 2,500 foreign construction workers with 250 courses. Since 2012 there have been around 20 joint projects at cantonal level 66 For additional information and information on supported projects cf. www.edi.admin.ch/edi/de/home/fachstellen/ebgb/finanzhilfen.html 67 www.edi.admin.ch/edi/de/home/fachstellen/frb/befertigungen-und-publikationen.html 68 Federal Office for Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities, www.gate.edi.admin.ch/ebgb/public/ home?execution=e1s1 69 www.dialog-integration.ch/de/ 14/21 Machine Translated by Google (construction, carpentry, automotive engineering, building services engineering, logistics, care, agriculture, etc.). The most recent project started in autumn 2016 and is being implemented by the social partners in the cleaning industry. The state-private cooperation for the labor market integration of the target group is continued with the program "Integration pre-apprenticeship" of the federal government. Thanks to intensified state-private cooperation, more than 2,000 refugees and temporarily admitted persons have been integrated into the labor market over the past four years. 3.3.7 health promotion As part of the national strategy for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCD strategy 2017-2024) 70 , cooperation between key players within and outside the federal government in the areas of mandatory health protection, voluntary health promotion and accident prevention for employees in companies is being sought. Cooperation between the federal government71 is an example of workplace health promotion and accident prevention that goes beyond the legal provisions SUVA and Health , Promotion Switzerland. The companies should be offered a uniform methodology with tools. The aim is to address the four most important areas - exercise, balanced nutrition, ergonomics and mental health - at the same time. This collaboration, which has existed since 2012, was officially anchored in a contract in January 2016. The first pilot project at Migros Vaud was launched in February 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by 2018. Through voluntary commitments by companies, actionsanté72 aims to improve the general conditions in the area of nutrition and exercise through easier access to healthy and attractive products and offers (e.g. food). Since 2015, the focus in the nutrition area has been on sugar reduction in yoghurts and breakfast cereals. 10 Swiss producers have signed a declaration73 to gradually reduce the sugar content of their products. 3.4 Role model federal government In 2016 and 2017, a consulting firm commissioned the federal government to draw up an explanation of the responsible corporate governance of the federal government as an employer, resource consumer, procurer, owner and investor.74 The work was accompanied by an internal federal working group. The study is based on the principles of the Global Compact of the United Nations (cf. Section 2.2.2). The expert report shows that when it comes to CSR, the Confederation is at a high to very high level compared to the authorities of other countries, but also in comparison with Switzerland itself. The federal government is very aware of its role as a CSR role model, especially as an employer. The federal government also achieved a good rating as the owner and as a consumer of resources. Due to the ongoing revision of procurement law (cf. Section 2.3.1.), the area of procurement was presented but not assessed. This is to be made up for in autumn 2017. According to the expert report, there is most likely a need for optimization in the federal government's role as 70www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/themen/strategien-politik/nationale-gesundheitsstrategien/strategie-non-transferable diseases /elaboration-measures planning-ncd.html 71 Federal Office of Public 72 Health actionsanté is an initiative of the Federal Office of Public Health and the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office and is part of the implementation of the National Strategy on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCD Strategy) 2017-2024 and the Swiss Nutrition Strategy 2017-2024. See: www.bag.admin.ch/bag/de/home/themen/mensch gesundheit/ernaehrung-bewegung/ actionsante.html The so-called Milan Declaration was signed on August 4, 2015 at the Milan Expo by Federal Councilor Alain 73 Berset and August 10 Signed by Swiss food producers and retail trade representatives. See: www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home/ lebensmittel-und-ernaehrung/ernaehrung/massnahmen ernaehrungsstrategie/zuckerREDITION.html 74www.are.admin.ch/are/de/home/medien-und-publikationen/publikationen/nachhaltige-entwicklung/corporate-social- responsibility-csr-der-bund-als-exemplary.html 15/21 Machine Translated by Google Investors (inter alia through an even more systematic consideration of environmental, social and governance criteria). The results are to be incorporated into the work to renew the Sustainable Development Strategy 2020-2023. 4 Promote CSR in development and The transition countries 4.1 Measures C.1. The Confederation promotes the improvement of working conditions, respect for human rights and resource efficiency at company level in developing and transition countries and in the value chain. C.2. The Confederation supports governments and companies in developing and transition countries in implementing good corporate governance and in fighting corruption, and advocates fair competitive conditions and sustainable financing instruments. C.3. The Confederation promotes economic activities that are highly relevant to development, in particular through partnerships between public and private actors and by supporting business models that include poor sections of the population, whether as producers or consumers. 4.2 value chains The advancing globalization and global division of labor also affects developing and transition countries. Their inclusion in the global economy, together with the increasing demand for products that are manufactured in an environmentally and socially compatible manner along the entire value chain, offer incentives for sustainable production methods in these countries as well. The international cooperation of the federal government supports developing countries and their companies in their efforts to achieve sustainable, development-promoting, environmentally friendly and socially acceptable integration into international markets. In the period under review, the focus was on the cocoa, gold and textile sectors when it came to supporting sustainable value chains through economic development cooperation. The federal government has worked to ensure that private sector actors are involved and make an active contribution - including within the framework of public-private partnerships and multi- stakeholder platforms. In the cocoa sector, talks were initiated in early 2016 in cooperation with the private sector and civil society organizations with the aim of creating a Swiss platform for sustainable cocoa. For the specification of the platform, which Switzerland's efforts within the framework of the Global Cocoa Agenda for A variety of workshops were held on topics such as research and innovation, joint learning, impact measurement and performance monitoring . A core group with representatives from the federal government, the private sector and civil society is currently evaluating the workshops and making a proposal for the design of the platform to be drawn up for consultation with interested parties. The operational launch of the platform is scheduled for summer 2017. The Better Gold Initiative was launched in 2013 with the aim of creating a value chain for responsible gold from small Peruvian mines. Cooperation with the private sector was also close in this project. The Better Gold Initiative is a public-private partnership between the responsible bodies for economic cooperation and the Swiss Better Gold Association, which brings together the most important actors in the Swiss gold market (gold refineries, goldsmiths, watchmaking industry, financial institutions, etc.). Thanks to this initiative, over a ton of gold has been imported into Switzerland from certified Peruvian mines and sold at a fair price since 2013. in the 16/21 Machine Translated by Google As part of the second phase, which has been running since January 2017, the initiative will be extended to Colombia and Bolivia. The aim of the second phase is to substantially increase the traded volumes of responsible gold from artisanal mining. This is to be achieved in particular by considering an industry-driven minimum standard for gold from mines that have not yet completed the certification process. In the textile sector, the Confederation supports the ILO/IFC program Better Work, which supports textile manufacturers in the implementation and application of social standards and employee rights and promotes the integration of products into global value chains. Better Work is a multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together buyers, governments, employers and workers' organizations. The program is implemented in 1,300 garment factories in seven countries, employing more than 1.6 million people. The textile companies participating in the Better Work program benefit from higher productivity and better product quality. For example, the participating textile factories in Vietnam were able to increase profits by 25% within four years. 80% of the employees in the textile factories are women. Targeted training for women has improved company productivity by 20% thanks to Better Work . With the support of the federal government75, the Soya Network is examining existing and new standards for their suitability as recommended best practice standards . The work was completed in March 2017. The results are used by the relevant actors in the further development of the soy standards. During the reporting period, the Confederation supported the globally active Institute for Human Rights and Business76 based in London with financial contributions, particularly in connection with the implementation of the principles relating to security and human rights in the oil and gas sector (cf. Section 2.3.2 ). In addition, the Institute worked together to set up a multi-party dialogue process to promote respect for human rights at major sporting events. In addition, there is selective cooperation with the London institute in relation to the use of digital data. The Federal Projects supported projects to promote human rights. also at regional and national level. In the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a project was supported during the reporting period that is intended to increase the human safety of small gold prospectors and improve the situation of minors. In Colombia, following a successful evaluation in 2015, support for the Guias Colombia initiative will be continued. The support of the Myanmar Responsible Business Center was renewed in early 2016. 4.3 Corporate governance, taxation, financial instruments The federal government, in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), supports programs to promote good corporate governance at global and regional levels. Until 2016, within this framework and based on the OECD Corporate Governance Around 23 regulatory measures have been adopted at the national level. This includes Indonesia and Colombia, two priority countries for Switzerland's economic development cooperation. The federal government supports programs to simplify tax regimes at global and regional level, with priority being given to priority countries for Switzerland's economic development cooperation. SMEs in particular benefit from this, for which the administrative effort is particularly burdensome. One of the effects of complex tax regimes is to promote the informal economy by making company registration unattractive 75 Federal Office for the Environment 76 www.ihrb.org 17/21 Machine Translated by Google make. In the long term, the programs contribute to broadening the tax base - a macroeconomic priority for many developing countries. The main task of the Swiss development finance company Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM77) is to make investments primarily in closed local or regional funds and financial intermediaries in favor of SMEs and in fast-growing companies and infrastructure companies in developing and emerging countries. When investing, it takes account of the principles of economic, social and ecological sustainability and when creating jobs, the ILO's Decent Work guidelines. In addition, SIFEM is increasingly investing in funds with specific, measurable environmental and social objectives. This The explicit objective of social impact funds is to give the poorer and disadvantaged sections of the population (so -called base of the pyramid) access to affordable goods and services and to gain employment and to reduce inequality in the long term. In the reporting period, the instruments were further developed, among other things, in order to focus investments even more on the creation and maintenance of jobs and their design in accordance with the ILO 's Decent Work guidelines.78 By means of public-private development partnerships (PPDP), the federal government promotes investments in social enterprises that, for example, offer insurance services for the benefit of poorer households and farmers, as well as in the field of impact investment. 79 With more than 70 companies as partners in Latin America, several million customers are reached. A transfer of the project to Africa is planned for 2017. The aim of the Swiss Capacity Building Facility80 is to build up and strengthen financial intermediaries. During the reporting period, the circle of private partners expanded qualitatively and quantitatively, and three approaches were pursued: the promotion of financial knowledge, the scaling up of financial products in developing countries (ie promoting broad access to financial products, especially for poorer sections of the population) and the development of feasibility studies, increasingly also for microinsurance projects. Other PPDP exist for the development of insurance products (particularly for agricultural and catastrophe insurance) in Central America and Asia or are being set up, for example in Bangladesh. 5 Promote transparency 5.1 Measures D.1. The Confederation is committed to the promotion, harmonization and proportionality of sustainability reporting by companies at national and international level. D.2. The Confederation supports the development, updating and promotion of instruments that contribute to sustainability reporting and other forms of transparency (e.g. improvement of product information) on CSR issues at company level. 5.2 sustainability reporting Cooperation with the Global Reporting Initiative as part of the CSR for competitive business project was renewed for a further phase from 2017. Sustainability reporting should enable SMEs in developing countries to meet the CSR transparency requirements of potential buyers of their products and themselves 77 www.sifem.ch, SIFEM AG is an independent private company 100% owned by the federal government 78 79 Investments with social and ecological benefits as well as financial returns http:// 80 scbf.ch/ 18/21 Machine Translated by Google to be better integrated into global value chains. The project provides support and capacity building at local level in six priority countries of Switzerland's economic development cooperation. The Group of friends of paragraph 47 (GoF47)81 initiated by governments advocates sustainability reporting at an international level. As a member of GoF47, Switzerland is committed to promoting and disseminating sustainability reporting. To this end, it works in particular with GRI and UNEP. The aim is to develop both general and sector-specific instructions and to provide application examples. In 2016, the study Corporate Sustainability Reporting in the Financial Sector was completed with the participation of Switzerland. A study on sustainability reporting for the target group of SMEs is planned for 2017 and a study for the raw materials sector in 2018. The federal government has supported the Responsible Mining Index since September 2015. The index provides for regular independent assessments of the world's largest mining companies with regard to their economic, social and ecological responsibility. The publication of the assessments and success models (best practices) creates a positive incentive for the continuous improvement of the mining companies' business practices. The Responsible Mining Index is to be published for the first time at the end of 2017. At the end of 2016, the federal government, in cooperation with Swissmem, Scienceindustries, öbu and the WWF, published a study on the current environmental goals of companies in Switzerland82 published. The dialogue on further voluntary measures for relevant, measurable and effective target setting and reporting in large companies and SMEs will be continued in 2017. The federal administration monitors the implementation of the EU Transparency Directive83 by the EU member states. In order to avoid disadvantages for Switzerland as a business location, any Swiss bill on sustainability reporting should be based on the regulations of the EU countries. A consultation draft will be examined as soon as sufficient information is available on the implementation of the EU Member States84 . 5.3 Raw materials, products, consumer information The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)85 ensures the transparency of payments made by companies to government agencies in the participating producing countries, thereby promoting accountability and governance in the mining, oil and gas sectors. Switzerland is a member of the EITI as a supporting country. In October 2015, the 30th Board Meeting took place in Bern at the invitation of Switzerland. As part of the event, Switzerland and the EITI organized a symposium that brought together governments, commodity companies and civil society organizations to explore the topic of creating more transparency in commodity trading. The standard was adjusted at the EITI General Assembly in Lima in February 2016. Among other things, the disclosure of the beneficial owners of commodities companies operating in EITI countries will be mandatory from 2020. Further transparency measures are being tested in pilot projects supported by Switzerland. 51 resource- producing countries are currently implementing the EITI standard. the 81 www.globalreporting.org/information/policy/gofpara47/Pages/default.aspx 82 www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/wirtschaft-verbrauch/publikationen-studien/studien.html 83 Directive 2014/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2014 amending Directive 2013/34/ EU as regards disclosure of non-financial and diversity information by certain large entities and groups Text with EEA relevance, http://eur- lex.europa.eu/legal content/DE/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32014L0095&from=DE 84 The EU directive on the disclosure of non-financial information was passed at the end of 2014. Member states have two years to transpose the directive into national legislation. Current status of implementation see: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/ DE/NIM/?qid=1488268645372&uri=CELEX%3A32014L0095 https://eiti.org/ 85 19/21 Machine Translated by Google Switzerland supports the efforts of EITI to gain additional countries as members and thus to implement the standard. Switzerland systematically takes up the topic of EITI in meetings with the governments of developing countries that produce raw materials. From January 2018, Switzerland will represent the constituency of the European Commission, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Italy on the EITI Board for one year. In 2015, the Confederation published analyzes of the ecological relevance of 14 raw materials processed in Switzerland86 . This is intended to create transparency about resource consumption along the value chain for specific products. With the aim of reducing resource consumption, the analyzes serve as a basis for in-depth work on peat, textiles and soya, among other things. The Federal Government is participating in the European Commission 's Environmental Footprint Pilot Phase (2013-2017) with the aim of testing and consolidating a uniform European method for assessing the environmental impact of products and organisations. The federal government also supports the development of life cycle assessment databases. 87 For the purpose of consumer information, the Confederation supports companies in the publication of product recalls by publishing them on the website www.productrueckrufe.admin.ch. Furthermore, declaration agreements within the meaning of the federal law on consumer information are promoted with financial aid to consumer organizations. 86 www.bafu.admin.ch/bafu/de/home/themen/wirtschaft-konsum/fachinformationen/rohstoffe.html 87 World Apparel Life Cycle Database, ecoinvent 20/21 Machine Translated by Google List of abbreviations 10YFP Ten-year framework for sustainable consumption and production behavior UN environment program VAT unemployment insurance CEDAW UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women CG Corporate Governance CSR Corporate Social Responsibility EITI Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ETHZ Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich EU-GPP AG Green Public Procurement Advisory Group FCTC Framework Convention on Tobacco Control FKI skilled workers initiative GGKP Green Growth Knowledge Platform GoF47 Group of friends of paragraph 47 GPA WTO Agreement on Government Procurement GRECO Council of Europe Group of States against Corruption GRAY Global Reporting Initiative IAK International Labor Conference IAO International Labor Organization ICoC International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers TODAY Interdepartmental working group IFC International Finance Corporation NGO Non Governmental Organisation NKP National contact point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises SMEs Small and medium-sized businesses it is this Association for sustainable business public- PPDP private development partnerships PPP Public Private Partnership RAV Regional Employment Centers SDG Sustainable Development Goals SERV Swiss export risk insurance SKMR Swiss competence center for human rights SSF Swiss Sustainable Finance UNCAC UN Convention against Corruption UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNGC United Nations Global Compact ONE United Nations Organization VöB Regulation on Public Procurement VP Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights WHO World Health Organisation WTO World Trade Organisation 21/21