HIGHLIGHTS OF RESULTS Integrating human rights in development and in the economic sphere A total of 78 per cent of national expected accomplishments were fully or partially achieved over the last four years, with varying levels of progress achieved in those that are remaining. Compliance of national laws, policies and institutions In Kenya, a Government-led Steering Committee is developing an Action Plan and Policy on Human Rights and Business, while in Madagascar, a Tripartite Charter was developed with representatives of civil society, the Government and mining companies to promote the principles of participation, transparency and accountability in law and policymaking and to ensure that the Government’s general policy and sector-based policies incorporate a human rights-based approach. A number of activities were also implemented in Mozambique to support the development of a national action plan on business and human rights, including the development of a national baseline assessment and the establishment of a national coordination mechanism, composed of governmental entities, civil society organizations and business enterprises. In Somalia, the Federal Government included its human rights commitments among the priorities of the country’s first National Development Plan since 1986. The Administrative Department for Social Prosperity in Colombia increasingly applied standards of economic, social and cultural rights in poverty eradication programmes and other programmes related to the right to food and water in La Guajira. In Guatemala, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources committed to developing a guidance document for consultation with indigenous peoples during the initial phase of environmental impact studies related to the exploitation of natural resources. In addition, the Presidential Coordinating Commission on Human Rights expressed its intention to develop a policy on business and human rights. The Government of Chile developed and launched a National Plan on Business and Human Rights. The Secretariat for Social Action of Paraguay designed a set of human rights indicators related to poverty, economic, social and cultural rights and social protection. These were linked to both the Sustainable Development Goals and the social programmes implemented by the Secretariat. The NHRI of Peru adopted a strategy for the monitoring of cases of human rights violations in the context of business activities. Land legislation was adopted in Timor-Leste, enabling the determination of the ownership of land for the first time in the country’s history and guaranteeing that all Timorese people have a right to ownership. The legislation includes a specific provision in relation to vulnerable groups to guarantee “adequate information for consultation with and participation of these groups, in a way that promotes the right to equality and nondiscrimination.” The new Law requires that when evictions are carried out, they guarantee the dignity of human beings, the rights and safety of affected persons and respect for the principles of proportionality, appropriateness and non-discrimination. In Tunisia, the 2017-2020 Action Plan on the Socio-Economic Empowerment of Women and Girls in Rural Areas was drafted and adopted, in August 2017. Conflict resolution and integration of human rights principles into business operations At the global level, in follow-up to Human Rights Council resolution A/HRC/32/10, the Office convened two expert workshops on the interface between human rights due diligence and standards for legal liability and how best to ensure that the prosecution of companies involved with human rights abuse is effective. These discussions enhanced the understanding of States about their obligations to provide an effective remedy to victims of corporate-related human rights abuses and contributed to increased attention being paid to accessing remedy. The workshops also fed into some of the normative and practical discussions that took place during the 2017 Annual Forum on Business and Human Rights, which focused on challenges faced and progress made on increasing the effectiveness of domestic public law regimes in terms of access to remedy. At the country level, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission conducted monitoring missions to five of the country’s regions to evaluate the human rights implications of a resettlement programme in connection with the Government’s concession of lands for commercial agriculture. The Commission investigated various aspects of the programme, such as the degree of consultation, consent and appropriate compensation in light of applicable international human rights principles and proposed correctional measures, and published its findings. Guinea put in place procedures for contracting mining companies whereby the rights of the residents of the mining areas are taken into account in natural resource exploitation projects. UN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2017 29