CCC Reference Guide on Code Implementation & Verification
Section 3. MSI's and other overseeing mechanisms

Overview of resources on MSIs and other overseeing mechanisms

• Workshop report on improving the human rights performance of business through multi-stakeholder initiatives: November 6th and 7th 2007

  The Clean Clothes Campaign International Secretariat has been in correspondence with John Ruggie, the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative (SRSG) on Business and Human Rights. In a five-page letter dated 23 March 2007, the CCC offers Ruggie suggestions on how multinational companies could improve labour conditions in supply chains and takes a critical look at the general impact of corporate social responsibility initiatives, voluntary supply chain initiatives, stakeholder involvement, and so on. The CCC letter can be found at:
  www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/070323_CCC_to_Ruggie.pdf). In his response, Ruggie agrees with much that the CCC says. His letter can be found at:
  www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/070417-Ruggie_to_ccc.pdf.

  As a result of this correspondence it was decided to jointly organize an 'Export Workshop on Improving the Human Rights Performance of Business through Multi-stakeholder initiatives'. The workshop was hosted by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The workshop addressed two distinct but related issues: the principles that make for effective governance of multi-stakeholder initiatives; and the credible bases for effective supply chain code implementation. The results will also feed into the preparations of SGSR's final report to the Human Rights Council in 2008. In the meeting about 50 experts from a large variety of initiatives, countries and backgrounds participated. A summary of the discussions can be found in this report, written by the SRSG' team, is available at: www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/MSI_Consultation_Summary.pdf

  This report, and other reports by the SRSG can be found at:
  www.reports-and-materials.org/SRSG-Ruggie-documents-
  list-15-Jan-2008.pdf

• Background input document: Principles that make for effective governance of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), By Pins Brown with contributions of workshop participants, Clean Clothes Campaign and Ethical Trading Initiative

  This document was written for participants at the ´Expert Workshop'. It aims to provide them with a practical, accessible overview of key aspects of MSI governance in advance of the workshop in order to guide and inform discussion during it. The final version of the document includes their inputs. The document is not an exhaustive exploration of all aspects of MSI governance. The paper looks exclusively at MSIs which address the impact and responsibilities of business, though there are others with different mandates. It draws mostly but exclusively on the experience of Northern-based labour standards MSIs operating in the garment industry, especially those in the Joint Initiative for Corporate Accountability and Workers Rights (JOIN). Lastly, the paper also compares some industry-based initiatives with MSIs.

  The document can be downloaded at:
  www.cleanclothes.org/ftp/Principles_for_effective_MSI_governance.pdf

• Nov 2003, UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute on Sustainable Development) organized a conference on CSR and development last november, with presentations of among others Dara O'Rourke of Berkeley University, Monina Wong of HKCIC, Dwight Justice of the ICFTU and Ineke Zeldenrust of CCC. A report with summaries of all the presentations can be found online at http://www.unrisd.org/.

• Jan. 2003, 50 kb) MSN, "What can your company do to ensure your products are made under humane conditions?", PDF format. This pamphlet offers suggestion on what companies can do to better assess and verify compliance with labour standards in their supply chains, and eliminate abuses where and when they arise.

• Nov 2002, Outsourcing Regulation: Analyzing Non-Governmental Systems of Labor Standards and Monitoring". Dara O'Rourke. Very useful comparison and evaluation of the different systems out there.

• May 2002, "Voluntary approaches to Corporate Responsibility - Readings and a Resource guide". The United Nations Research Institute for Social development UNRISD, together with the The United Nations Non Governmental Liaison Service (UN-NGLS) last july published a new book called "Voluntary approaches to Corporate Responsibility - Readings and a Resource guide". The first section, "Corporate Codes of Conduct: Self-Regulation in a Global Economy", written by Rhys Jenkins, details the changes that have taken place in corporate regulation, explores what is behind the growing number of corporate codes of conduct, and describes the different stakeholders involved. Section two, Peter Utting's contribution on "Regulating Business via Multistakeholder Initiatives: A Preliminary Assessment", outlines the move from state-led regulation in the 1960s and 1970s, to corporate self-regulation in the 1980s and 1990s, to the more recent trend of co-regulation involving corporations, NGOs and multilateral organizations. Section three is Renato Alva Pino's survey of information sources on corporate social and environmental responsibility. This volume is available free of charge from NGLS or from UNRISD, contact tombez@unrisd.org

• 2001, Regulating business via Multistakeholder initiatives: a preliminary assessment by Peter Utting. Pdf file (125kb).

• For general information on MSI's and other overseeing code implementation, see the report on a trade-union guide to globalisation of the ICFTU website.

• The Ethical Trading Initiative has published its 2003 annual report, reporting on progress from the perspective of the different member organisations and describing the state of affairs of experimental projects on a.o. homeworking, child labour and seasonal and migrant labour, and roundtables and meetings highlighting issues such as prison labour and sharing practices among multistakeholder initiatives.

• The Ethical Trading Initiative report of the biennal conference 2003, called "key challenges in ethical trade" was published, reporting on workshops and panel sessions on a.o. labour issues in China, building local multi-stakeholder code initatives in the the south-african wine sector, purchasing practices and disrimination of women workers.

• May 2003, Round table discussion on Code Initiatives. On May 21, the UK's Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) hosted the second Round Table Discussion Between Code Initiatives to explore possibilities for greater co-operation among the major multi-stakeholder code initiatives, convergence in code standards and implementation methods, and ways to eliminate duplication of efforts. The first meeting took place in February.
  Roundtable participants included representatives of the ETI, Fair Labor Association, Fair Wear Foundation, Social Accountability International, Worker Rights Consortium, and the Clean Clothes Campaign.

• Oct 2000, For information on the multi-stakeholder initiatives FLA, SA8000, WRC, ETI and CCC see an article which was cut from a piece called "Codes Update and Resources" memo from the Maquila Solidarity Network: http://www.cleanclothes.org/codes/00-10-25-2.htm