DIHR Responsible Business & Sustainable Oceans & Just Transition2024-2027

Sida has provided support to the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) for its work on business and human rights (HR) since 2018, organised under two global programmes: Responsible Business (RB-programme) and Sustainable Oceans (Oceans programme). From 2022-2023 the RB programme received additional funding from Sweden's strategy for development cooperation in Kenya. This funding complemented the global funding and enabled DIHR to deepen its work in Kenya. Separately from these programmes, DIHR also conducted an eight-month pilot project with support from Sweden's strategy for regional cooperation in Africa, called 'Supporting a Just Transition Through Responsible Business Conduct in Africa'. With this contribution Sida will continue its support to these initiatives. The global Responsible Business programme builds on the successes and lessons from the previous phase, as well as recommendations from an external evaluation conducted in 2023. The program aims to support national implementation of responsible business frameworks as well as support stronger, more coherent policy development through international and regional exchanges. The global programme includes a specific component for Kenya where DIHR will work in a more comprehensive and in-depth way than in other countries. Here, DIHR will continue its cooperation with Kenyan institutions and actors in order to accelerate implementation of Kenya's National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights (NAP). The Sustainable Oceans programme also builds on the successes, lessons and evaluation recommendations from the previous phase, whilst building on DIHRs broader work to promote a human rights-based approach to sustainable development. The Sustainable Oceans programme aims to promote environmentally sustainable and rights-based governance and management of natural resources in coastal and marine areas that are mainly inhabited by small-scale fishermen and indigenous fishing communities. The Programme builds on the tools and methodologies developed in the first phase of the Programme and aims to expand the scope and partnerships, as well as to establish significant collaborations with national rights institutions and civil society organisations and/or organisations representing indigenous peoples in at least three countries. The programme will also engage state and intergovernmental human rights bodies and mechanisms in issuing stronger recommendations to states on how to ensure human rights-compatible fisheries management strategies. Finally, the programme will continue to work with partners and like-minded organisations to strengthen the international agenda around human rights-based approaches to fisheries and ocean governance and planning, and also strengthen cooperation with environmental organisations. The Just Transition programme builds on a close dialogue with the Swedish embassy in Addis Ababa and comprehensive research that DIHR conducted during the pilot project. The programme's overarching goal is to promote respect of human rights in relation to the transition from fossil-based to more sustainable energy sources in Africa, the so-called "just transition". Emphasis will be given to transition minerals (also known as critical raw materials / metals), i.e. minerals that are primarily used in batteries, electric cars and other technologies that enable a fossil-free energy transition. To achieve the overarching goal, the programme will strengthen knowledge about, and implementation of, principles for responsible business amongst actors at national, regional and continental level.