The Competence Centre for Human Rights Due Diligence brings together international trade unions, responsible employers and the German government to strengthen workers' rights in sectors including garments, technology and critical minerals.
The centre will collaborate with trade unions and companies to ensure workers play an active role in identifying and addressing rights risks within corporate operations worldwide.
Pilot projects are currently underway with mining sector unions in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, as well as with garment sector unions in Cambodia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The pilots aim to advance worker participation in the due diligence process throughout value chains.
Kelly Fay Rodríguez, head of the new Competence Centre commented: "We are at a pivotal moment. New human rights due diligence and trade laws are fundamentally changing how business is done in global supply chains. The legal infrastructure for responsible business is still being built across the world, but practices must start changing now.
“Workers and their unions must be at the centre of company assessment, mitigation and remediation of human rights risks. The Competence Centre will support workers and their representatives to make sure these new laws deliver concrete results for workers in value chains that underpin our global economy."
The centre will operate a virtual helpdesk designed for trade unions seeking guidance on human rights due diligence regulations.
The service will provide advice, referrals to advocacy organisations or legal support groups, and assist unions in using regulatory frameworks to address violations and pursue remedies for affected workers.
The centre’s steering committee, which includes UNI, IndustriALL and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), will focus on three main objectives:
- Build the capacity of trade unions globally to use HRDD obligations to defend workers' rights.
- Support strategic interventions using HRDD instruments to address specific workers' rights violations.
- Advocate for effective HRDD laws and their implementation.
UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union have established this resource with German partners including Friedrich Ebert Stiftung - as well as the DGB.
Funding comes from Investing in Resilient and Sustainable Global Supply Chains, a programme led by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit and commissioned by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The centre operates as a non-profit foundation registered in the Netherlands with a remote team spanning Europe, the US, Asia and Africa.
The German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains has been applicable since January 2023. It requires large enterprises employing more than 1,000 people to conduct human rights due diligence across their global activities.
The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, adopted in February 2026 with full implementation expected by July 2028 across EU member states, will also form part of the centre’s remit once enforced.
Other relevant regulatory instruments include the EU Forced Labour Regulation, US Forced Labour Prevention Act, and labour provisions within international trade agreements.
