ASCI Connect

The Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner's latest guidance highlights a clear shift: modern slavery is only one part of a broader human rights due diligence responsibility that asks businesses to take a proactive, risk-based approach across their entire value chain. This means focusing on the most severe human rights risks, engaging meaningfully with workers and communities, and understanding whether our organisations cause, contribute to, or are directly linked to harm.

As ASCI continues to build ethics awareness across the profession, members have an opportunity to lead by strengthening how we identify, assess and act on human rights risks within supply chain decisions. So, here are some key questions for your organisation to consider:

• How prepared is your organisation to move beyond modern slavery reporting toward full human rights due diligence?

• What tools, gaps or challenges are you seeing when it comes to identifying your most salient human rights risks?

Looking forward to your insights and examples.

#SupplyChainEthics

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Dr Stephen Morse
ASCI Ethics Committee Chair
CEO at Unchained Solutions Pty Ltd
stephen.morse@unchainedsolutions.com.au
+61 479 116 276
www.unchainedsolution.com.au
Macquarie Park NSW, Australia
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Hi Stephen,

As a former (retired) United Nations (UN) official I wish to share what the UN is doing about this subject, e.g. when/before awarding contracts to vendors, usually through a competitive bidding process.

• Supplier Code of Conduct: The UN Supplier Code of Conduct explicitly prohibits forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking.
• Contract Clauses: Amendments to the General Conditions of Contract for UN procurement are used to ensure suppliers comply with these standards, incorporating human rights due diligence.
• Definition: The UN defines these risks broadly, covering forced labour, debt bondage, and human trafficking as part of the broader fight against modern slavery.
• Due Diligence: The UN works to ensure its supply chains do not contribute to exploitation by encouraging suppliers to adopt ethical practices and by conducting assessments.
• These efforts align with the broader UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly targets 8.7 and 16.2, which aim to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery, and trafficking. 

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Klaus Zillner
klauszillner@yahoo.com
Australia
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• Policy Frameworks: UN Security Council Resolution S/RES/2388 calls upon UN organizations to strengthen protections against trafficking in persons in all procurement. Subsequent resolutions, including UN General Assembly Resolution 76/7 and ECOSOC Resolution 2021/25, urge that procurement be free from trafficked persons.
• Supplier Code of Conduct: The UN Supplier Code of Conduct explicitly prohibits forced or compulsory labour and human trafficking.
• Contract Clauses: Amendments to the General Conditions of Contract for UN procurement are used to ensure suppliers comply with these standards, incorporating human rights due diligence.
• Definition: The UN defines these risks broadly, covering forced labour, debt bondage, and human trafficking as part of the broader fight against modern slavery.
• Due Diligence: The UN works to ensure its supply chains do not contribute to exploitation by encouraging suppliers to adopt ethical practices and by conducting assessments. 

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Klaus Zillner
klauszillner@yahoo.com
Australia
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