Strengthening the Capacities of Colombia’s NHRI to Protect Rights in the Context of Business Activities

On August 28, the Office of the Ombudsperson of Colombia, in partnership with the Regional Center for Responsible Business and Entrepreneurship – CREER, presented the results of the work the institution has been undertaking since 2016 under the initiative: "Strengthening the Mission and Activities of the Ombudsperson’s Office for the Promotion, Protection, and Remediation of Human Rights in the Context of Business Conduct."

Among the most significant outcomes of this process was the development of the Defensorial Doctrine on Human Rights and its Principles of Action, which define the scope and forms of action the Office can take in relation to this topic. The event also served to discuss the results of work conducted in 2018 and 2019, which led to the identification of situations that threaten human rights in the context of business activities.

Beyond sharing results, the event was an opportunity for the Ombudsperson’s Office to invite business associations and state oversight agencies to engage in upcoming dialogue spaces focused on the development of mechanisms to prevent negative human rights impacts.

This project was made possible thanks to the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ.