HomeThe U.S. Government’s National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

# 											The U.S. Government’s National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct									

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

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Businesses can provide crucial support for democratic principles, including respect for human and labor rights. They have the capacity to help shape society and the environment – raising local wages, improving working conditions, building trust with communities, and operating sustainably. As a result, businesses have a key role in addressing human rights abuses, including throughout their value chains.
**Antony J. Blinken**Secretary of StateJune 16, 2021

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Overview of the NAP Process and Stakeholder Engagement

Press Statement

10th Anniversary of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights 

June 16, 2021 | Antony J. Blinken

2016 National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

Businesses adhering to strong responsible business conduct (RBC) practices throughout their value chains can lift standards around the world and help level the playing field, including for U.S.-based businesses and workers.  The U.S. government uses a range of tools to promote and incentivize RBC, including prohibitions against federal contractors and sub-contractors engaging in trafficking in persons or using forced labor or indentured child labor; technical assistance and programming to prevent child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking in global supply chains; preferential purchasing for contractors engaged in sustainable environmental practices; import and export controls; trade-related regulations; sanctions; and visa restrictions.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s release of the United States’ second National Action Plan (NAP) on Responsible Business Conduct reflects a whole-of-government commitment to strengthen RBC.  Agencies across the U.S. government have pursued policies, initiatives, and programming focused on RBC to promote respect for human and labor rights, expand use of green energy, further a just transition, counter corruption, protect human rights defenders, advance gender equity and equality, and promote rights-respecting use of technology.

2024 United States Government National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct [767 KB]

FACT SHEET: U.S Government’s National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

Recording: The Launch of the United States Government’s National Action Plan on Responsible Business Conduct

## Contact Us

Contact us at **RBCNAP@state.gov**.

## Other Relevant U.S. Government RBC and BHR Documents

### Strategies, Tools and Guidance

          - **Labor Department’s Responsible Business Conduct and Labor Rights InfoHub**
          - **State Department’s Surveillance Due Diligence Guidance**
          - **United States Guidance for Online Platforms on Protecting Human Rights Defenders Online**
          - **Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally **
          - **Comply Chain:  Business Tools for Labor Compliance in Global Supply Chains**

### Fact Sheets

          - **Fact Sheet:  President Biden Takes Historic Step to Advance Worker Rights**
          - **U.S. Government Efforts to Advance Business and Human Rights in 2020**
          - **U.S. Government Efforts to Advance Business and Human Rights in 2019**
          - **U.S. Government Efforts to Advance Business and Human Rights in 2018**

### Relevant State Department Webpages

          - **Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor**  
          - **Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs**
          - **U.S. National Contact Point for the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises**

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Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and LaborBureau of Economic and Business AffairsBusinessHuman RightsOrganization for Economic Co-operation and DevelopmentSummit for Democracy

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