The 1st TOT on Capacity development on HREED for the responsible Business helpdesk Viet Nam and beyond

Attending the training course, there were nearly 20 delegates who are responsible for Responsible Business Helpdesk (RBH) and related experts and service providers. The trainers at the training course are experts from Sustainable Links Company, Germany.

Ms. Tran Thi Hong Lien, Deputy Director of the Bureau for Employers' Activities

The training was held in the context of increasing requirements for compliance with labor, social and environmental standards in the supply chain. In particular, the German Government passed a new law on Business Due Diligence in the Supply Chain in July 2021 and the Draft European Union Directive on Due Diligence was also passed in February 2022.

In Vietnam, HRDD is a fairly new concept. Often, the term is used interchangeably with “compliance” and “social responsibility”, and for many stakeholders, the term “responsible business conduct” is often preferred for HRDD. Therefore, it is important to convey expertise and understanding of the concept of HREDD (following the UNGP and OECD Guidelines) and to find its connection to reality in Vietnam including typical risks, impacts, and current responsible business practices.

RBH was established and launched on December 14, 2022, and is managed by VCCI with technical support from GIZ in Vietnam in the initial phase to meet the growing needs of businesses in improving the implementation of social and environmental regulations, in the face of increasing pressure from customers. RBH Vietnam is also a member of the RBH Network globally. RBH Vietnam helps Vietnamese businesses improve their understanding and willingness to meet customer expectations. RBH will also support information connections between brands and domestic manufacturers to form more sustainable supply chains.

In particular, RBH Vietnam will also support Vietnamese enterprises to effectively implement regulations on responsibility for appraisal of environmental and social issues, thereby better meeting the increasingly strict requirements on the environment, legal labor, and international customers. RBH Vietnam will provide hands-on consulting services and training to raise awareness of responsible business and enhance the dialogue among stakeholders. RBH Vietnam will also be the focal point connecting manufacturing businesses with service providers and projects, programs, and initiatives on sustainable development and responsible business.

To prepare for the provision of RBH's services to the Vietnamese business community, building a network of consultants plays an extremely important role. Therefore, the TOT training course is specially designed for professionals who are committed to working with RBH to provide services to businesses on content related to due diligence in the near future.

Delegates participating in the Training Course

At the training course, the participants learned the concept of responsibility for appraisal in terms of labor, society, and the environment and from there found the connection with reality in Vietnam, including responsibilities for evaluating the supply chain of European brands, brand requirements, reference to Vietnam's legal framework, overview of HRDD related services provided in the countries and matters of concern to RBH, access key methods and available resources for effective HREED implementation in businesses, understand RBH's vision, drive commitment to be a part of RBH's network.

BEA