The UN Forum on Business and Human Rights is currently taking place at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, with Sonja Tošković, Executive Director of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, participating in the event.
The UN Forum opened on Monday, 24 November, and today session is co-organized by the Working Group on Business and Human Rights, the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and Chamber of Commerce Serbia and the Greek National Commission for Human Rights. Sonja Tošković, BCHR Executive Director participated as a panelist at this session named Preserving Business and Human Rights Achievements in Central, Eastern Europe and Central Asia amid polycrisis.
States and businesses in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia (CA) regions are progressively recognizing the importance of incorporating human rights considerations in business activities and are taking steps in this regard. More States are developing or have committed to develop National Action Plans (NAPs) on business and human rights (Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia) or business and human rights chapters as part of larger Human Rights Plans and Strategies (Georgia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, and Ukraine). Increasingly, States and businesses in the region are becoming more aware of their duty and responsibility to protect and respect human rights, including through effective human rights due diligence. However, challenges remain in translating policy commitments into concrete actions.
The specific challenges the regions’ countries face on business and human rights own to legacy of weak governance, fragile democratic institutions, shrinking space for civil society and low awareness on what the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) require from States and businesses to protect and respect human rights in business activities. The global polycrisis has intensified regional instability, making it more difficult for States and businesses to prioritize or enforce business and human rights frameworks and to navigate legal uncertainty and inconsistency.
More detailed information about this session, the participants, and the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, taking place in Geneva from 24 to 26 November 2025, is available at this link.
