The United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights concluded on Wednesday October 15 its ten-day visit to
the Republic of Serbia. The purpose of the visit was to assess how the Government and the business sector discharge their respective duties and responsibilities under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). These include the duties and responsibilities to prevent, respect and remedy adverse human rights impacts of business activities.
Preliminary observations on the state of business and human rights in Serbia were shared at a press conference held on Wednesday, October 15, at the UNS Press Center in Belgrade. Experts from the UN Working group on Business and Human Rights Lyra Jakulevičienė and Robert McCorquodale spoke at the press conference.
The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights conducted its first official visit to Serbia from October 6 to 15, 2025. During the visit, the UN experts met with representatives of the Serbian Government, companies, trade unions, local communities, civil society organizations, and activists in Belgrade, Bor, Loznica, Novi Sad, and Zrenjanin. They also held discussions with representatives of the companies Linglong in Zrenjanin, Zijin in Bor, and Rio Tinto in Loznica.
The Working Group will submit a full report on its visit to Serbia to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2026 at its 62nd session.
The preliminary observations in English are HERE.
You can watch the press conference at this link:
