LRQA is supporting the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in the implementation of Switzerland’s National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights.
When adopting the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) in 2011, the UN Human Rights Council called on governments to support the implementation of the UNGPs through National Action Plans. To date, more than 30 countries worldwide have issued such action plans – with some in their second or third iteration.
Among them is Switzerland, which has published its third National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP) in 2024. LRQA is currently supporting the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in its implementation.
While the initial NAPs focused primarily on raising awareness of human rights due diligence principles among companies and providing practical guidance, the 2024-2027 NAP instead zooms in on a number of critical levers, and business and human rights challenges of our time. Two of these are also the focal points of LRQA’s work with SECO and FDFA:
- Promoting human rights due diligence in the context of the energy transition
- Raising awareness in the investment and financial services sector on how to promote respect for human rights in business activities
To support this ambition, LRQA will deliver stakeholder engagement and awareness-raising activities throughout 2026 and 2027, designed to foster dialogue, share practical insights and good practices as well as encourage collaboration among stakeholders. The programme forms part of Switzerland’s ongoing commitment to advancing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and strengthening understanding of the role businesses can play in creating positive social outcomes alongside environmental progress.
Laura Curtze, Associate Director within LRQA’s European Sustainability Consulting team, said:
“It is an honour to support the implementation of Switzerland’s National Action Plan. Our experience in supporting organisations with sustainability strategy, human rights due diligence, responsible sourcing and stakeholder engagement shows how important it is to connect the dots and effectively use the levers we have to drive awareness and outcomes for people. We will help facilitate conversations that move from theory and to action.”
The first event in the programme will take place in Bern on 24 June 2026, bringing together representatives from business, government, academia, trade associations and civil society to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with delivering a just transition.
The project is led by Laura Curtze, Alexandra Sauer, Theresa Gigov and Johanna Tensi. It reflects LRQA's growing role in supporting policymakers and public institutions, in addition to global brands, as they address some of today's most complex sustainability and human rights challenges.
Further events and webinars will take place throughout 2026 as part of the stakeholder engagement programme.