{"id":271,"date":"2025-06-13T14:54:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T14:54:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.grz.gov.zm\/zanis\/?p=271"},"modified":"2025-06-13T14:54:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T14:54:38","slug":"govt-says-human-rights-must-guide-business-practices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/?p=271","title":{"rendered":"Govt says Human Rights must guide business practices"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lusaka, June 10, 2025, ZANIS—Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary Legal, Mwenya Bwalya<\/strong>, says the connection between\u00a0business and human rights<\/strong>\u00a0is fundamental and inseparable<\/p>\n

Speaking during the\u00a0official launch of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights<\/strong>\u00a0in Lusaka today, Ms Bwalya said businesses, like governments, have a responsibility to\u00a0respect, protect, and promote human rights<\/strong>\u00a0across their value chains and the communities they affect.<\/p>\n

\u201cHuman rights are not abstract ideals, they are the foundation of dignity, justice, and development,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms. Bwalya emphasized that\u00a0state-owned enterprises<\/strong>\u00a0and private companies alike must go beyond the pursuit of profit and prioritize human rights as part of their core values.<\/p>\n

\u201cA business that ignores human rights risks conflict, reputational damage, and systemic inequality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Permanent secretary disclosed that a\u00a0national baseline assessment<\/strong>\u00a0was first conducted in 2015 to review the state\u2019s duty to protect human rights, followed by a 2019 supplementary assessment that focused on corporate accountability and access to remedies.<\/p>\n

Ms Bwalya added that a\u00a0technical working group,\u00a0<\/strong>comprising the Ministry of Justice, Human Rights Commission, UNDP, and civil society organizations has already carried out consultations in Lusaka, Copperbelt, and Southern Provinces.<\/p>\n

Human Rights Commission Director General, Mbulolwa Wamunyima<\/strong>, has also emphasized that\u00a0human rights must be central to business conduct<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ms Wamunyima<\/strong>\u00a0highlighted that ongoing\u00a0nationwide consultations<\/strong>\u00a0aim to ensure that the National Action Plan is grounded in the lived experiences of all Zambians, especially vulnerable communities facing unsafe labor conditions and environmental degradation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese consultative meetings are essential to shaping an inclusive and credible plan that reflects the realities of workers, communities, and civil society,\u201d Ms Wamunyima said.<\/p>\n

She reaffirmed Zambia\u2019s commitment to aligning with the\u00a0UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights<\/strong>, which outline the state\u2019s duty to protect, corporate responsibility to respect, and the right to effective remedies.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile,\u00a0UN Resident Coordinator, Beatrice Munthali<\/strong>, called for\u00a0urgent and collective action<\/strong>\u00a0to promote responsible business conduct.<\/p>\n

She emphasized that sustainable development is not possible without businesses that\u00a0respect human rights<\/strong>,\u00a0protect the environment<\/strong>, and\u00a0support peace and stability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ms Munthali cited recent environmental incidents in Zambia as a stark reminder of the\u00a0need for greater corporate accountability<\/strong>, particularly in the\u00a0extractive and resource-intensive sectors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more than just a document,\u201d she said. \u201cThe National Action Plan is a practical tool to align Zambia\u2019s legal and policy frameworks with\u00a0international standards<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0Sustainable Development Goals<\/strong>\u00a0through strong partnerships across government, civil society, and the private sector.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lusaka, June 10, 2025, ZANIS—Ministry of Justice Permanent Secretary Legal, Mwenya Bwalya, says the connection between\u00a0business and human rights\u00a0is fundamental and inseparable Speaking during the\u00a0official launch of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights\u00a0in Lusaka today, Ms Bwalya said businesses, like governments, have a responsibility to\u00a0respect, protect, and promote human rights\u00a0across their value […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=271"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":272,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/271\/revisions\/272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zanis.gov.zm\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}