Due Diligence for Responsible Corporate Lending and Securities Underwriting

Last updated: 2019

The overall objective of the Initiative is to advance human rights and positive outcomes for people through investor stewardship. The Initiative will primarily seek change through investors’ use of influence with a global framework for financial institutions to identify, respond to and publicly communicate on environmental and social risks associated with their clients.

Use this resource to:

  • Governance: Embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems.
  • Identify: Understand the expectations of responsible business conduct, including a discussion of key considerations when identifying negative impacts and risks.
  • Assess: Understand the key considerations in carrying out due diligence as recommended by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines). This helps to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption caused by financial institutions in the context of their corporate lending and underwriting activities.
  • Monitor: Monitor due diligence processes to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption caused by companies.

OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

Last updated: 2018

Guidance that provides practical support to enterprises on the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by providing plain language explanations of its due diligence recommendations and associated provisions.

For organisations

Use this resource to:

  • Governance, strategy, and management approach: Assist enterprises with developing and strengthening their due diligence system, as well as processes related to impacts in operations, supply chains, and business relationships.

For investors and financial institutions

Use this resource to:

  • Governance: Embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems.
  • Identify: Use guidance for expectations of responsible business conduct, including a discussion of key considerations when identifying negative impacts and risks.
  • Assess: Understand the key considerations in carrying out due diligence, as recommended by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines). This helps to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment and corruption caused by companies.
  • Monitor: Monitor due diligence processes to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption caused by companies.

Impact Standards for Financing Sustainable Development (IS-FSD)

Last updated: 2021

Practice standards to support donors in the deployment of public resources through DFIs and private asset managers, in a way that maximises the positive contribution towards the SDGs. The Standards are harmonised in approach with the UNDP SDG Impact Standards suite, the IS-FSD constitute a framework, ensuring that collectively (with the SDG Impact Standards for PE Funds, Bond Issuers and Enterprises) they help to connect actors across the system using a common language and approach for integrating SDG impacts in the investment strategy and throughout the investment process and governance structures.

Use this resource to:

  • Governance: Set up processes and embed practices that are aligned with the SDG Impact Standards.
  • Assess: Understand whether all relevant information is being actioned to understand impact. The Standards outline how baselines, social/ ecological thresholds and other contextual information should be included in assessment of whether an underlying asset is contributing to the SDGs.

Responsible Business Conduct for Institutional Investors

Last updated: 2017

Guidance that explains the application of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises in the context of institutional investors. The report highlights key considerations for institutional investors in carrying out due diligence that will help to identify and respond to environmental and social risks.

Use this resource to:

  • Governance: Embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems.
  • Identify: Understand the responsible business conduct expectations for institutional investors, including a discussion of key considerations when identifying negative impacts and risks.
  • Assess: Understand the key considerations for institutional investors in carrying out due diligence as recommended by the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines). This helps institutional investors to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption caused by companies in their investment portfolios.
  • Monitor: Monitor due diligence processes to prevent and address adverse impacts related to human and labour rights, the environment, and corruption caused by companies in their investment portfolios. 

OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct

Last updated: 2018

Guidance that provides practical support to enterprises on the implementation of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises by providing plain language explanations of its due diligence recommendations and associated provisions.

Use this resource to:

  • Governance, strategy, and management approach: Assist enterprises with developing and strengthening their due diligence system, as well as processes related to impacts in operations, supply chains, and business relationships.

OECD Statistics

Database of the OECD’s publicly available statistics.

Use this resource to:

  • Set and revise objectives: Use the database to identify areas of need in relation to specific sustainability topics. Especially useful for organisations designing business models to meet the needs of a group of people or the natural environment.

OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises

Last updated: 2011

One of the main (and government-backed) international instruments on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) setting out principles and standards on RBC. Regulators reference them in regulation.

Use this resource to:

  • Set and revise objectives: Set objectives with reference to minimum safeguards on topics such as: human rights, labour relations, employment practices, public health and safety, bribery and extortion, science and technology and taxation.