The sessions were jointly delivered by UNDP’s global BHR specialists, including Dr. Sinisa Milatovic, Dr. Harpreet Kaur, and Ms. Nusrat Khan. The workshop comprised five engaging sessions, covering topics such as the BHR landscape, policy development, human rights due diligence, stakeholder engagement, and grievance redressal mechanisms.

Mr. Chacko Thomas, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, opened the workshop by reflecting on the Tata Group’s long-standing legacy of community-centric and value-driven business practices. Quoting Jamsetji Tata’s vision, he emphasized the importance of communities, purpose, and stakeholders in business, and shared examples of the group’s pioneering role in worker welfare. He urged participants to proactively embed human rights into business operations, with a focus on BHR policies, due diligence, and grievance mechanisms.

Mr. Shrirang Dhavale, Head of the Social Services Cluster, encouraged participants to draw upon the group’s strong value system as a guiding force in advancing the BHR agenda within their companies. He emphasized the need to sustain the momentum built through the sessions and expressed hope that such initiatives would foster deeper collaboration and drive collective impact.

Day 1 began with an interactive activity highlighting the inalienable, universal, equal, and interdependent nature of human rights. Participants then mapped human rights risks across their sectoral value chains. The sessions provided a comprehensive understanding of the steps involved in conducting human rights due diligence, including key concepts such as severity (scale, scope, and irremediability) and likelihood. The final session of the day focused on the role of policies in cultivating a BHR culture within organizations.

Day 2 opened with a discussion on global and regional developments in due diligence and supply chain laws. This was followed by a stakeholder engagement session, enriched with case studies involving communities, employees, and workers across the value chain. Topics such as causality, contribution, and direct linkage to impact were explored in depth. During the Trusted Friend Speak session, Ms. Gayatri Divecha, a BHR specialist with long-standing ties to the Godrej Group, delivered an inspiring talk. Mr. Ashwani Kumar from the Group Ethics Office also presented on the importance of BHR and its alignment with the Tata legacy. The final session addressed aspects of remedy and disclosures.

The workshop significantly enhanced participants’ awareness of BHR, offering them a platform to reflect on current challenges within their companies and explore meaningful opportunities to engage with the subject.