ILO Launches India’s First Bipartite Roadmap on Responsible Business

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has convened a landmark multi-stakeholder dialogue in New Delhi to accelerate Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) for decent work in India, bringing together 41 representatives from government institutions, employers' and workers' organizations, enterprises and development partners.

Held on 29 January 2026, the workshop marked the official launch of India's first Bipartite Roadmap on promoting RBC for decent work — a collaborative framework jointly developed by employers and trade unions after a year of technical consultations, capacity building and structured dialogue.

Strengthening RBC in a Shifting Global Trade Landscape

Opening the workshop, Ms Michiko Miyamoto, Director of the ILO Decent Work Team (DWT) for South Asia and Country Office for India, emphasized the urgency of advancing responsible business practices in a rapidly evolving global trade environment.

She highlighted the "distinctive and complementary roles" of governments, enterprises, employers' associations and workers' organizations in embedding responsible practices across business operations and supply chains.

In a keynote address, Mr Fumio Yamazaki, Minister (Economics and Development) at the Embassy of Japan in India, underscored the growing importance of cross-border responsible business conduct amid expanding India–Japan economic cooperation.

"As economic partnerships deepen, the importance of embedding responsible business conduct across borders and throughout supply chains becomes even greater," he said.

A First-of-Its-Kind Bipartite Roadmap

The Bipartite Roadmap represents a historic achievement, jointly presented by Mr Satish Anand of the All India Organisation of Employers (AIOE) and Mr R.D. Chandrasekhar of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).

Developed under the ILO programme Building Responsible Value Chains in Asia through Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations (Phase II), the roadmap reflects shared ownership by employers and workers — a notable milestone in India's industrial relations landscape.

Mr Anand stressed that enterprises must ensure "the growth of the workers along with the growth of the employers," expressing commitment to implementing the roadmap "in spirit and not just on paper."

From the workers' perspective, Mr Chandrasekhar emphasized the need to integrate RBC into national frameworks and ensure inclusive implementation throughout supply chains.

Ms Miyamoto described the roadmap as a "very unique, special moment" grounded in genuine, bottom-up collaboration.

Anchored in the ILO MNE Declaration

The roadmap aligns with the five core areas of the ILO Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration), the ILO's global framework for responsible business conduct.

Key proposals include:

• Establishing a national tripartite-plus committee to advance RBC

• Promoting wider adoption of the MNE Declaration

• Strengthening compliance with national labour laws

• Institutionalizing social dialogue mechanisms

• Enhancing capacity-building and awareness across supply chains

Participants broadly agreed that robust enforcement of existing labour legislation forms the foundation for advancing RBC in India.

From Dialogue to Implementation

Two expert panels examined the practical pathways to implementing the roadmap.

In the first session, Dr Garima Dadhich of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs emphasized institutionalized multi-stakeholder engagement, noting that RBC "cannot be delivered through government or business action alone."

Mr A.N. Prashant of EFI/CII highlighted the importance of implementing RBC uniformly across India's diverse workforce landscape, while Mr Saji Narayanan, former President of the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), stressed that trust and continuous dialogue are critical to translating commitments into tangible workplace improvements.

The second panel focused on operationalizing RBC within supply chains. Representatives from Yazaki India Pvt. Ltd., the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA), and Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS) discussed how companies can identify and address labour rights risks through corporate due diligence, sector-wide learning tools and strengthened social dialogue.

Toward a Coordinated National Platform

Small-group discussions concluded with consensus on the need for:

• A shared understanding of RBC principles and reporting frameworks

• Continued capacity-building for employers, workers and regulators

• A dedicated platform to review progress and follow up on commitments

• Expansion of the existing inter-ministerial working group on RBC to formally include employers' and workers' organizations

Participants suggested that such an expanded mechanism could anchor sustained coordination in line with the ILO MNE Declaration.

Regional Programme Backed by Japan

The workshop was organized under the ILO project Building Responsible Value Chains in Asia through the Promotion of Decent Work in Business Operations (Phase II), funded by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

The regional initiative supports inclusive and sustainable enterprises across four Asian countries, promoting responsible supply chains through technical support and stakeholder capacity-building.

As global supply chains face growing scrutiny over labour standards and human rights performance, the launch of India's Bipartite Roadmap signals a shift toward collaborative, structured and nationally anchored approaches to responsible business conduct.