“The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises bring together labor, civil society, and business to create the broadest possible consensus behind them. This is truly the work of a global policy network in action.”
-- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
The Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) have served for over 35 years as the only comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) instrument to be formally negotiated and endorsed by governments. The Guidelines are voluntary recommendations to foster sustainable development through responsible business conduct by MNEs. The focus areas are:
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB) is home base for the Guidelines.
The United States and the other adhering governments (34 OECD members, plus non-OECD countries Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, Latvia, Lithuania, Morocco, Peru, Romania and Tunisia) have created national contact points (NCPs) to promote and implement the Guidelines' recommendations. The U.S. NCP, located in EB, works closely with U.S. businesses, trade unions, civil society, and interagency partners. The NCP has the following responsibilities:
The U.S. NCP offers itself as a resource to the business community, civil society, U.S. government agencies and U.S. Embassies around the world. The U.S. NCP is a part of EB’s Corporate Social Responsibility Team, which plays a key role in the Department’s engagement with U.S. business in promoting responsible private sector business practices.
