VECTRA International

UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) Practical Application

Duration: 45-60 min Intermediate Certificate Course Updated Feb 2026

About course

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) are no longer voluntary. Since 2011, they have become the direct foundation for mandatory human rights laws across the EU, Germany, France, the UK, and Australia.

This course walks you through the full scope of the UNGPs — from the three-pillar framework and Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) process, to salient issues, leverage, grievance mechanisms, mandatory law, and the GP 16 policy commitment.

Course Outline

Section 1: What the UNGPs Are and Why They Exist

  • Trace the origins of the UNGPs and understand why this framework now carries real legal weight for your organization.

Section 2: The Three Pillars: Protect, Respect, and Remedy

  • Explore what each pillar requires and locate where your company's obligations sit.

Section 3: What Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) Actually Means

  • Walk through the six-step HRDD process and see what good practice looks like at each stage.

Section 4: How Salient Issues Identification Works

  • Learn to prioritize human rights risks by severity using scale, scope, remediability, and likelihood.

Section 5: The Leverage Question: When and How to Act

  • Distinguish between causing, contributing to, and being linked to harm, and determine the right response in each case.

Section 6: Grievance Mechanisms: What Access to Remedy Looks Like

  • Evaluate grievance mechanisms against the eight GP 31 criteria and identify the most common gaps.

Section 7: How UNGPs Translate Into Mandatory Law

  • Compare CSDDD, LkSG, France's Duty of Vigilance Law, and the UK Modern Slavery Act side by side.

Section 8: Real Company Example

  • Analyze what H&M, Nestlé, Apple, and Lidl did when human rights risks surfaced, and extract the practical lessons each case offers.

Section 9: What a Human Rights Policy Commitment Must Include

  • Build a compliant Human Rights Policy Commitment grounded in GP 16 and recognize what weak policies get wrong.

Course Outcome

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Explain the three-pillar UNGP framework and how it assigns responsibility
  • Apply the six-step HRDD process to operations and supply chains
  • Prioritize salient human rights issues by severity
  • Evaluate your company's response when linked to harm
  • Assess whether a grievance mechanism meets GP 31 criteria

Topic expert

Lorenz Berzau
Lorenz Berzau
Consultant

Lorenz is a strategic governance leader who optimizes purchasing practices and responsible sourcing to align with the latest ESG trends and 2025+ projections. He specializes in navigating complex boardroom debates to prioritize ESG initiatives, justifying investment strategies through rigorous risk ranking and ethical leadership. By mastering CSRD and ESRS reporting standards, Lorenz ensures business integrity and fair competition while balancing profitability with accountability to build long-term stakeholder trust.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I access my purchased courses?

You will be able to access your purchases after you’ve successfully logged into your VECTRA account. This information will include links to each of the purchases for quick navigation. You will also receive an email with a link for your training.

Can I share my access to purchased courses with others?

No, sharing access is not permitted. Each purchase provides a single-user license. Sharing access may result in the termination of your account. If you are interested in making a group purchase for your company, please write at contact@vectra-intl.com.

Can I access my purchased courses on multiple devices?

Yes, you can access your purchased products and services on multiple devices, provided you are the account holder. This allows for flexible learning and usage.

Will I get a certificate upon completing an online course?

Some courses include certificates of completion. Please check the course details for confirmation.

Reviews

Verified feedback from learners.

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)