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Applications are now open for the 2026 UN Global Compact Business & Human Rights Accelerator Program

Ednah Carrick September 20, 2025

0 1,357 4 minutes read

Closing Date: 19 December 2025

Applications are now open for the 2026 UN Global Compact Business & Human Rights Accelerator Program

Overview

The idea of human rights is as simple as it is powerful: That all people have a right to be treated with dignity.

Business is about people. Directly or indirectly, businesses often impact the human rights of their employees and contract workers, workers in their supply chains, the communities around their operations and the end users of their products or services. Businesses impact virtually the entire spectrum of internationally recognized human rights.

As a result, companies have both a responsibility and an opportunity to advance human rights across their operations, supply chains and beyond. Is your company able to know and show that it supports and respects the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights, and that it is not complicit in human rights abuses?

The Business & Human Rights Accelerator is a six-month programme activating companies participating in the UN Global Compact across industries and regions. The objective is to help businesses swiftly move from commitment to action on human rights and labour rights through establishing an ongoing human rights due diligence process.

What you will learn

How to identify your responsibilities in respecting human rights and labour rights, expressed in the International Bill of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
How to establish an ongoing human rights due diligence process in line with international standards
How to prepare organizations for evolving human rights due diligence legislation that is aligned with international standards
How to report and communicate on your human rights due diligence outcomes, including through the Communication on Progress, the annual public disclosure requirement for all UN Global Compact participants
How to connect human rights and the human rights due diligence process with social sustainability initiatives

What you will gain

An understanding of where your company is on their human rights journey
An assessment of actual and potential adverse human rights impacts and the ability to prioritize action
The knowledge about steps to take to mitigate your human rights impacts, including grievance mechanisms and remedy
Ways to effectively engage stakeholders on operational impacts on people
An action plan to advance human rights in your company and beyond
A network of peers, UN partners and experts to support your human rights journey and work collectively to tackle persistent barriers to human rights due diligence.
A certificate demonstrating completion of programme

Who can participate

To take part in the Business & Human Rights Accelerator, companies are required to be participants of the UN Global Compact or willing to join. Your company should also be:

Currently engaged with a Global Compact Country Network in your region or willing to join
Willing to identify its human rights risks and impacts and scope a core area of your value chain for further focus
Committed to developing an Action Plan to help address the human rights risks identified and prioritized
Able to appoint two working-level representatives to attend sessions and participate in Accelerator activities and an additional executive-level representative to follow programme developments, provide support and participate in high-level events
Commit to completing the programme and embedding the learnings across the company strategy and operations

The Learning Experience

Stage 1

Global kick-off webinar
E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 1”
Global deep dive session on UNGP core concepts, human rights due diligence and facilitation of the Responsibility to Respect Human Rights’ gap analysis tool
Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
Participant working session to complete the UNGP gap analysis tool

Stage 2

E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 2″
Global deep dive session on understanding salient human rights, identifying risk factors, where to find risk information and how to map the value chain and determine focus areas
Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
Participant working session to complete value chain mapping tool and risk identification matrix

Stage 3

E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 3”
Global deep dive session on prioritizing potential impacts, understanding severity and likelihood and how to plot impacts on the risk heat map
Country Network facilitated peer learning session
Participant working session on completing the risk heatmap

Stage 4

Global deep dive session on developing an appropriate action plan based on at least one salient impact identified with articulation of desired outcomes and high-level metrics
Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
Participant working session on completion of action plan for one salient impact, including metrics

Stage 5

Global deep dive session on communicating with a range of stakeholders, both within and external to the business and examine the components of effective communication, including formal disclosure processes
Country Network facilitated peer learning session
Participant working session on starting a communication plan and stakeholder engagement plan

Stage 6

E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 4”
Global deep dive session on the different types of remedy and pathways for providing remedy including operational level grievance mechanisms that support the broader hrdd process
Country Network facilitated peer learning session including best practice case studies
Participant working session to complete the grievance gap analysis and develop a remedy plan