The 5th African Business and Human Rights Forum

Realizing the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment through Responsible Business Conduct

29 September – 01 October 2026 | Dakar, Senegal 

The United Nations Global Compact invites stakeholders to the fifth edition of the Africa Business and Human Rights Forum. This year's gathering underscores the critical link between corporate activities, environmental integrity, and the fundamental rights of communities across the continent.

About the Forum 

The Africa Business and Human Rights (BHR) Forum serves as a catalyst for promoting a coherent approach to the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). As we mark the fifth anniversary of this regional platform, we recognize the progress made, including the adoption of National Action Plans by Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Liberia, and Ghana. However, significant challenges remain, with Africa losing an estimated USD 195 billion annually to environmental degradation, illicit financial flows, and unsustainable resource use.

The 2026 Forum is themed "Realizing the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment through Responsible Business Conduct", which  underscores the growing recognition of the interconnectedness between business activities, environmental integrity, and the fundamental rights of communities in Africa. The event provides a unique, collaborative space for governments, businesses, civil society, and affected communities to translate the right to a healthy environment into actionable steps for responsible business conduct.

Key Objectives

• Review the progress made in advancing the effective implementation of the UNGPs in Africa over the past five years through policy, legislation, and practice developments.
  
  
• Assess how business impacts the right to a healthy environment, focusing heavily on safe and sufficient water, a healthy environment, and a safe climate.
  
  
• Strengthen corporate accountability and responsible business conduct by promoting integrated human rights and environmental due diligence.
  
  
• Advance access to remedy, including the procedural elements of the right to a healthy environment, and identify priority actions to accelerate the implementation of BHR commitments in alignment with Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
  
  

Core Focus Areas 

The 2026 Forum will address four pivotal areas to advance human rights and sustainable development across the continent:

• Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence: Integrating environmental dimensions to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for adverse impacts resulting from environmental harms.
  
  
• Safe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Land Rights: Assessing business-related impacts on these essential resources, with special attention to the disproportionate effects on women and vulnerable, marginalized groups.
  
  
• Just Transition and Human Rights: Balancing economic development with climate commitments, exploring how Africa—which holds approximately 30 percent of the world’s known critical mineral reserves—can shift toward green economies in a fair and inclusive way.
  
  
• Access to Remedy: Advancing effective redress mechanisms for victims of business-related human rights abuses and ensuring the voices of affected stakeholders are centered in decision-making.
  
  

Opportunities to Participate

Across the three-day event, participants will have the opportunity to engage in targeted programming designed to foster collaboration:

• Keynote addresses from African leaders, international actors, and BHR experts offering strategic insights into the current state of play and pathways to solutions.
  
  
• Panel discussions, thematic trainings, clinics, and interactive breakout sessions hosted by regional organizations, civil society, and National Human Rights Institutions.
  
  
• Showcases featuring exhibitions, book stands, and documentary screenings operating throughout all days of the Forum.

Event Format and Interpretation

• Format: A hybrid event combining in-person and virtual participation.
  
  
• Languages: Sessions will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation available in French and Portuguese.

More about the 4th African Business and Human Rights Forum here.