Quetta, 18th June 2025 – The Ministry of Human Rights, in collaboration with UNDP Pakistan, organized a provincial consultation in Quetta on the implementation of the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP-BHR). The event brought together key stakeholders from government departments, civil society, and the business community to discuss progress and strategies for localizing the NAP-BHR in Balochistan.

Director General of the Ministry of Human Rights, Mr. Muhammad Arshad, welcomed the participants and provided an overview of the business and human rights agenda. He introduced the National Action Plan as Pakistan’s first comprehensive framework for promoting responsible business conduct, grounded in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. He outlined the eight priority areas of the NAP-BHR, including labour rights, workplace equality and inclusion, protection of human rights defenders, access to remedy, and environmental protection.

Mr. Zulfiqar Durrani, representative of UNDP Pakistan, spoke about the organization’s work in advancing the business and human rights agenda in Balochistan, acknowledging the significant strides made through multi-stakeholder engagement and institutional collaboration. This was followed by a presentation by Ms. Amber from UNDP, who detailed the role of UNDP in supporting the implementation of the NAP-BHR in Pakistan. She also highlighted the recent notification of the Provincial Steering Committee on BHR in Balochistan, which will be led by the Social Welfare Department.

Mr. Abdul Ali from the Social Welfare and Human Rights Department Balochistan elaborated on the Steering Committee’s work and the department’s mandate in implementing the NAP-BHR at the provincial level. He emphasized initiatives focused on workplace equality, anti-corruption measures, and collaboration with departments such as the Women Development Department of Balochistan in ensuring inclusive and rights-respecting business practices.

Mr. Muhammad Yousaf, Deputy Director HR and Minority Affairs also addressed the gathering and shared key insights and progress from Punjab’s implementation efforts. His remarks highlighted the value of inter-provincial learning and the need to strengthen linkages across all parts of the federation. He encouraged knowledge sharing and cross-provincial collaboration to create a unified and coherent approach to the implementation of the NAP-BHR nationwide.

Deputy Director of the Ministry of Human Rights, Ms. Khaola Batool, led a detailed session explaining the implementation progress made so far under the NAP-BHR and introduced the concept of Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD). She explained its scope in the business context, including identification, mitigation, and redressal of human rights impacts across supply chains. She then invited participants to provide inputs through structured forms, laying the foundation for the focus group discussions (FGDs) that followed.

The event concluded with a Focus Group Discussion, where participants from civil society, the private sector, and government departments contributed valuable feedback and recommendations to inform future actions under the NAP-BHR framework in Balochistan.