East and Horn of Africa Business and Human Rights Dialogue

The East African and Horn of Africa Business and Human Rights Dialogue was held on 10 th –11 th June 2026 at Trademark Suites at Enaki Town in Nairobi, Kenya. This year’s theme was “Beyond Compliance: Strengthening Accountable and Rights Centred Supply Chains.”

The Dialogue was convened by DanChurchAid, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), United Nations Global Compact Network Kenya and United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. The Centre for Education Policy and Climate Justice (CEPCJ) was privilegd to be a co-convener together with Pamoja Trust, Witness Radio, ACT Alliance, Resource Rights Africa, Danish Family Planning Association (DFPA) and African Coalition for Corporate Accountability.

Welcome remarks were given by Matthew Brooke, Head of Governance, Digital and Macroeconomics, Delegation of the European Union to Kenya with a high-level keynote delivered by Professor Damilola Olawuyi, Chairperson of the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporation and other business enterprises.

Highlights of CEPCJ’s participation included:

1. Participation by CEPCJ Executive Director, Florence Shako, in a discussion panel on “Pathways to a Just Transition across East and the Horn of Africa.” Other panelists included Andrew Byaruhanga, Director, Resource Rights Africa; Eric Baeni, Coordinator, Pan African Youth Alliance on Business and Human Rights (PAYA-BHR); Mahlet Merid Affesa, Senior Gender Expert, Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) and Enid Muchiri, Sales Engineer (Business Development) East Africa, Danfoss. The session was expertly moderated by Elizabeth Kariuki, East Africa Hub Director, Natural Justice.
   Read more here on the panel here:
   https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ugcPost-7470456447613530113-U6hm/utm_source=social_share_send&utm_medium=ios_app&rcm=ACoAAE2PYY0
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2. CEPCJ co-hosted a Breakout Discussion together with DanChurchAid and Pamoja Trust on “Cultivating Justice Project: Unlocking access: agribusiness, remedy and multistakeholder dialogue in Kenya.” Carolyne Okwemba and Florence Shako participated in this breakout session. This session:
   1. Examined Kenya-specific access to remedy challenges in agribusiness value chains and drew out transferable lessons for the East and Horn of Africa region.
   2. Amplified partner voices on access to justice frameworks and how they intersect with smallholder farmers, agricultural workers and affected communities and connect this to the Dialogue’s wider “beyond compliance” agenda.
   3. Explored how multistakeholder dialogue can drive measurable uptake of responsible business conduct, linking the Cultivating Justice model to regional RBC developments and EU due diligence expectations.
   4. Surfaced actionable recommendations and shared commitments that can feed into the Dialogue’s closing plenary and post-conference reporting.
3. CEPCJ also coordinated a Breakout Session on “Inclusive Policy Development and Concrete Implementation Mechanisms: Country Caucus – Kenya.” This country caucus was led Christina Arrumm of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR). The country caucus
   1. Examined Kenya-specific access to remedy challenges in agribusiness value chains and drew out transferable lessons for the East and Horn of Africa region.
   2. Identified what genuine inclusion requires in NAP 2 policy design, going beyond formal consultation to co-design with affected communities, including informal workers and vulnerable groups including indigenous groups, and women.
   3. Defined concrete implementation mechanisms, with named accountability, for Kenya’s BHR framework, covering the extractive sector, digital economy, and land rights.
   4. Closed the session with a signed commitment log, positioning KNCHR as the accountability anchor for development of the next NAP

CEPCJ continues to be committed to the advancement of Business and Human Rights and Responsible Business Africa as part of its wider agenda.

See more pictures at the gallery