Prof. Sarah Ashwin and Dr. Rachel Alexander were invited to present our interim report at the United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, 26 - 28 November 2018.

The interim report summarizes leading garment brands and retailers’ response to the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 comprising individual firm actions and collective initiatives, as well as key changes experienced by Bangladeshi workers and Bangladeshi factory managers in the years following the Rana Plaza disaster. We present findings based on original survey and interview data from Bangladeshi workers, factory managers and global garment brands and retailers. Our worker survey provides a unique insight into workers’ perceptions of the changes brought by the Accord and Alliance in Bangladesh. We report on improvements perceived by workers, as well as areas where they note little change. Factory managers describe a transformation of safety culture, but also serious concerns regarding the financial implications of this transformation which they claim has mainly been borne by suppliers rather than buyers. Finally, we outline the key trends and challenges in the labour governance practices of global brands and retailers identified by our research.

The UN Forum is the world's largest annual conference on business and human rights with more than 2,000 participants from government, business, community groups and civil society, law firms, investor organisations, UN bodies, national human rights institutions, trade unions, academia and the media. Over three days, participants take part in more than 60 panel discussions on topics that relate to the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the United Nations "Protect, Respect and Remedy" Framework), as well as current business-related human rights issues. The forum provides a good opportunity to network, share experiences and latest research outcomes, and learn about the latest initiatives to promote corporate respect for human rights.