Renewable Energy Complaints and Disputes Committee
On 6 March 2023, a multi-stakeholder group consisting of companies and industry associations active in the wind and solar energy sector, trade unions, NGOs, knowledge institutions and the Dutch government signed the International RBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector with the goal to foster responsible business conduct in renewable energy supply chains. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights will form the basis of the implementation of the Agreement. The Agreement entered into force on 1 May 2023 for a period of 5 years. The Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands facilitates the process.
Article 7.2 of the International RBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector stipulates that the Parties shall establish an operational, independent Renewable Energy Complaints and Disputes Committee (RECDC) no later than one year after the Agreement has entered into force. This means that RECDC needs to be operational before 30 April 2024.
The RECDC has the mandate to rule on Disputes and Complaints. In the context of the Agreement, a dispute entails an issue between the Independent Secretariat and a Company following from the exercise of the due diligence monitoring mandate of the Independent Secretariat. Similarly, the term complaint refers to an issue between a Stakeholder (or its mandated representative) and a Company of the Agreement concerning an injury, loss or (environmental) damage of material significance suffered individually by a Stakeholder or a group to which the Stakeholder belongs, due to a violation of the RBC agreement. The complaint needs to fall under the scope chosen by the companies when signing the Agreement.
The RECDC rules of procedure shall at all times be aligned with Principles 30 and 31 of the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“Effectiveness criteria for non-judicial grievance mechanism”). In the case of discrepancy between the RECDC rules of procedure, Principles 30 and 31 of the UNGPs shall prevail.
More information about the composition of the committee will follow shortly.
Do you want to submit a complaint?
Please contact REAsecretariat@ser.nl Know that we handle your complaints with utmost care and confidentiality.