- Companies to road-test new human rights impact assessment guide
- Moving closer to a Responsible Business Initiative in the Democratic Republic of Congo
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- Development, Peace and Human Rights in Colombia: A Business Agenda
- Business and human rights: Policy commitments and disclosure in the extractive sector
- more IBLF publications
December 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), agreed in 1948 by representatives of many nations to prevent a recurrence of World War II era atrocities. This year has also seen the release of a Business and Human Rights framework for States and companies by Professor John Ruggie, the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. The framework has been generally well-received by governments, business and civil society and in June 2008 the UN Human Rights Council extended Professor Ruggie’s UN mandate for a further three years until 2011, calling on him to provide concrete guidance and make further recommendations on the respective human rights responsibilities of both States and companies.
To mark these events the IBLF is launching a campaign to help raise awareness among our corporate partners about these developments and their implications, and to reinvigorate business leadership in the area of business and human rights. For a more on the Ruggie framework and its implications click here.
Campaign Elements
IBLF 2008 Corporate Partner Human Rights Benchmark
Professor Ruggie’s 2008 framework makes it clear that while governments have the duty to protect individuals against human rights abuses by third parties, including companies, companies themselves also have a responsibility to respect human rights (avoid “doing harm”). Ruggie is urging companies to discharge their responsibility to respect human rights by putting in place due diligence processes that include:
• adopting a human rights policy
• undertaking – and acting upon – a human rights impact assessment;
• integrating the human rights policy throughout the company; and
• tracking human rights performance
To help IBLF corporate partners meet this call for specific human rights due diligence and to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR, IBLF has carried out a high-level human rights benchmark of our corporate partners for information purposes only. Conducted in June 2008 it takes a snapshot of human rights policy and performance and is based on publicly available literature and company websites. It is hoped that IBLF corporate partners may find it helpful in assessing their own progress. The results are only being made available to IBLF corporate partners and no names are mentioned. For details please contact Lucy Amis on firstname.lastname@iblf.org.
Ways for companies to participate: menu of activities
To demonstrate leadership during the 60th Anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, IBLF has developed following menu of activities companies may wish to participate in. The activities are designed to be of interest to all corporate partners and are tailored to reflect differing levels of existing knowledge and experience around the business and human rights debate.
• Policy development - IBLF is offering to work with corporate partners to help with the development, and/or internal integration, of a company human rights policy. Please contact Lucy Amis at IBLF on: firstname.lastname@iblf.org or +44 (207) 467 3634.
• Human Rights Impact Assessment - The Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment and Management – Road-Testing Draft (the Guide) was published in 2007 by the IBLF and International Finance Corporation (IFC), in collaboration with the UN Global Compact. Designed as a practical tool for business managers, the Guide provides a systematic framework in which a company can evaluate the human rights risks in its business operations. The objective is to produce a guide that will provide a comprehensive method of assessing the human rights impacts of a proposed or existing operation, while blending with existing due diligence systems. IBLF and IFC are currently seeking companies to road-test the Guide in order to validate its practical applicability.
In addition, we are keen to explore how the Guide could work alongside the social impact assessments and management processes currently pursued by many companies. In this regard, we would also like to hear from those companies that already undertake social and/ or human rights impact assessments, and are interested in engaging in an impact assessment mapping exercise.
For more detailed information about the Guide or if you are interested in becoming a road-testing company, please contact Desiree Abrahams at IBLF on firstname.lastname@iblf.org or + 44 (0) 20 7467 3608.
• Dialogues/roundtables – IBLF will be convening a series of meetings for managers to explore the practical application of implication of pressing human rights challenges. Topics are likely to include: the access to remedy, the living wage, and climate change related topics such as the right to water (details to follow). IBLF would be glad to receive suggestions on other topics that may be of interest. Please contact Lucy Amis at IBLF on: firstname.lastname@iblf.org or +44 (207) 467 3634.
• Raising employee awareness - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a non-binding UN document, a statement of aspirations. Written primarily with governments in mind, the UDHR also calls on ‘every individual and every organ of society’ to promote respect for the rights and freedoms it contains. To commemorate the 60th Anniversary several eminent human rights figures (The Elders), including Nelson Mandella, Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Yunus, Mary Robinson, and Aung San Suu Kyi, have helped launch the Every Human Has Rights Campaign, which asks individuals to make a personal pledge to uphold the UDHR in their daily lives and in their community. The Elders, UN Global Compact Office and IBLF are encouraging companies to demonstrate their human rights leadership by inviting employees, consumers, customers and other associates to sign the pledge. Visit this website for further details.
Making a commitment of this kind would constitute an important symbolic gesture and would reinforce good human rights due diligence processes as outlined by Professor Ruggie. Please notify IBLF if your company is interested in making a commitment of this kind and if you would like us to profile your efforts. Contact Lucy Amis on firstname.lastname@iblf.org and +44 (207) 467 3634.
What is the case for corporate engagement in human rights?
By acting on human rights, companies can:
2. Gain competitive advantage
3. Improve recruitment, retention and staff loyalty
4. Foster greater productivity
5. Secure and maintain a licence to operate
6. Reduce cost burdens
7. Ensure active stakeholder engagement
8. Meet investor expectations
For more on the case for corporate engagement, read Human Rights: It is your Business
Other IBLF human rights initiatives
Peace-building in Colombia - an initiative examining how business can play its part in mitigating the impact of conflict in Colombia.
Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights - a process which aims to maintain the safety and security of extractive operations whilst ensuring that human rights and fundamental freedoms are respected
Human Rights Framework Posters
IBLF, the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights, United Nations Global Compact and Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights have produced a poster which clearly lays out a human rights framework for companies.
The poster is available in six languages:
Arabic, English, French, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish