Business & human rights

Despite the progress and leadership shown by many businesses in the area of human rights over recent years, more companies are increasingly recognising the human rights implications in their business operations. Over 5,000 companies across 120 countries are signatories to the UN Global Compact and have committed themselves to the Global Compact’s ten principles, including six on human rights and labour standards. More than half the FTSE 100 listed companies have now adopted a human rights policy. At industry level, more and more companies are active in human rights-related initiatives, such as the Equator Principles, Ethical Trading Initiative, Fair Labor Association, and the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights.

Some companies continue to face allegations of human rights wrongdoing. In 2005, to help bridge the human rights governance gaps that have accompanied rapid globalization and to satisfy demands for greater UN leadership on business and human rights, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appointed Harvard University Professor John Ruggie as his Special Representative on Business & Human Rights.

In April this year, the Special Representative released a set of recommendations regarding States’ and companies’ responsibilities on human rights in the “Protect, Respect and Remedy: A Framework for Business and Human Rights” report. This framework has generally been well received by businesses, governments and civil society, and merits attention.

In June 2008, the UN Human Rights Council extended Professor Ruggie’s mandate for a further three years, and called on him to provide concrete guidance for companies and States on their respective human rights responsibilities. In particular, Professor Ruggie has been asked to liaise with the UN Global Compact’s human rights working group in identifying and promoting company best practice.

IBLF’s business and human rights – the way we work

IBLF has been working in this area since the late 1990s, when business and human rights issues first captured the public’s attention amidst allegations of sweatshop labour and claims of corporate complicity in government human rights abuses. IBLF’s aim throughout has been to raise corporate understanding of human rights-related risks and to build management capacity in this field.*

In July 2008, IBLF launched a campaign to mark the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and to raise awareness about recent developments in the field of business and human rights, including the release in April of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework by Professor Ruggie, the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights. The IBLF campaign aims to reinvigorate corporate leadership in this area.

‘Business the Right Way’ Campaign menu of activities

The IBLF’s campaign menu of activities is designed to be of interest to all IBLF corporate partners, taking account of differing levels of existing knowledge and experience around the business and human rights agenda. It includes an offer to work with corporate partners on, among other things:

• Policy development – helping with the development or internal integration of a company human rights policy. To assist companies in assessing their own progress in this area, IBLF has shared the results of a private benchmark with its corporate partners. The benchmark takes a snapshot of human rights policy and performance using publicly available sources.

• Road-testing the Guide to Human Rights Impact Assessment and Management, 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. IBLF and IFC are currently seeking companies to road-test the Guide in order to validate its practical applicability.

• Dialogues – IBLF will be convening a series of meetings for managers to explore the practical application of pressing human rights challenges. Sessions will address issues such as access to remedy, the living wage, and climate change related topics such as the right to water.

• Raising employee awareness – Written primarily with governments in mind, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) 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, including Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Muhammad Yunus, Mary Robinson, and Aung San Suu Kyi, have asked for individuals to make a personal pledge to uphold the UDHR in their daily lives and in their community. We are encouraging companies to demonstrate their human rights leadership by inviting employees, consumers, customers and other associates to sign the pledge.

IBLF is keen to work in partnership with companies that are committed to honouring their responsibility to respect human rights. Our menu of activities demonstrates that we are able to offer a range of policy advice and assistance in this burgeoning field. If you would like to explore any of the above activities, please contact Desiree Abrahams at firstname.surname@iblf.org or +44 (0) 207 467 3608.

* Over the last decade, often working in partnership with investors, NGOs and international agencies, IBLF has published a number of human rights management tools and guides, (e.g. Human Rights Framework poster) and convened and facilitated workshops and seminars on specific human rights issues, both at headquarters and in-country offices.

IBLF’s Human Rights team regularly offers human rights guidance to individual corporate partners and sector groupings, and is actively engaged in international efforts to bring coherence to the field of business and human rights by supporting the mandate of the UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights, acting as joint-Secretariat of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, and via our membership of, among other things, the UN Global Compact’s expert human rights working group. IBLF is also a founding steering group member of the London Business and Human Rights Network and Virtual Business and Human Rights Network.