Human Rights
Human rights refer to the basic rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled often including: security, liberty, equality, political expression, welfare, and due process. Many companies recognize that respect for human rights is a fundamental part of being a responsible business and many have begun to integrate human rights considerations into their mainstream decision-making. As a result there is a growing aspiration to understand more clearly where human rights challenges may lie in existing and future business operations, rather than simply reacting to individual challenges as they arise. With advances in communications technology, company actions in even remote places can quickly enter the global spotlight. Human rights offer a common framework for businesses to understand societies’ expectations and deliver value to stakeholders in a more sustainable way. The debate about the nature and scope of companies’ human rights responsibilities is a relatively recent one, as is the idea of applying human rights to business decisions and operations. A number of international efforts have been undertaken to elaborate on the content of human rights relevant to business. One of the most comprehensive efforts resulted in the “Human Rights Training Toolkit for the Oil and Gas Industry”, developed by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA).
FEATURED RESOURCES
May 2009
The publication aims to:
Outline the various elements of the SD Framework relating to human rights (in addition to a core set of 10 Principles, the Framework also comprises a number of ICMM Position Statements and detailed reporting and assurance requirements1);
Highlight key pressure points of relevance to business and human rights, as well as some relevant external tools and initiatives; and
Briefly document approaches to dealing with human rights issues adopted by a number of ICMM members in order to facilitate the spread of good practice.
August 2012
This third edition of the Toolkit is designed to enhance the capabilities of companies in managing human rights issues and impacts in their business operations through providing awareness training on human rights issues relevant to employees, suppliers/contractors, provision of security, and community engagement.
This first-of-its kind set of tools is designed to help companies implement the Voluntary Principles (VP) on Security and Human Rights.
Particularly aimed at those operating in areas of geographical conflict and weak governance, the tool contains four practical modules. These can be used either individually or together, offering useful guidance on many challenging business environments.
It was co-financed and developed by ICMM, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues (IPIECA) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
October 2009
As the subject of human rights has risen rapidly on the oil and gas industry agenda IPIECA members have developed this Toolkit to raise awareness. The Toolkit is targeted at country managers, asset managers, business managers, and other personnel that would benefit from learning about human rights issues and the way in which human rights issues have potential implications for oil and gas operations. The Toolkit provides managers with a template that can be used and adapted to conform to a company’s policy or position on human rights and applicable domestic laws and regulations.
May 2007
This handbook aims to provide the reader with the good practice “essentials” for managing stakeholder relationships in a dynamic context, where unexpected events can and do occur, and facts on the ground change. The focus of this handbook is on stakeholder groups “external” to the core operation of the business, such as affected communities, local government authorities, non-governmental and other civil society organizations, local institutions and other interested or affected parties.
Human rights due diligence process ( A practical guide to implementation for oil and gas companies )
The purpose of this Guide is to assist oil and gas companies in implementing a due diligence process for human rights. This can be an essential part of a company’s overall risk management strategy, especially in countries where human rights issues may be more prevalent. The Guide aims to:
● clarify what constitutes a due diligence process for human rights;
● clarify the business case for a human rights duediligence process;
● support the development and/or continuous improvement of due diligence processes for human rights; and
● promote consistent approaches to the management of potential human rights issues and impacts.
October 2010
This publication builds on the Protect, Respect and Remedy framework of the UN Special Representative for Business and Human Rights, Professor John Ruggie. Ten multinational companies of the Global Compact Network Netherlands (AkzoNobel, Essent, Fortis Bank Nederland, KLM, Philips, Rabobank, Randstad, Shell, TNT, and Unilever) worked together during one- and-a-half years to form the Business & Human Rights Initiative.
June 2010
The guide provides practical advice to companies on how to identify and assess the human rights risks and impacts of their business activities, integrate the results into their management system, and ultimately improve their performance.
July 2008
This toolkit on implementation of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights is a by-product of a project undertaken by MIGA’s Japan Social and Environmental Challenges Fund for Africa in collaboration with one of MIGA’s client companies, Anvil Mining Ltd., to develop a comprehensive VPSHR implementation program for Anvil’s operations in Africa.
January 2009
The "Guide to Corporate Human Rights Impact Assessment Tools", developed by Aim for human rights, presents an overview of the existing HRIA tools that corporations and managers can use to implement human rights norms within the business practices and policies. It gives advice to select the tool(s) that assure the best HRIA process for the corporation. This guide offers the practical assistance that corporations need to become social responsible and leads managers through the labyrinth of Human Rights Compliance Assessment.
April 2009
In 2008, the UN Human Rights Council produced a conceptual and policy framework to guide the business and human rights agenda. The framework provides all parties concerned with corporate-related human rights issues with a common baseline from which to develop greater coherence and guidance. This report complements the UN’s efforts by explaining the content of the main internationally recognised rights that are the subjects of the corporate responsibility to respect.
2006
This publication – prepared by business for business – offers practical guidance on how to implement human rights within business practice. It is based on the accumulated experience of the ten companies in the BLIHR (ABB, Barclays, Gap, Hewlett-Packard, MTV Networks Europe, National Grid, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Statoil and The Body Shop International).