New platform makes human rights operational for companies
The Human Rights Indicators for Business is an open source database of 1,000 indicators that enable companies and other stakeholders to assess corporate policies, procedures and practices on human rights. Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Shell are just some of the companies who have used the indicators.
Companies often understand why it is important for them to act in accordance with human rights. But it can be easier said than done when they work in dozens of countries, in multiple contexts and employ thousands. The question becomes: how to do it?
Today, that answer is more easily obtained, as the Danish Institute for Human Rights makes the indicators of its Human Rights Compliance Assessment (HRCA) tool freely available to all companies by publishing a consultation draft on the Human Rights Indicators for Business platform.
“We are delighted to make these indicators available. Already, more than 400 companies have used them to self-assess, furthering human rights in the process. The indicators are based on 80 human rights instruments, so using them provides a great starting point for companies wanting to act right,” Human Rights and Development department director Allan Lerberg Jørgensen of the Danish Institute for Human Rights says.
Proven global impact
Companies that have already used the indicators include giants such as Coca-Cola, Nestlé and Shell. With more than 200 questions touching upon 1,000 indicators, the tool enables each company to assess the precise issues they need. This feature has been of great use to BHP Billiton, a multi-billion-dollar mining, petroleum and metals company with more than 40,000 employees globally.
“The Human Rights Compliance Assessment tool provided a beneficial frame in which all major categories of human rights compliance were addressed and identified in accordance with BHP Billitons own risk assessment model. During the risk evaluation process the support and documentation for human rights performance standards were easy to use, particularly the key performance standards such as security issues for the extractive industry which proved very useful and valuable in the test and review of current business contracts,” Jorge Briceno, Lead Environmental Specialist at BHP Billiton Petroleum, explains.
Tailored to the relevant local context and sector
The ability to tweak the indicators of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment tool to apply to different types of operations and local contexts is precisely one of its great strengths, according to Margaret Jungk of the Danish Institute for Human Rights and independent expert member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
“A team of 18 development finance institutions helped us develop a condensed version of the tool that has been translated into six languages and formed the basis for the UN Global Compact Self-Assessment Tool. A group of five pharmaceutical companies made their own sector-specific version of the tool, and groups in South Africa, Sierra Leone and China have used the tool as the basis for their own country adaptations,” she says.
Dr. Jungk started the development process of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment tool back in 1999. The indicators, their development and uptake continues to be a key component and strength of the Danish Institute for Human Rights’ activities in the area of Business and Human Rights.
Not the end of the road
The indicators of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment tool are not meant to be static. That is why the Danish Institute for Human Rights launches its Human Rights Indicators for Business platform website.
The website will enable different stakeholders to give feedback to the Human Rights Compliance Assessment tool, leading to alterations, additions and improvement of indicators.
“With this website, we open the road for a global discussion on what is needed, why it is important and how we implement – all leading to better human rights standards.” Allan Lerberg Jørgensen says.