Recommended considerations when drawing up a human rights strategy:
· Incorporate an explicit commitment to support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and core ILO standards in the company’s business principles and operations.

· Appoint a senior manager with responsibility for developing and mainstreaming the human rights strategy.

· Conduct wide-ranging internal and external consultation with management and employees, local and international NGOs, community groups, and other stakeholders in developing the human rights policy. This would include consultation on practical guidelines for staff on implementation and performance indicators.

· Communicate the strategy and implementation plan to all parts of the business and to all business partners. Ensure that the strategy is available in local languages.

· Conduct training for HQ and country staff to raise awareness of human rights. Include business partners in the training wherever possible. Engage relevant NGOs, human rights experts to provide input to the training.

· Conduct a human rights impact assessment as an integral part of the pre-investment risk analysis in new areas of potential operation.

 

 · Require country managers to demonstrate their awareness of the human rights situation in their country, and of the means by which the company could proactively seek to have a positive impact on human rights. This might be through an annual letter of assurance to the Board, for example.

· Establish procedures for country managers in the event of staff being arbitrarily arrested, detained or subjected to other miscarriages of justice according to international standards

· Establish on-going dialogue with relevant NGOs or local authorities where possible on the question of improving human rights protection.

· Demonstrate a willingness to talk to critics. A defensive response attracts more criticism.

· Establish mechanisms of independent monitoring and reporting on the company’s compliance with its human rights commitments.

· Act collectively with other companies to raise human rights concerns with government authorities.

 

 

The above material is extracted from chapter 1.3 ("Integrating human rights into company operations") of: 

Human rights -- is it any of your business?  

Amnesty International UK Business Group / Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum [now International Business Leaders Forum], Apr. 2000, p. 30.

© April 2000 Amnesty International UK and The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum