Help Mark the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
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(1 December 2007) Letter co-signed by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and by Georg Kell, Executive Director of the Global Compact Office inviting all Global Compact participants to help mark the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. |
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(28 April 2008) Follow-up letter from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Office outlining practical ways in which companies and Global Compact Local Networks can respect and promote human rights. The letter also includes information on relevant business and human rights tools and guidance materials. |
Ideas for Action
Familiarize Yourself with the Global Compact’s Human Rights Principles
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Take a look at the new Human Rights Training Package developed by the OHCHR, the Global Compact and the UN Staff College.
Policy Statements
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Consider whether it would be appropriate for your firm to include more explicit references to human rights and the UDHR in your company policies (an integrated policy or a stand-alone human rights policy) and procedures and whether they could be posted on the Internet to be shared more widely. Your firm may also add human rights into existing policies.
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Company policies containing human rights commitments can also be submitted to the Business and Human Rights Resource Center (contact@business-humanrights.org), which features more than 150 policies on its website.
CEO and Board-level Commitments
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Engage your company at the executive/CEO level to express human rights commitments and promote the UDHR.
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Make human rights a board-level issue.
Practices and implementation
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Conduct a human rights risk and impact assessment.
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Ensure that your company's practices are aligned with (and do not undermine) existing human rights commitments.
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Engage in dialogue with your stakeholders (including critics) about your company's human rights performance.
Awareness-Raising and Training for Employees, Subsidiaries, Suppliers and Other Business Partners
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Raise awareness of the UDHR and its anniversary among employees, subsidiaries, business partners and other stakeholders through company communications channels. (The UDHR is available in 335 languages at http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/navigate/alpha.htm.)
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Promote your company's position on human rights with your subsidiaries, suppliers and other business partners (as a term of business) and encourage their participation in the Global Compact.
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Encourage your subsidiaries, suppliers and business partners to ask their suppliers and business partners to make explicit human rights commitments.
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Explore ways to enhance the transparency of human rights and labour practices in your supply chain.
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Train employees, subsidiaries, business partners and other stakeholders on human rights. (see also the OHCHR/UN Global Compact/UN Staff College Human Rights Training Package)
Case Studies, Learning and Good Practices
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Consider participating in the trial use of a business and human rights tool and sharing the experience with your Global Compact Local Network. Click here to download a short description of how some major business and human rights tools can be used and where to find them. (An optional one-page human rights management framework that businesses might find helpful in integrating human rights in business management is available in six languages.)
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Companies willing to share good human rights practices with others are encouraged to become the subject of a business case study for the Global Compact publication Embedding Human Rights in Business Practice III. (Download the second volume.)
Communicate Progress
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Please include your human rights activities in your next Communication on Progress. In addition, you may wish to publicize your human rights activities and initiatives (including those taken in connection with the UDHR anniversary) by notifying the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (contact@business-humanrights.org) . The Resource Centre will be drawing attention to such initiatives on its website.
Participate in Global Compact Local Networks
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Global Compact Local Networks are encouraged to make reference the UDHR’s 60th anniversary on their websites and include human rights issues in their network agenda for 2008. Networks that are already undertaking activities on business and human rights this year include Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Indonesia, Korea, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, the Nordic Countries, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and Zambia.
Engage in Other Networks
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Explore opportunities to help raise awareness of the UDHR and the UN Global Compact at the local level through industry associations and other formal and/or informal networks your company is involved in. Also consider opportunities for engagement with non-governmental organizations.
Engage with National Human Rights Institutions
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Consider engaging with national human rights institutions. National human rights institutions are independent bodies established by states and combine the advantages of an official entity with the creativity and energy of non-governmental organizations. For more information about national human rights institutions, go to www.nhri.net.
Philanthropy
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The UN Global Compact focuses on the business case for supporting and respecting human rights and avoiding complicity in human rights abuse. However, your company may wish to consider supporting local or international development projects related to human rights issues, addressing issues such as water preservation or access, children's education, public health and health education, gender equality and women's rights. Many companies have partnered with the UN or non-governmental organizations on such projects especially where there is a link between the company’s core business and the project.
Collective Action
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Encourage your industry association to highlight human rights on its the agenda in 2008.
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Consider opportunities to engage in collective action to promote human rights in your industry sector or in yourregion.
Individual Engagement
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Encourage employees and others to make their own individual commitment to the Universal Declaration at Every Human Has Rights , a global campaign by The Elders, who have expressed their hope that "2008 can be the year that individuals, not just governments, sign the declaration". Some companies are helping to promote this campaign through their intranet and website. (1 billion signatures are sought).
Activities by Networks
[USA] US Network Meeting: Business and Human Rights - 28 April 2008
Agenda;
List
of Participants;
Summary
Report;
Conference Website
[Ukraine] Human Rights & Business Workshop - 24 April 2008
Agenda;
Background
Information
[Colombia] Launch of "Enterprise and Human Rights" - 5 March 2008
Summary
Report
Click here for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in any of 335 languages.
Click here for further inforrmation about what the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is planning this year. Information kits and posters are also available for download.
Please send other ideas for how business can commemorate the 60th anniversary of the UDHR to globalcompact@un.org .
(Last Update 28 May 2008)
