Business & Human Rights Accelerator

Move from commitment to action on human rights and labour rights

Applications open Sept 2023

Programme Overview

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The idea of human rights is as simple as it is powerful: That all people have a right to be treated with dignity.

Businesses often impact the human rights of their employees and contract workers, workers in their supply chains, the communities around their operations and even the end users of their products or services. Whether directly or indirectly, they impact virtually the entire spectrum of internationally recognized human rights.

As a result, companies have both a responsibility and an opportunity to advance human rights across operations, supply chains and beyond.

Is your company able to know and show that it supports and respects the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights and that it is not complicit in human rights abuses?

The Business & Human Rights Accelerator is a six-month programme activating companies participating in the UN Global Compact across industries and regions. This hands-on programme will help you move from commitment to action on human rights and labour rights through establishing an ongoing human rights due diligence process.

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

  • How to identify your responsibilities in respecting human rights and labour rights, expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
  • How to establish an ongoing human rights due diligence process in line with international standards
  • How to report and communicate on your human rights due diligence journey, including through the Communication on Progress, the annual public disclosure requirement for all UN Global Compact participants

WHAT YOU WILL GAIN

  • An understanding of where your company is on their human rights journey
  • An assessment of actual and potential adverse human rights impacts and the ability to prioritize action
  • The ability to mitigate your human rights impacts, including grievance mechanisms and remedy
  • Ways to engage stakeholders on business impacts
  • An action plan to advance human rights in your company and beyond
  • A network of peers, UN partners and experts to support your human rights journey and work collectively to tackle persistent barriers to human rights due diligence
  • A certificate demonstrating completion of programme


The Learning Experience

Stage 1

Participants understand the UN Global Compact Principles and the human rights due diligence process and scope out a core area of the value chain for further focus.

  1. Global kick-off webinar
  2. E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 1”
  3. Global deep dive session on UNGP core concepts, human rights due diligence and facilitation of the Responsibility to Respect Human Rights’ gap analysis tool
  4. Local Network facilitated peer-learning session
  5. Participant working session to complete the UNGP gap analysis tool

Stage 2

Participants scope the company value chain and identify potential impacts.

  1. E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 2"
  2. Global deep dive session on understanding salient human rights, identifying risk factors, where to find risk information and how to map the value chain and determine focus areas
  3. Local Network facilitated peer-learning session
  4. Participant working session to complete value chain mapping tool and risk identification matrix

Stage 3

Participants prioritize salient human rights impacts and understand their involvement with those impacts.

  1. E-learning course on "How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 3"
  2. Global deep dive session on prioritizing potential impacts, understanding severity and likelihood and how to plot impacts on the risk heat map
  3. Local Network facilitated peer learning session
  4. Participant working session on completing the risk heatmap

Stage 4

Participants start implementing and tracking their human rights action plan.

  1. Global deep dive session on developing an appropriate action plan based on at least one salient impact identified with articulation of desired outcomes and high-level metrics
  2. Local Network facilitated peer-learning session
  3. Participant working session on completion of action plan for one salient impact, including metrics

Stage 5

Participants understand how to effectively engage affected stakeholders and communicate their impacts.

  1. Global deep dive session on communicating with a range of stakeholders, both within and external to the business and examine the components of effective communication, including formal disclosure processes
  2. Local Network facilitated peer learning session
  3. Participant working session on starting a communication plan and stakeholder engagement plan

Stage 6

Participants understand remedy and grievance mechanisms.

  1. E-learning course on "How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 4"
  2. Global deep dive session on the different types of remedy and pathways for providing remedy including operational level grievance mechanisms that support the broader hrdd process
  3. Local Network facilitated peer learning session including best practice case studies
  4. Participant working session to complete the grievance gap analysis and develop a remedy plan

Upcoming Information Sessions

Join us on 3 November 2022 for a live Q&A session to learn how your company can advance their human rights journey by joining this programme. We invite you to register for the session that works best for you:

Session 1: 3 November, 8 am CET (Paris)

Session 2: 3 November, 9 am ET (New York)



Interested in Participating?

In-Country Track: Available in over 30 Local Networks, the in-country track will be facilitated in the local language and local time zone wherever possible. It will feature a series of live and on-demand sessions, hands-on support, workshops, and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.

Africa Track: The Africa track will bring together companies from across the continent and offer the same curriculum as the in-country track delivered through a series of global and on-demand sessions. Peer-to-peer sessions will focus on regional best practice and case studies.

Latin America Track: The Latin America track will bring together companies from the region and offer the same curriculum as the in-country track delivered through a series of global and on-demand sessions. Peer-to-peer sessions will focus on regional best practice and case studies.

Global Track: Facilitated in English, the global track is available for companies that do not have a Local Network running the Business & Human Rights Acceleartor. It will offer the same curriculum as the in-network track, and is delivered through a series of live and on-demand sessions. Space is limited. Please apply early. The Global Track is now at capacity. Sign up to join the waitlist.

Participating companies of the UN Global Compact based in the countries below have the opportunity to sign up to the in-network track through their Global Compact Local Network. If you are not located in one of the countries below, you can still apply to the global track.

The in-country track of the Business & Human Rights Accelerator is offered by these Local Networks:

  • Argentina
  • Austria
  • Australia
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Central America and
    Dominican Republic
  • Colombia


Timeline

Applications Open:
21 September 2022

Application Deadline:
16 December 2022

Accelerator Begins:
February 2023
(Please check exact dates with your
Global Compact Local Network)

In collaboration with:

Delivered through the UN Global Compact Academy.



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