New learning programme aims to help companies move from commitment to action on human rights and labour rights
New York, Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The United Nations Global Compact launched the Business & Human Rights Accelerator, a six-month learning programme to equip companies with the tools and knowledge they need to establish an ongoing human rights due diligence process and ensure they are meeting their responsibility to respect human rights. Such a robust corporate human rights due diligence process shifts companies from a “risks to business” to a “risks to people” approach.
The Business & Human Rights Accelerator will help companies understand when, where and how business impacts human rights and how to prioritize the most salient issues for action while identifying the most appropriate measures to mitigate risks, track the effectiveness of their efforts and communicate effectively to stakeholders about their progress.
“Business, whether directly or indirectly, impacts almost the entire spectrum of internationally recognized human rights. It impacts the human rights of employees and contract workers, workers in their supply chains, the communities around their operations and even the end users of their products and services. By completing the Business & Human Rights Accelerator, companies will not only learn how to reduce or prevent negative human rights impacts but also build a competitive advantage by ultimately becoming a powerful force for good,” said Sanda Ojiambo, Assistant Secretary-General; Executive Director & CEO of the UN Global Compact.
Assessments by benchmark and ranking initiatives highlight that the majority of companies do not demonstrate practices that meet the requirements set by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. This may indicate that risks to workers and communities are not being managed adequately in spite of growing awareness and commitments. Almost half (46.2%) of the biggest companies in the world evaluated by the Corporate Human Rights Benchmark in 2020 as part of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights failed to show any evidence of mitigating human rights issues in their supply chains.
Through taking part in the Business & Human Rights Accelerator participants receive an assessment of their company’s actual and potential adverse human rights impacts. They also build an action plan so they can return to work with the goal of putting their learnings into practice to drive change. Lastly, they’ll build an invaluable network of peers, UN partners and experts that will inspire them to shape their human rights journey and advance a global movement. The Business & Human Rights Accelerator is being offered by 35 Local Networks within the UN Global Compact in the first round.
Notes to Editors
About the Business & Human Rights Accelerator
Protecting the well-being and dignity of every person means preventing human rights abuses in business operations and value chains worldwide.The Business & Human Rights Accelerator is a six-month programme activating companies participating in the UN Global Compact across industries and regions to move from commitment to action on human rights and labour rights through establishing or strengthening an ongoing human rights due diligence process. This process — first introduced by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in 2011 — enables companies to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address impacts on human rights. A robust corporate human rights due diligence process shifts companies from a “risks to business” to a “risks to people” approach and helps set the stage for businesses everywhere to be a powerful force for good.
For further information and to register for the Business & Human Rights Accelerator please visit unglobalcompact.org/bhr-accelerator
About the United Nations Global Compact
As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 15,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.
For more information, follow @globalcompact on social media and visit our website at unglobalcompact.org.
CONTACT: United Nations Global Compact (212) 907-1301 media@unglobalcompact.org
