In June 2011, the United Nations Human Rights Council approved new Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which are a basic expectation for all businesses of all sizes in all industries. Since then, one of the key human rights questions faced by companies is this: “How should companies apply the Guiding Principles to business strategy and operations?”

This briefing paper provides insight for information and communications technology (ICT) companies on how to apply the aforementioned Guiding Principles, together with the ten lessons learnt from the first version of the briefing in 2011:

  1. The speed of innovation in the ICT industry presents a daunting practical
    challenge for human rights impact assessments (HRIAs). We have found it
    helpful to think in terms of categories of product, rather than individual
    products, which can change even during the course of an assessment.
  2. Convergence, mergers, and acquisitions can significantly alter the human
    rights risk profile of individual companies. It is important to reassess a
    company’s human rights risk profile following a significant event.
  3. A tree structure (i.e. that branches out to other issue-specific policies) works
    well for human rights policies in the ICT industry.
  4. HRIAs at the level of the product, service, or technology can be especially
    important for ICT companies.
  5. Stakeholders can significantly contribute to helping identify human rights
    risks, but many (though not all) ICT companies consistently undervalue them.
  6. Outside corporate HQ, such as at the country or business unit level, the
    standard of human rights expertise in a company can be very low. Training
    and guidance is required to embed human rights due diligence throughout a
    company.
  7. ICT companies often find themselves in positions with limited room for
    maneuvering on human rights; they need to think creatively about their use of
    leverage.
  8. Dialogue and discussion with key departments, executives, and managers
    about potential human rights scenarios are effective methods for integrating
    human rights into company operations—and must be used alongside
    refreshed management systems and processes.
  9. With some notable exceptions, ICT companies rarely report sufficient
    information on human rights, or produce low-quality reports. Innovation in
    reporting is a significant priority.
  10. Transparency around human rights means both reporting to the public and
    communicating with users.

Companies seeking to apply the Guiding Principles are advised to build these
lessons into their human rights programs and strategies.

Applying the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to the ICT Industry Version 2.0- Ten Lessons Learned - Briefing paper from BSR, 2012 DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Protection From Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) During COVID-19 Response
COVID-19 resourcesGuidance

The COVID-19 Pandemic is a public health, social and economic crisis that is global in scale. With restrictions on travel and movement, civil society and humanitarian organizations play a critical role in supporting governments to respond. All peopl...Read More

Guidance Tool for Construction Companies in the Middle East
GuidanceStandards & Codes of ConductGood Practices

In the face of shifting labour market trends within both the Middle East region and the construction sector, the ILO and IOE have identified the need for specialized resources that allow enterprises to develop internal policies and procedures that s...Read More

Fake Jobs for Sale: Analyzing Fraud and Advancing Transparency in U.S. Labor Recruitment
Guidance

For years, Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (CDM) has documented fraudulent recruitment schemes that funnel hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars per year into the pockets of fraudulent recruiters. This type of fraud is widespread, harming...Read More

2018 Quick Guide to Writing a Voluntary Modern Slavery Statement
Guidance

The modern slavery statement is a public commitment and statement with three main goals: it acknowledges that forced labour, human trafficking, child labour and modern slavery affects every business, sector and country - starting with their own ...Read More

TAGS: Global