Events

21st November, 2016 @ Mumbai and Bangalore

Global Compact Network India in partnership with Indo German Chamber of Commerce, Twenty Fifty and Global Compact Network Germany held a One Day Business Coaching for German Subsidiaries and their suppliers in India in Mumbai and Bangalore.

The training provided an overview of expectation on companies to conduct human rights due diligence including linkages with major sustainability frameworks and trends in India. The training started with the understanding of the basic concepts such as human rights, rights holders and impacts etc and how the businesses can impact the human rights. The groups which are potentially exposed to higher risks are basically elderly people, women, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, indigenous people, religious, ethnic and other minorities and children and youth. In the business, the areas of human rights impacts are supply chain, products and services, employees, communities, security arrangements and unethical business conducts.

In order to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for adverse human rights impacts, business enterprises should carry out human rights due diligence and also to become acquainted with the framework and Guiding Principles. In order to get started it is a 5 step procedure that the business can adopt:

Step 1 : Build Understanding
Step 2 : Map potential impacts
Step 3 : Identify existing processes and gaps
Step 4 : Prioritise your actions and agree next step
Step 5 : Move towards ongoing due diligences

The training highlighted the key examples of the companies which are taking necessary steps for human rights impact assessments which include Kuoni, Taking the Human Rights Walk, Coca Cola, Labour Rights in Unilever Supply Chain, Myanmar Oil and Gas Assessments. The training key point was to integrate and embed due diligence in management systems which include policy commitments, supplier management, reporting and communication.

Global Compact Communication of Progress provides conceptual and operational clarity for the two human rights principled by the Global Compact which states that business should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights. And also make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.

Therefore in order to bring the change the company should map the supply chain, conduct a self assessment for human rights and also initiate a due diligence process. This process include
• Review policy to include Human Rights
• Conduct a Human Rights Impact Assessment
• Create Work plans and strategy
• Communicate