Business and Human Rights Accelerator
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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.
Business is about people. Directly or indirectly, businesses often impact the human rights of their employees and contract workers, workers in their supply chains, the communities around their operations and the end users of their products or services. Businesses 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 their 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. The objective is to help businesses swiftly 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 International Bill 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 prepare organizations for evolving human rights due diligence legislation that is aligned with international standards
- How to report and communicate on your human rights due diligence outcomes, including through the Communication on Progress, the annual public disclosure requirement for all UN Global Compact participants
- How to connect human rights and the human rights due diligence process with social sustainability initiatives
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 effectively engage stakeholders on operational impacts on people
- 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
Who can participate
To take part in the Business & Human Rights Accelerator, companies are required to be participants of the UN Global Compact or willing to join. Your company should also be:
- Currently engaged with a Global Compact Country Network in your region or willing to join
- Willing to identify its human rights risks and impacts and scope a core area of your value chain for further focus
- Committed to developing an Action Plan to help address the human rights risks identified and prioritized
- Able to appoint two working-level representatives to attend sessions and participate in Accelerator activities and an additional executive-level representative to follow programme developments, provide support and participate in high-level events.
- Commit to completing the programme and embedding the learnings across the company strategy and operations
STAGE 1 - The idea of human rights is as simple as it is powerful: That all people have a right to be treated with dignity.
- Global kick-off webinar
- E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 1”
- Global deep dive session on UNGP core concepts, human rights due diligence and facilitation of the Responsibility to Respect Human Rights’ gap analysis tool
- Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
- Participant working session to complete the UNGP gap analysis tool
STAGE 2 - Participants scope the company value chain and identify potential impacts.
- E-learning course on “How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 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
- Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
- 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.
- E-learning course on "How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 3"
- Global deep dive session on prioritizing potential impacts, understanding severity and likelihood and how to plot impacts on the risk heat map
- Country Network facilitated peer learning session
- Participant working session on completing the risk heatmap
STAGE 4 - Participants start developing specific actions and related metrics.
- 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
- Country Network facilitated peer-learning session
- 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.
- 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
- Country Network facilitated peer learning session
- Participant working session on starting a communication plan and stakeholder engagement plan
STAGE 6 - Participants understand remedy and grievance mechanisms.
- E-learning course on "How companies can operationalize the UN Guiding Principles, Module 4"
- 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
- Country Network facilitated peer learning session including best practice case studies
- Participant working session to complete the grievance gap analysis and develop a remedy plan
Find out more!
Quotes
“By joining the accelerator, we got a lot of new insights and understanding regarding human rights from the experts. One of them is a framework to manage issues around human rights in the business process where our company operates for better and more sustainable implementation. We hope that the discussions among the participants during the first round of the Business & Human Rights Accelerator can continue to improve and update the practice of managing human rights issues in their respective companies.”, Tony Hartanto, participant from PT TBS Energi Utama Tbk
“My company just started the HRDD around last year, so the more people understands about the human rights, the faster the goals will be achieved. And also with my role as Internal Auditor, I hope that I can apply what I’ve learnt for my job.”, Celine Tandiono, participant from PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper
“We joined the accelerator to gain expert guidance and access to a vibrant network of industry professionals. The program has been an incredible learning experience, equipping us with the skills and knowledge needed to refine our business model and enhance our product offering. Our company started as a small team with a big idea, and through the accelerator, we’ve been able to secure valuable partnerships and streamline our operations. Thanks to this experience, we are now preparing to launch our product to a wider market and are more confident in our path forward.”, Trimadani Wijaya, participant from PT Oki Pulp & Papers Mills
Timeline
Applications Open:
11 September 2024
Application Deadline:
20 December 2024
Accelerator Begins:
February 2025
Interested in Participating?
In Collaboration with
Delivered through the UN Global Compact Academy.
