back to home

 

Business and Human Rights: a resource website

 

  Training managers & employees  

See also the following sections of this website:

NEW (recent additions to this section; top item is most recent addition)
FTSE4Good raises the bar for companies - FTSE Group recently announced a new, more stringent set of human rights criteria for companies in the socially responsible index series FTSE4Good...FTSE are trialling the human rights standards on the global upstream oil gas and mining sector...They are asking companies to commit to ILO core labour standards on a global scale, support publicly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have guidelines on the use of armed security guards according to the UN Basic Principles of the Use of Force and Firearms and to reference “respect of the rights of indigenous peoples”. In order to stay in the FTSE4Good Index, companies will also have to provide training for employees on human rights policy, provide evidence of undertaking a human rights impact assessment and integration of their policy into risk assessment processes...In countries of particular concern such as Angola, China, Burma, Zimbabwe and Sudan, resource companies must commit to meeting more stringent guidelines (Tobias Webb, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 21 Apr. 2003)

Websites:

Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business

Business and Child Labour: A Management Primer (Shell, 2000)

Business and Human Rights: A Management Primer (Shell, 1998)

CasePlace.org: The Interactive Resource for Business Schools - CasePlace.org allows you to search for cases and teaching materials to bring social impact management into business education (The Aspen Institute Initiative for Social Innovation through Business)

CSR [Corporate Social Responsibility] Trainings (Business for Social Responsibility)

Danish Center for Human Rights - Human Rights & Business project 

Environmental distance learning course (National Centre for Business & Sustainability [UK])

Human Rights Education Associates

'Just Business' (information & activities about global & ethical issues for students and teachers of Business Studies and Economics)

Learning [U.N. Global Compact]: Case Studies -...Case studies will be drawn from the pool of examples that are submitted to the Global Compact Office. The most promising examples will be identified by an academic steering committee and selectively enlarged to provide further detail and depth. (U.N. Global Compact)

Learning [U.N. Global Compact]: Examples by Company Name - Beginning in January 2002, all companies participating in the Global Compact are required to make an annual submission to the Global Learning Forum focused on the factual elements of company actions in support of the nine principles. These submissions will be known as "examples" and will respond to the following two questions, "What have you done?" and "What was the result?" (U.N. Global Compact)

Pilot project: Management training in the garments and textile industry in Bangladesh (Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice)

Pilot project: Tools and guidelines to help business effectively engage vulnerable stakeholders: Research shows there is a need to further study and illuminate the relationship between business and marginalised and disadvantaged groups on a number of key issues. In order to help business use this knowledge for their own benefit and to contribute to poverty elimination, guidelines and tools are required. [pilot project in India] (Resource Centre for the Social Dimensions of Business Practice)

Social Responsibility Training: ISEA-Accredited Foundation Course in Social & Ethical Accounting, Auditing & Reporting (National Centre for Business & Sustainability [UK], in partnership with Manchester Business School)

Supercourse: Health and Environment in Sustainable Development (Dr Hiko Tamashiro, Office of Global and Integrated Environmental Health, World Health Organization)

Toolkit: Human Rights - Overview (Business in the Community)

Topic Overviews for Human Rights (Business for Social Responsibility) 

Training - Our Training Materials: The Asian Workers for Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Institute has now completed its first three-module Trainer training in Occupational Health, Safety and Environment program (Asian Workers Institute for Occupational Health, Safety and Environment)

Training and Events (National Centre for Business & Sustainability [UK])

Training tools: Labour information centres and libraries: Use our guides and manuals to strengthen your labour information skills! (International Labour Organization)

Virtual University [online courses on sustainable development]: The WBCSD offers you two introduction courses built around the topics Sustainable Development and Scenarios, the Global Scenario Challenge and the Sustainable Business Challenge. (World Business Council for Sustainable Development)

Other materials:

2003:

FTSE4Good raises the bar for companies - FTSE Group recently announced a new, more stringent set of human rights criteria for companies in the socially responsible index series FTSE4Good...FTSE are trialling the human rights standards on the global upstream oil gas and mining sector...They are asking companies to commit to ILO core labour standards on a global scale, support publicly the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have guidelines on the use of armed security guards according to the UN Basic Principles of the Use of Force and Firearms and to reference “respect of the rights of indigenous peoples”. In order to stay in the FTSE4Good Index, companies will also have to provide training for employees on human rights policy, provide evidence of undertaking a human rights impact assessment and integration of their policy into risk assessment processes...In countries of particular concern such as Angola, China, Burma, Zimbabwe and Sudan, resource companies must commit to meeting more stringent guidelines (Tobias Webb, Ethical Corporation Magazine, 21 Apr. 2003)

China Establishes Global Compact Learning Centre - The China Reform and Development Forum Committee, under the auspices of the Chinese Academy of Social Science (CASS), is establishing The Global Compact Learning Forum China Centre to help advance the principles of the Global Compact and the tenets of corporate citizenship in all sectors of the Chinese economy...As part of this effort, a Global Compact China Website has been launched to facilitate communication, dialogue and learning. (U.N. Global Compact, 24 Mar. 2003)

Target Corp. to pay $95,000, implement training for failure to accommodate disabled worker [USA] (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 15 Jan. 2003)

'BABIES R US' to pay $205,000, implement training due to same-sex harassment of male employee -...The initial suit, filed on March 6, 2002, alleged that throughout his employment Mr. Vasquez was the target of unwelcome and derogatory comments as well as behavior that mocked him because he did not conform to societal stereotypes of how a male should appear or behave. (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 15 Jan. 2003)

Business leaders grapple with HIV/AIDS in Republic of Congo - Business leaders in the Republic of the Congo are learning about HIV/AIDS, particularly the rights of workers living with the disease. In partnership with UNICONGO, the national business association, and under the patronage of First Lady Antoinette Sassou Nguesso, UNDP recently organized HIV/AIDS awareness workshops for such leaders in the country's two major cities (U.N. Development Programme, 7 Jan. 2003)

2002:

Donnelley to pay $150,000 to paraplegic graphics technician for job bias [USA] - EEOC Consent Decree with Printing Giant Requires Anti-Discrimination Policy for Temporary Employees and Training (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 16 Dec. 2002)

World Bank Institute and University of Michigan Business School E-Conference Program on "Business, Democracy and Peace" - October 7 - November 1, 2002 -...This e-conference introduces the argument that businesses may have significant contributions to sustainable peace. (World Bank and University of Michigan Business School, 7 Oct.-1 Nov. 2002)

Automakers struggle to stem harassment: Part 1 - Race, sex complaints persist despite training [USA] [refers to General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Ford, Mitsubishi] (Susan Carney, Detroit News, 6 Oct. 2002)

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Shenzhen, China - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Shenzhen, China, October 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

CSR Trainings - Human Rights Trainings - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam - Two-Day Workshop on Labor Practices and CSR - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, September 24-25, 2002: This workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn effective ways to: build better factory management systems, and strengthen compliance with codes of conduct and legal requirements on issues including: wages, and working hours; health and safety; child labor; forced labor; and other labor issues. (Business for Social Responsibility) [posted on this site 23 Aug. 2002]

The rapid rise of a new responsibility [regarding problems companies are having in integrating corporate social responsibility into the workforce] [refers to how Gap & Nike developed expertise on human rights and labour issues] (Sarah Murray, Financial Times, 11 June 2002)

Training Course on Human Rights, The Social Responsibility and Voluntary Reporting of Multinational Companies - Lund, Sweden, 13 to 15 May 2002 (Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law)

Seminar held in Jakarta on local and international OSH [occupational safety and health] resources - The Jakarta ILO office already has ongoing workplace health and safety projects in Indonesia, including trainings with employers and workers, as well as a library of printed materials in several languages. AMRC also has conducted trainings in Asia, including Cambodia, Korea and Thailand, and has health and safety-related printed materials. (Maquiladora Health & Safety Support Network Newsletter, 31 Mar. 2002)

Materials and resources for worker trainings and other OSH [occupational safety and health] resources (Maquiladora Health & Safety Support Network Newsletter, 31 Mar. 2002)

Survey - Business education: Human approach moves up agenda - Although awareness of CSR [corporate social responsibility] is on the increase, some academics feel not enough is happening in corporate training organisations [refers to Unipart and BP as 2 companies that do include serious discussion of corporate social responsibility in their in-house training] (Sarah Murray, Financial Times, 25 Mar. 2002)

Norsk Hydro makes rights its business: Norsk Hydro [oil, aluminium, petrochemicals & agricultural fertilisers], which is 40% owned by the Norwegian government,...is handing over about £85,000 to Amnesty International in return for instruction on "how to handle the human rights challenges we face", said the group's president and chief executive, Eivind Reiten, yesterday...Norsk Hydro said its deal with Amnesty would not stop the rights group criticising the company. (Julia Finch, Guardian [UK], 20 Mar. 2002)

{···français} Formation de dix jours pour les employés d'"Island Clothing" [Ile Maurice]: Le coup d'envoi d'une session de formation de dix jours (du 5 au 22 mars) sur le site de travail à l'intention des employés d'Island Clothing a été lancé, hier, par le ministre du Travail et des Relations industrielles, Showkutally Soodhun. Cette formation s'inscrit dans le cadre d'un programme de formation globale qui touchera soixante-dix neuf entreprises de la zone franche sensibilisera les employés aux droits du travail et aux procédures en vue de régler des conflits au travail. (Le Mauricien, 7 mars 2002)

Why Nike has broken into a sweat: The sports equipment maker has been a target for anti-sweatshop campaigners. It has responded with self-criticism, says Michael Skapinker...Nike's experience provides a vivid illustration of the perils facing companies that believe they can ignore the efforts of campaigning organisations (Michael Skapinker, Financial Times, 6 Mar. 2002)

Companies 'face rising risks over human rights': Multinational companies face a growing risk of being associated with human rights violations, according to research published in London yesterday by Amnesty International and the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum. The research examines the operations of 129 leading companies in 34 countries where human rights abuses including torture, forced child labour and denial of freedom of expression occur. (Alison Maitland, Financial Times, 13 Feb. 2002)

Policy Note: The Future of the Global Compact Learning Forum -...According to a review conducted by an independent team of academic analysts, none of the company submissions conformed to the case study guidelines suggested by the Global Compact Office. And a significant number "did not make reference to any of the nine GC principles." (U.N. Global Compact, 4 Jan. 2002)

2001:

Commercial Law and Human Rights (edited by Stephen Bottomley [The Australian National University] and David Kinley [Monash University, Australia], Nov. 2001)

Sustainability and Profitability: Conflict or Convergence? Report on the Inaugural U.S. Senior Executives' Seminar, 29th October to 2nd November 2001 [includes summary of presentation on "Global Business and Human Rights" by Michael Posner, Executive Director of Lawyers Committee for Human Rights] (HRH The Prince of Wales's Business & the Environment Programme, developed and run by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, 29 Oct.-2 Nov. 2001)

Sustainability and Profitability: Conflict or Convergence? Report on the 5th European Senior Executives' Seminar, 17th to 21st September 2001 [includes summary of presentation on "Health and Poverty: The social challenge of sustainable development" by Sophia Tickell, Senior Policy Advisor, Oxfam] (HRH The Prince of Wales's Business & the Environment Programme, developed and run by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, 17-21 Sep. 2001)

Sustainability and Profitability: Conflict or Convergence? Report on the 8th UK Senior Executives' Seminar, 2nd to 6th April 2001 [includes summary of presentation on "Global Business, Human Rights and Governance" by Sir Geoffrey Chandler, Chair of Amnesty International UK Business Group] (HRH The Prince of Wales's Business & the Environment Programme, developed and run by the University of Cambridge Programme for Industry, 2-6 Apr. 2001)

Human rights guidance: Guidance for managers on implementing the human rights policy in The way we work [link is to Rio Tinto's "Human rights" webpage, from which the document can be downloaded] (Rio Tinto, Apr. 2001)

2000:

Human rights -- is it any of your business? [A management primer] (Amnesty International UK Business Group / Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum, Apr. 2000)                           

Business and Child Labour: A Management Primer (Shell, 2000)

1999:

Relevant sections of Business and Human Rights in a Time of Change (Christopher Avery, Nov. 1999):

1998:

Business and Human Rights: A Management Primer (Shell, 1998)