Maintaining human rights at a workplace is of paramount importance. All organizations and corporates must be responsible for maintaining basic rights and freedoms of not only their employees and clients but also of the societies they may impact with their functioning.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted working conditions all over the world, ushering in a ‘New Normal’. However, with the advent of remote working, unclear work hours and more, it is all the more important for corporates to tackle the new challenges they may face with respect to human rights.
On 29th July 2020, it was reported that the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights (GBI) held an online workshop series in collaboration with the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) to support companies in Brazil with the business and human rights challenges they are facing. The workshop saw over 65 business practitioners from dozens of companies in the form of peer-learning sessions that made way for practical discussions on the management of human rights risks in their companies’ operations and value chains.
Apart from managing the most immediate human rights challenges associated with COVID-19, the workshop also shed light onto some additional priorities such as:
Strengthening practical knowledge of key standards.
Developing training and capability building initiatives.
Engaging effectively with Indigenous and traditional communities.
Managing human rights risks in supply chains.
This workshop helped reinforce the criticality of companies working and creating a positive change locally and globally.
The WBCSD release stated that “Businesses – in Brazil and elsewhere – also need to look ahead to the broader transformations that will flow from the convergence of COVID-19, the climate crisis and ever-stronger stakeholder expectations that companies operate responsibly and with respect for human rights”
For more information, contact Davide Fiedler, Manager Social Impact, WBCSD at fiedler@wbcsd.org.
Comments