CSR Press Release

While human rights luminaries such as The Elders gather in Paris to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), work continues around the world on improving human rights on the ground. For example, the Human Rights Impact Assessment (HRIA) of Goldcorp operations at the Marlin Mine in Guatamala has been initiated. The HRIA resulted from shareholder engagement by a number of socially responsible investors, including Vancouver-based Ethical Funds and SHARE, and the Ottowa-based Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Staff Pension Fund, as well as two Swedish National Pension Funds. The process, led by a Steering Committee made up of a representative each from Guatamala, the company, and the shareholder group, is precedent-setting, as HRIAs are still a relatively new phenomenon.

Given the importance UN Special Representative on Business and Human Rights John Ruggie has placed on HRIAs, the Goldcorp HRIA is setting a strong model by prioritizing transparency, independence, and inclusivity. The Steering Committee established a website where it is posting comprehensive materials documenting the process, including minutes of meetings and the March 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the company and shareholders that set things in motion. And they hired an independent assessor (On Common Ground Consultants), as well as a peer reviewer (Internationals Alert) to ensure the assessment's independence. Finally, they are promoting inclusivity by inviting input from all affected stakeholders, protecting their confidentiality. Future HRIAs will build on the example set by this instance.

Journalism represents another avenue for promoting human rights. Toronto-based Journalists for Human Rights (jhr) used UDHR's 60th anniversary as an opportunity to announce its new website and logo. Unchanged is the mission of the organization, which was founded in 2002 to mobilize local media to spread the word on human rights. Domestically, jhr has 25 Chapters at post-secondary institutions to train journalism students in human rights reporting. In Africa, jhr's programs help reach 20 million people across 16 countries.

Underscoring the vital role of journalism in promoting human rights, the Every Human Has Rights campaign endorsed by the Elders granted Media Awards to journalists around the world for their reporting on human rights. For example, Michael Duffy of Channel 7 Network Australia won the TV category for his 'Nike Human Rights Investigation,' in which he infiltrated a Nike t-shirt manufacturer in Kepong, Malaysia that was contravening Article 4 of the UDHR relating to slavery and servitude by employing forced labor. The story helped liberate 1,200 modern-day slaves, illustrating on-the-ground advocacy of human rights.

This article was written by CSRwire contributor Bill Baue.