Marta Arias’ Post

📣 🙌 Good news! The EU Council has just approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (#CSDDD)! This marks a significant milestone for corporate accountability, paving the way for responsible business conduct across EU Member States. While the directive has limitations – applying primarily to large companies – it sets a crucial foundation for human rights due diligence in global supply chains.   Though the CSDDD is a step forward, it's important to recognise that the responsibility for respecting human rights extends beyond its scope. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights remain essential for best practices in this realm.   This approval signals a shift toward mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence, emphasising that it's no longer optional for companies to prioritise these values. While the directive has been watered down, it provides a crucial framework for governing global value chains more sustainably and justly.   Congratulations to all involved in this achievement. While we celebrate this milestone, it's essential to acknowledge the compromises made and the ongoing work needed to ensure a more equitable and sustainable future.

In April, 2022, I filed a #whistleblowing with the #OHCHR against the Italian oil giant Eni due to the (fully proven) attacks on my name, honor, and reputation, violating Article 12 of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights". However, after more than two and a half years, Mr. Robert McCorquodale, a member of the "UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights", replied to me, claiming that my whistleblowing had not been accepted. For me, only the bitter truth remains: non-binding international commitments, such as the United Nations Global Compact, UNGP31, and the OECD - OCDE Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, merely serve to enhance the reputational gains of large global corporations, because no one does anything against them. Why? Well, the "interests" are, of course, too great! I hope that the new European Union Directive (#CSDDD) changes this reality by transforming international commitments into binding obligations. Learn more about my whistleblowing by accessing these files: a) Submission UN Human Right (OHCHR): https://lnkd.in/d5Gfwb2D b) Memorial DLF x Eni (2001 - 2022): https://lnkd.in/dkvbtiSp c) www.enisway.com

The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights identify children as one of the groups most at risk of being adversely impacted by business activities. However, in practice, children are rarely recognized as a key stakeholder group. Recent guidance for businesses on how to better disclose information on impacts, risks, and opportunities on children’s rights can serve as a practical tool—beyond the ESRS context—for businesses on how to monitor and prevent negative impacts on children. https://lnkd.in/eNBvCrGm

On World Children's Day, here's a thought: children are stakeholders for every business, everywhere. Children are consumers of products and services. They are exposed to marketing and advertising. They can be legal workers or exploited child labourers, they can be children of workers. They use digital platforms, and they live and play in the environments where business operate. Your company can help advance child rights. The first step is recognising that children are your stakeholders. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is here: https://lnkd.in/eYSBssgF And you can find expert guidance on child rights and business, particularly relevant under the ESRS here: https://lnkd.in/eiw7a_NX Happy World Children's Day 2024 #foreverychild

We are proud to have successfully completed the United Nations Global Compact Business & Human Rights Accelerator. This six-month program has been instrumental in advancing our commitment to respecting human rights across our operations. Thanks to the participation of Sjoerd Blijlevens and Hugo Wittenberg in this program, we are now better equipped to navigate the evolving landscape of human rights legislation and regulatory requirements. The experience reaffirms our dedication to aligning our practices with global standards and contributing to the collective impact of the business community in respecting human and labor rights. Learn more about our impact here: https://lnkd.in/eACK68yy #Sustainability #CorporateResponsibility #UNGlobalCompact United Nations Global Compact, Sociaal-Economische Raad (SER).

Sustainability efforts can't be fully realized without addressing human rights, a crucial aspect of the social dimension. It's incumbent upon all businesses to uphold human rights. The future's esteemed organizations will be evaluated by their awareness and actions regarding human rights, meeting the expectations of diverse stakeholders including the UNGP requirements. Yet another profound lesson that leaves its mark. #GRI #sustainability #UNGP #Humanrights #sustainabilityreporting #corporateresposnibility #ESGreporting

Our Senior Responsible Business Consultant Chiara Giaccari represented Partner Africa at the UN Business & Human Rights Forum in Geneva. Here are her key takeaways from this pivotal gathering, where leaders in this field discussed practical measures to protect human rights in business operations: ↘ HREDD approaches are most effective when tailored to the specific context in which they are applied: Local conditions—such as cultural norms, economic realities, legal frameworks, and environmental challenges—greatly influence the risks and vulnerabilities related to human rights and environmental impact. Localized approaches foster greater community involvement and stakeholder engagement, creating solutions that are not only more acceptable to affected populations but also more likely to be implemented successfully. ↘ Promoting engagement with rightsholders & collaboration to drive broader impact: Meaningful stakeholder engagement was a major theme at the Forum. Genuine consultation and dialogue with rightsholders, such as affected workers and communities, ensure Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) can be a game-changer. Incorporating their perspectives helps in promoting accountability and shaping strategies that are effective in addressing human rights challenges. ↘ Combine a ‘Smart mix of measures’: Understand existing and upcoming due diligence legislation (e.g. Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD)), how to implement for compliance, alongside voluntary actions. Key actions would include establishing clear regulatory priorities that set minimum requirements combined with voluntary standards within a Due Diligence framework (HRDD/HREDD).

📣 REGISTER NOW FOR THE UN GLOBAL COMPACT NETWORK AUSTRALIA’S 2025 BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME 📣 Pillar Two is proud to support the UN Global Compact Network Australia again to deliver the 2025 Business & Human Rights Accelerator programme.  If you are seeking to unpack human rights due diligence expectations in practice, engage with experts and peers, and better understand the evolving business and human rights legislative landscape and increasing expectations, we encourage you to join the programme. The six-month programme (beginning February 2025) covers: 🔵 Understanding core international frameworks that underpin human rights due diligence and their expectations for businesses. 🔵 Gaining a clear understanding of where you are on your human rights journey. 🔵 Identifying and prioritising salient human rights impacts and understanding your organisation’s involvement with those impacts.  🔵 Developing clear action plans and metrics to track human rights performance. 🔵 Understanding how to effectively engage affected stakeholders and communicate your organisation’s impacts. 🔵 Unpacking remediation and how to practically implement effective grievance mechanisms.  Throughout the programme, participants will have the opportunity to build a network of peers, partners, and experts through interactive and collaborative sessions.  Registrations close on 20 December 2024, with further information available here: https://lnkd.in/gCifDqRX #BHRAccelerator #bizhumanrights #ESG 

Breaking barriers and setting precedents! Learn how a group of Swiss women took their climate case to the European Court of Human Rights. 🌍 #ClimateAction #HumanRights #IndiaCSR #CSR #CSRInitiative

Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting Avery important topic of human rights in business is covered by PRINCIPLE 5: BUSINESSES SHOULD RESPECT AND PROMOTE HUMAN RIGHTS The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was passed in General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948 (General Assembly resolution 217 A) as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. ("https://lnkd.in/gMe8EuvA") It sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. The UDHR is widely recognized as having inspired, and paved the way for, the adoption of more than seventy human rights treaties, applied today on a permanent basis at global and regional levels. Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. An informative document is Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights: Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework by UN Global Compact https://lnkd.in/gAEYGsg4 #viveknamboodiripad #sustainability #social #humanrights #brsr