Human rights
This page provides information and practical examples of IPIECA’s work in regard to human rights issues relating to the oil and gas industry.
It is 60 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), but human rights remain a concern for the international community. Corruption, human rights and labour issues can discourage much-needed investment: they may deter international corporations from investing in new projects, and can also threaten existing operations.
The oil and gas industry often operates in countries where the social and political environment is challenging. IPIECA therefore monitors these international issues and updates members at meetings and in regular communications.
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A policy framework for managing business and human rights challenges
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The IPIECA Human rights training toolkit
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Keeping human rights at the core of company activities
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Concerns in relation to the extractive industries
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Raising awareness of human rights issues around the globe
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A global business-led project committed to advancing human rights in business around the world
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United Nations Framework and Guiding Principles
In 2011, The United Nations endorsed the Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. IPIECA participated in this global process to support a reasoned and open discussion on the complex topic of business and human rights. Previous interactions with the UN included a multi-stakeholder consultation process to clarify the important distinctions of States and companies with regard to human rights in 2005, and the endorsement of the “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework by the UN Human Rights Council in 2008. In response to the UN endorsement of Guiding Principles, IPIECA has initiated its three year Business and Human Rights Project, in order to:
- provide a forum for industry to exchange experiences and good practice
- develop practical guidance to help companies implement processes, systems and tools
- identify opportunities to cooperate in developing industry solutions to common business and human rights issues
- demonstrate progress to stakeholders
The IPIECA Human Rights task Force will execute work-plans in three areas: (i) due diligence; (ii) grievance mechanism; and (iii) communications/partnerships.
- Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (SRSG portal)
- Human rights training toolkit
- IPIECA's press release
Training toolkit
Human rights issues are complex. Often, there are no easy answers. Many companies implement human rights and ethics training programmes for management, employees and community groups in their areas of operation.
IPIECA’s Human rights training toolkit aims to raise awareness of human rights issues in the oil and gas industry. Managers can adapt the template to conform to their company’s policy on human rights and national laws and regulations. A second (2009) edition of the toolkit incorporates recent changes in the human rights arena.
Human rights impact assessment
Human rights impact assessments (HRIA) help companies integrate respect for human rights into company operations. HRIAs can highlight the importance of employees’ behaviour, and also the significance of external factors, such as public and private security forces and the military. HRIAs are sometimes carried out as part of Social Impact Assessments. IPIECA is working on the issue of human rights impact assessments through the Due Diligence workstream of the Business and Human Rights Project. The group is also following the development of the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) guide to HRIAs.
Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
IPIECA is an observer to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (the Voluntary Principles) and attends the annual plenary meeting. IPIECA serves a role in providing frequent updates to members.
In early 2000, the United States and United Kingdom governments, a number of mining and oil and gas companies, several international human rights non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a labour union initiated a year-long effort to address security and human rights concerns relating to extractive industries’ operations. During the year, stakeholders identified common interests and worked together to reach consensus on a set of principles that would support human rights in the context of providing security. This culminated in the creation of the Voluntary Principles.
The Voluntary Principles cover three key areas:
- Conducting risk assessments in the context of security and human rights issues
- Engaging with public security forces (military and police)
- Engaging with private security forces
The initiative illustrates the opportunities and challenges of a multi-stakeholder approach. The three pillars (governments, companies and NGOs) represent diverse stakeholders with varying objectives and approaches. Ultimately, the success of the Voluntary Principles will depend on the strengths and legitimacy that each partner brings to the process.
IPIECA contributed to the development of a Voluntary Principles Implementation Guidance Toolkit, which was published in October 2011
Following the publication of the Implementation Guidance Tools, IPIECA is convening a series of workshops focused on assisting member companies to begin or improve their implementation of the VPs. Each workshop is focused on one of the three key areas of the Voluntary Principles.
Regional perspectives
Between 2006-2009, IPIECA held several regional workshops to raise awareness of human rights issues for the oil and gas industry. The main goal of the workshops was to broaden and deepen learning of how the extractive industry interacts with human rights issues. Events were held in London, Kuala Lumpur and South America, Canada and South Africa. A good practice will be produced in due course summarizing the workshop outputs.
Human rights and the oil and gas industry in sub-Saharan Africa
Cape Town, South Africa, 26-27 February 2009
Human rights and the oil and gas industry in Latin America
Buenos Aires, Argentina, 3 - 4 April 2008
Human rights, indigenous rights and the extractive industry
Calgary, Canada, 28 June 2007
Business and human rights: an Asian perspective
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 28 November 2006
Working session on IPIECA Human rights training toolkit
London, UK, 23 February 2006
The Global Business Initiative
The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights is a global business-led project committed to advancing human rights in business around the world. The initiative provides a platform for companies from different industrial sectors across the world to show leadership as well as providing a supportive environment in which to learn about how to respect and support human rights and integrate them into the management of their business. The Global Business Initiative on Human Rights works in partnership with the United Nations Global Compact and the Swiss Government.
Categories:
- Social responsibility
