News

New Maplecroft and UN Global Compact forum explores human rights and business dilemmas in emerging economies

24/06/2010

A new resource to help multi-national companies (MNCs) respect and support human rights is being launched at the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit on Thursday, 24^th June, by the UN Global Compact and Maplecroft, a company that researches the risks and responsibilities of global business.

The Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum is an online, multi-stakeholder platform for MNCs with operations, supply chains and distribution networks in regions that present high levels of risk to the realisation of human rights.

The Forum is designed to help companies and stakeholders understand and share experiences of real-world challenges, particularly in emerging economies. In many cases, these challenges have no short term or straightforward solutions that will satisfy all stakeholders, representing a dilemma for responsible business.

"Emerging economies represent the new growth environment for multi-national corporations. However, respecting and supporting human rights in situations where violations are prevalent poses dilemmas for even the most responsible of companies as they are not always in a position to change the root causes," said Alyson Warhurst, CEO of Maplecroft. "Our new Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum shines a light on the human rights landscape, whilst offering a balance of guidance and understanding."

The online Forum will strive to enhance the collective understanding of human rights risks and responsibilities for business by offering users the opportunity to share, explore and discuss a wide range of dilemmas and good practice.

The website offers 10 dilemmas relevant to MNCs in fast growing emerging economies, with 10 more to follow in the third quarter of 2010. Current dilemmas address: Child labour, Freedom of association, Forced labour, Gender equality, Freedom of speech, Migrant workers, Security forces, Housing, Human trafficking and HIV/AIDS.

Human Rights Business and Dilemmas Forum - http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/

"Implementation of Principles 1 and 2 of the UN Global Compact will not always be easy or straightforward. The Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum represents an important platform through which companies and other stakeholders are invited to share their experience and understanding, and improve their ability to successfully navigate real-world human rights challenges," stated Georg Kell, executive director of the UN Global Compact.

The Forum also presents case studies outlining approaches that MNCs and other organisations have taken, individually and in partnership, to address real world dilemmas. The case studies reveal companies' efforts to manage or resolve dilemmas in a responsible way, offering examples of human rights strategies for other companies to learn from. Case studies include submissions from Chiquita, Cisco Systems, De Beers, Gap, HP, The International Cocoa Initiative, Manpower, The Nike Foundation, Talisman Energy, Timberland amongst others.

According to the president and CEO of the GE Foundation Bob Corcoran, "globalization - and the growth of emerging economies - means that multi-national companies are likely to come into ever greater contact with difficult and nuanced human rights challenges, creating dilemmas for responsible business. The GE Foundation is proud to fund this innovative research with the UN Global Compact and Maplecroft and hopes the forum generates a healthy debate from different stakeholder perspectives."

Dilemmas and case studies are complemented by extensive reference to human rights resources including best practice policy documents and research from expert international organisations working in the field of human rights, and Maplecroft's own human rights mapping and monitoring resources.

Notes for editors

The Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum is funded by the GE Foundation and implemented by Maplecroft in partnership with the UN Global Compact.

For more information visit - http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/

Maplecroft

Maplecroft is a leading source of global risks analysis. Maplecroft researches, indexes and maps over 500 risks and issues to identify exposures and opportunities in both countries and companies. Maplecroft's products and services are a vital resource for businesses and investors requiring analysis and insight into complex political, economic, social and environmental risks.

http://www.maplecroft.com/portfolio

UN Global Compact

The United Nations Global Compact is a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. See:

http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010

The UN Global Compact Leaders Summit 2010 brings together leaders from all sectors to elevate the role of responsible business and investment in bringing about the needed transformation to more sustainable and inclusive markets. This invitation-only event takes place on 24-25 June 2010 in New York. See:

http://www.leaderssummit2010.org/

GE Foundation

The GE Foundation provides grants and invests in initiatives that work to solve some of the world's most difficult problems. In coordination with its partners, the GE Foundation supports U.S. and international education, developing health globally, the environment, public policy, human rights, disaster relief and community success around the globe. See:

http://www.ge.com/foundation/