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Collaborative Initiatives

Human Rights Working Group

Working to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights across all industries

Human Rights Working Group Overview


About


BSR’s Human Rights Working Group (HRWG) was established in 2012 to help companies implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (“Guiding Principles”). The group has grown into an international community of company practitioners representing more than 40 global companies across industries sharing practical guidance, challenges, and lessons learned from implementing the Guiding Principles across a diverse range of operational environments. HRWG picks up where the Guiding Principles left off, providing a platform where actionable, operational-level guidance is provided.  

Annual activities include a mix of plenary discussions and breakout focus groups to connect companies working on similar issues during in-person meetings. The group meets nine times per year total—three times in each of three regional locations: the U.S., Europe, and Asia.



Our Mission


The HRWG was created to develop a safe space for a cross-sector group of companies to openly share best practices, challenges, questions, and experiences implementing the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  Furthermore, the HRWG seeks to promote implementation of the Guiding Principles in businesses around the world and develop the field of business and human rights into a robust and impactful practice.



Why Join?


Companies at all points along their human rights implementation journeys are welcome to join the HRWG.  Meetings are structured to ensure that companies from all industries and points in their journeys will benefit from the materials and case studies presented.

Non-BSR members are welcome to join HRWG for a one-year trial membership.  After the first year, companies are invited to become full BSR members in order to continue their participation in the HRWG.



Benefits


All HRWG members are welcome to attend any of the meetings each year and are encouraged to have regionally-based colleagues join in different locations.

As noted above, the HRWG has three seasonal meetings taking place in the spring, summer, and fall. Each seasonal meeting takes place in three locations: the U.S., Europe, and Japan, with similar content covered in all locations.

Meetings are structured in a way that enables participants to

  • Learn from and collaborate with practitioners across sectors on implementing the Guiding Principles
  • Use research and benchmarking on current practices to enhance their companies’ own human rights policies, management, and reporting
  • Build buy-in and internal alignment around their human rights efforts
  • Develop a network of human rights and business practitioners

In addition to the meetings, the group hosts monthly webinars, and members receive a monthly newsletter with the latest trends, events, and reports on business and human rights.


Human Rights Working Group Sustainable Development Goals Alignment

SDG icon, Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
SDG icon, Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Human Rights Working Group Member Information

Member Portal

Members can access the Human Rights Working Group collaboration site on SharePoint Online here

Human Rights Working Group Companies

  • AT&T Inc.
  • The Bank of Nova Scotia
  • Bayer AG
  • Becton, Dickinson and Company
  • Best Buy Co., Inc.
  • BT Group plc
  • Cardinal Health, Inc.
  • Chanel
  • Chevron Corporation
  • Cisco Systems Inc.
  • Dell, Inc.
  • ENEL SPA
  • The Estée Lauder Companies Inc
  • Expedia, Inc.
  • Freeport McMoRan, Inc.
  • Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA
  • GlaxoSmithKline plc
  • Google, Inc.
  • Grundfos Holding A/S
  • Hitachi, Ltd.
  • IBM Corporation
  • InterContinental Hotels Group PLC
  • Japan Tobacco Inc.
  • Johnson & Johnson
  • Komatsu Ltd.
  • The Maersk Group
  • Mars Incorporated
  • McDonald’s Corporation
  • Meta Platforms, Inc.
  • Microsoft Corporation
  • NEC Corporation
  • New Balance Athletics, Inc.
  • Newmont Goldcorp Corporation
  • Nomura Research Institute
  • Nordstrom, Inc.
  • Novartis International AG
  • Pfizer Inc.
  • Philip Morris Products S.A.
  • Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.
  • Royal Dutch Shell
  • Sony Corporation
  • Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd
  • Target Corporation
  • TD Bank Group
  • Tiffany and Company
  • Toshiba Corporation
  • Toyota Motor Corporation
  • Twitter, Inc.
  • Vale S.A.
  • Verizon Communications Inc.

Meet the Team for Human Rights Working Group

Americas


Europe, Middle East, and Africa


Roberta Pinamonti

Roberta Pinamonti

Associate Director

Asia-Pacific


Jenny Vaughan

Jenny Vaughan

Managing Director

Americas


Asia-Pacific


Talk to Us 
Contact the Human Rights Working Group team with any questions.

Our Insights on Human Rights Working Group

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Food, Beverage, and Agriculture Sector

Primers

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Food, Beverage, and Agriculture Sector

This issue brief identifies the 10 most relevant, urgent, and probable human rights impacts for businesses operating in the food, beverage, and agriculture (FBA) sector. The information here is gathered from BSR’s direct engagement with FBA companies, as well as our 30 years of experience helping companies in all sectors manage their human rights risks.

Read More 


10 Human Rights Priorities for the Luxury Sector

Primers

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Luxury Sector

This issue brief identifies the 10 most relevant, urgent, and probable human rights impacts for businesses operating in the luxury sector. The information here is gathered from BSR’s direct engagement with luxury sector companies, as well as our 30 years of experience helping companies in all sectors manage their human rights risks.

Read More 


Collaboration for Impact: A Conversation

Blog

Collaboration for Impact: A Conversation

This is the first in a series of interviews on how the private sector contributes to sustainable development through collaboration.

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10 Human Rights Priorities for the Financial Sector

Primers

10 Human Rights Priorities for the Financial Sector

A primer on the most relevant, urgent, and probable human rights impacts for the financial sector and opportunities for positive impact

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Big Data and Human Rights: 5 Frequently Asked Questions

Blog

Big Data and Human Rights: 5 Frequently Asked Questions

What is big data, and how does it relate to human rights? Here are answers to these and other questions we often hear from our members and partners.

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BSR Signs Statement in Support of Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, SDGs

Blog

BSR Signs Statement in Support of Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, SDGs

BSR recently joined nine business-network organizations in signing a statement reaffirming our commitment to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

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Human Rights in the Supply Chain: A Shared Challenge

Blog

Human Rights in the Supply Chain: A Shared Challenge

BSR's recent Human Rights Working Group meeting highlighted three insights about addressing supply chain human rights challenges.

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