Internationalisering af formelle og uformelle CSR-standarder

1. Internationalisering af formelle og uformelle CSR-standarder BPFNet-seminar 4. Oktober 2007 Karin Buhmann buhmann@life.ku.dk

2. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) • CSR: companies have obligations for sustainable social and environmental development • Historically (1): Anti-slavery, anti-weapons, anti-drugs; SRI • Historically (2): NGOs in nation states; UN (1970s+), ILO, OECD • the social or ‘people’ dimension generally includes strong aspects of human rights and labour rights, including • rights to non-discrimination and equal opportunities, education, vocational training, work and decent working conditions. • = rights embodied in UN and ILO treaties (hard law) and declarations (soft law) on human rights and labour rights • Triple Bottom Line: People, Planet, Profit (Elkington 1998 –Cannibals with Forks) • UN Global Compact (www.globalcompact.org, especially principles 1-6) • the widely used sustainability reporting tool GRI (Global Reporting Initiative, www.globalreporting.org)

3. Case: international human rights in emerging EU CSR regulation CSR topics related to human and labour rights have entered the EU regulation on CSR: • Lisbon Goals • focus on economic, social and environmental dimensions • calls for business to develop its sense of social responsibility to promote inclusiveness, growth and employment to cater for European competitiveness. • International: • “Decent work” (ILO core conventions) • “Responsible competitiveness” • Trade agreements • Recommendations to MS governments to introduce CSR conditionalities when funding business cooperation in developing states • Those social issues can be directly linked to human rights • rights to non-discrimination, and social rights to work, education, adequate standard of living, social services and the highest possible standard of health • consequently to the states’ obligations under international human rights law, including • the Council of Europe Social Charter • the UN Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights • the UN Convention against All Forms of Racial Discrimination • UN Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women - Policy goals on human rights, labour rights, etc.

4. UN Global Compact • Human Rights • Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; and • Principle 2: make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses.   • Labour Standards • Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; • Principle 4: the elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; • Principle 5: the effective abolition of child labour; and • Principle 6: the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. 

5. The Global Compact's ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour, the environment and anti-corruption enjoy universal consensus and are derived from: • The Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The International Labour Organization's Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work • The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development • The United Nations Convention Against Corruption

6. SA8000 • Created by Social Accountability International (NGO) • Social Accountability International (SAI)’s mission is to promote human rights for workers around the world. • SA 8000 Purpose And Scope • This standard specifies requirements for social accountability to enable a company to:  • a) develop, maintain, and enforce policies and procedures in order to manage those issues which it can control or influence;  • b) demonstrate to interested parties that policies, procedures and practices are in conformity with the requirements of this standard; •  The requirements of this standard shall apply universally with regard to geographic location, industry sector and company size.

7. Normative Elements And Their Interpretation •  The company shall comply with national and other applicable law, other requirements to which the company subscribes, and this standard. When national and other applicable law, other requirements to which the company subscribes, and this standard address the same issue, that provision which is most stringent applies. •  The company shall also respect the principles of the following international instruments: •  ILO Conventions 29 and 105 (Forced & Bonded Labour) • ILO Convention 87 (Freedom of Association) • ILO Convention 98 (Right to Collective Bargaining) • ILO Conventions 100 and 111 (Equal remuneration for male and female workers for work of equal value; Discrimination) • ILO Convention 135 (Workers’ Representatives Convention) • ILO Convention 138 & Recommendation 146 (Minimum Age and Recommendation) • ILO Convention 155 & Recommendation 164 (Occupational Safety & Health) • ILO Convention 159 (Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment/Disabled Persons) • ILO Convention 177 (Home Work) • Universal Declaration of Human Rights • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child