ICMM - International Council on Mining & Metals

PROJECTS

Business and human rights

In July 2005, Professor John Ruggie was appointed Special Representative for Business and Human Rights to the United Nations. His two-year mandate includes identifying and clarifying standards of corporate responsibility and accountability for human rights, including the delineation of distinctive roles for sovereign states, companies and other stakeholders.

What ICMM is doing

ICMM has been interacting with the UN Special Representative since 2005 by attending the sector workshop in Geneva in 2005 and regional workshops in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2006 and in Bogotá, Colombia in 2007.

ICMM has made three submissions to the UN Special Representative. The first submission in March 2006 provides a factual summary of the work undertaken by ICMM member companies in human rights, as well as of some of the human rights challenges and dilemmas faced by the mining sector.

A second submission was made in October 2006 and provides information on recent steps taken by ICMM member companies, on continuing issues for our industry, and sets out some high-level recommendations for the UN Special Representative.

A third submission highlights the importance which ICMM places on further enhancing the effectiveness of voluntary approaches on business and human rights – including both on the part of companies individually and multi-stakeholder initiatives.

Other elements of ICMM’s work program contribute in various ways to human rights understanding and outcomes. For example, the Resource Endowment initiative is identifying ways to enhance long-term socio-economic benefits from mining projects in developing countries, a review of the issues facing Indigenous Peoples around mining projects is complete and ICMM also works to help members improve safety and environmental performance.

In addition, ICMM has been granted observer status for the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPs), which were developed through a process of dialogue between the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States, extractive and energy sector companies, and NGOs with a common interest in human rights and corporate social responsibility (see also http://www.voluntaryprinciples.org/). In developing the ICMM principles, the VPs were one of a number of standards considered, and many of the core concepts are embodied in ICMM Principle 3.

What will our work achieve?

As for other key global initiatives in sustainable development, ICMM will take a leadership role to contribute positively to the external debate, and help to develop areas of consensus, recognizing that effective outcomes depend on actions by all parties - and not just by industry alone.

Background

The 1948 Universal Declaration on Human Rights sets out fundamental, ‘non-negotiable’ rights that all people are entitled to. In 1998, the UN Economic and Social Council decided to develop human rights guidelines for business. While it acknowledged that states are primarily responsible for the protection of human rights, it ruled that businesses, as ‘organs of society’, must also contribute to their application.

In 2003, the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and protection of Human Rights adopted the Human Rights Norms for Business. In 2004 however, these were not accepted by the UN commission on Human Rights although it recommended that the Norms should remain as the basis for consultations about the responsibilities of business with respect to human rights.