Introducing the Business & Human Rights Navigator

London, March 29, 2022: Working in close collaboration, the UN Global Compact, the German Government’s Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights and global risk intelligence company Verisk Maplecroft have launched the Business & Human Rights Navigator (BHR Navigator). The comprehensive online resource has been specifically developed to help companies better understand and address human rights impacts in their global operations and supply chains.

Users will be able to access clear, actionable guidance from internationally recognised experts. The Navigator includes in-depth analysis of key human rights issues, due diligence recommendations, as well as impactful case studies illustrating how other businesses have responsibly addressed human rights impacts.

The BHR Navigator will help businesses get to grips with the most common human rights issues that they come into contact with, either through their own operations or their supply chain. Companies can currently explore 10 issues ranging from child labour, freedom of association and migrant workers to occupational health and safety, forced labour and indigenous peoples, with scope for more to be added.

Each issue includes:

• An overview of the human rights issue
• Risk factors for key industries
• Due diligence suggestions
• Case studies
• Additional recommended resources

Critically, the Navigator includes unique guidance on how these issues can be managed across different sectors through the following due diligence steps:

• Policy development
• Impact assessment
• Integration/actions to address impacts
• Performance tracking
• Communication of performance
• Remediation and grievance mechanisms

The resources were developed in coordination with some of the world’s principal human rights organisations, including UN Human Rights (OHCHR) and the International Labour Office (ILO), which provided technical support on the principles of international labour standards as they concern company operations.

The dilemma for responsible businesses is how to respect human rights in practice, particularly where they face complex social, political and economic contexts or situations that do not have easy straightforward solutions. The Navigator’s in-depth analysis, human rights due diligence recommendations and inspirational case studies will help companies unravel these issues, take action and ultimately address their impacts, states Liudmila Chambers, principal Human Rights Consultant at Verisk Maplecroft.

The BHR Navigator, which will be available in English, German and Spanish, is informed by and aligned with the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). As a result, it will also enhance companies’ understanding of how the UNGPs can be adopted and implemented in practical terms.

“The Business & Human Rights Navigator cuts through the noise and provides clear, comprehensive guidance in line with international standards to show businesses everywhere how to enact an effective due diligence process and take meaningful actions that contribute to a world where no one is left behind,“ adds Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact.

About Verisk Maplecroft

As organisations strive to understand and adapt to a fast-changing world, Verisk Maplecroft empowers them to put the environment, human rights and political risk at the heart of their decision-making. We do this by providing unparalleled intelligence on sustainability, resilience and ESG – stitching together these disparate issues into an interconnected global view, built upon objective insight and data. By thinking ‘big picture’ we capture what matters most to our partners; making positive outcomes possible in a time of change; helping people, business and societies become stronger; creating value with values. Verisk Maplecroft is a Verisk business (Nasdaq:VRSK).

About the United Nations Global Compact

As a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General, the United Nations Global Compact is a call to companies everywhere to align their operations and strategies with Ten Principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Our ambition is to accelerate and scale the global collective impact of business by upholding the Ten Principles and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals through accountable companies and ecosystems that enable change. With more than 12,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries, and 69 Local Networks, the UN Global Compact is the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative — one Global Compact uniting business for a better world.

About the Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights

The Helpdesk on Business & Human Rights is a free support service of the German Federal Government. We advise companies of all sizes individually, confidentially and free of charge on the topic of human rights due diligence. Our experienced advisors serve as a point of contact for initial advice and referrals, and help you to integrate environmental and social standards along your supply and value chain. Our services also include tailor-made training, different event formats, project support and free online tools.

The Helpdesk is situated within the Agency for Business & Economic Development (AWE). The AWE is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and its executing agencies are the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH and DEG — Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH, a subsidiary of KfW Bankengruppe.