Ahead of the 13th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights, ICMM has announced strengthened commitments to respect and recognise the important role of human rights defenders.
ICMM has also launched three new human rights due diligence tools to support companies in respecting human rights defenders, integrating human rights across their businesses and to build awareness of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
ICMM’s updated commitments reaffirm its belief that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, and that mining companies, regardless of location, have a responsibility to uphold human rights, it says. ICMM was the first industry body to adopt the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights through the ICMM Mining Principles in 2018, and today’s announcement represents a further evolution of this commitment.
Recognising the vital role human rights defenders play in promoting and protecting human rights, ICMM has strengthened its member commitments to include defenders explicitly in companies’ due diligence, stakeholder engagement and security processes. Defenders often work on issues related to land, the environment and Indigenous peoples’ rights. By enhancing its commitments and introducing additional human rights due diligence tools, ICMM aims to mitigate risks to defenders associated with mining activities.
If a just energy transition is our common goal, then respect for human rights must be our shared promise. That’s why ICMM members have maintained firm and long-standing commitments to uphold human rights, which have been further strengthened today. This ensures that companies will take concerted steps to assess and mitigate risks to human rights defenders linked to their operations and supply chains.
ICMM President and CEO, Rohitesh Dhawan, said: “Commitments however, mean little without consistent application on the ground. That’s why ICMM’s tools, including the three new additions, are so important to support human rights practitioners ensure respect for rights at all times – including to protest, comment and campaign – and make space for peaceful and constructive cooperation. Like all ICMM resources, these tools are free to use by any company globally, and I hope are adopted across the mining industry and beyond.”
Tom Palmer, Chair of ICMM’s Council, said: “This expanded guidance is an important resource for ICMM members, as they work to support a just and fair energy transition while respecting human rights. ICMM’s strengthened human rights commitments and tools underscore our dedication to advancing responsible mining practices globally.”
ICMM’s Human Rights Due Diligence Guidance provides companies with a set of practical tools to integrate human rights at every stage of the mining lifecycle. These three additional tools will also assist companies in aligning with the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
These updated commitments have been included by the Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) in the first draft of the consolidated standard which is currently open for public consultation.