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and show that they respect human rights in practice. Showing involves
communication, providing a measure of transparency and accountability
to individuals or groups who may be impacted and to other relevant
stakeholders, including investors.
Communication can take a variety of forms, including in-person meetings,
online dialogues, consultation with affected stakeholders, and formal
public reports. Formal reporting is itself evolving, from traditional annual
reports and corporate responsibility/sustainability reports, to include online
updates and integrated financial and non-financial reports.
Formal reporting by enterprises is expected where risks of severe human
rights impacts exist, whether this is due to the nature of the business
operations or operating contexts. The reporting should cover topics and
indicators concerning how enterprises identify and address adverse impacts
on human rights. Independent verification of human rights reporting can
strengthen its content and credibility. Sector-specific indicators can provide
helpful additional detail.
Remediation
22.
Where business enterprises identify that they have caused or
contributed to adverse impacts, they should provide for or cooperate in
their remediation through legitimate processes.
Commentary
Even with the best policies and practices, a business enterprise may cause
or contribute to an adverse human rights impact that it has not foreseen or
been able to prevent.
Where a business enterprise identifies such a situation, whether through
its human rights due diligence process or other means, its responsibility to
respect human rights requires active engagement in remediation, by itself or
in cooperation with other actors. Operational-level grievance mechanisms
for those potentially impacted by the business enterprise’s activities can be
one effective means of enabling remediation when they meet certain core
criteria, as set out in Principle 31.
Where adverse impacts have occurred that the business enterprise has not
caused or contributed to, but which are directly linked to its operations,
Select target paragraph3
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