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(ii)
Internal decision-making, budget allocations and oversight
processes enable effective responses to such impacts.
(b) Appropriate action will vary according to:
(i) Whether the business enterprise causes or contributes to an
adverse impact, or whether it is involved solely because the
impact is directly linked to its operations, products or services
by a business relationship;
(ii) The extent of its leverage in addressing the adverse impact.
Commentary
The horizontal integration across the business enterprise of specific findings
from assessing human rights impacts can only be effective if its human
rights policy commitment has been embedded into all relevant business
functions. This is required to ensure that the assessment findings are properly
understood, given due weight, and acted upon.
In assessing human rights impacts, business enterprises will have looked
for both actual and potential adverse impacts. Potential impacts should be
prevented or mitigated through the horizontal integration of findings across
the business enterprise, while actual impacts—those that have already
occurred – should be a subject for remediation (Principle 22).
Where a business enterprise causes or may cause an adverse human rights
impact, it should take the necessary steps to cease or prevent the impact.
Where a business enterprise contributes or may contribute to an adverse
human rights impact, it should take the necessary steps to cease or prevent
its contribution and use its leverage to mitigate any remaining impact to
the greatest extent possible. Leverage is considered to exist where the
enterprise has the ability to effect change in the wrongful practices of an
entity that causes a harm.
Where a business enterprise has not contributed to an adverse human
rights impact, but that impact is nevertheless directly linked to its
operations, products or services by its business relationship with another
entity, the situation is more complex. Among the factors that will enter
into the determination of the appropriate action in such situations are the
Select target paragraph3
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