EPG members noted that it could be particularly difficult for companies to identify their salient human rights risks. Some companies may not respond well to the term “human rights” and may not know what this entails. Companies may assume this relates to a specific sub-‐set of rights, such as labor rights.
There is also a difference between larger companies with lots of resources, and smaller companies which may not have heard of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (the “Guiding Principles”).
The group discussed the idea of including a list of human rights in an annex to the
framework to help companies understand their full scope and accurately identify salient human rights risks
.
The annex could also provide illustrations of how human rights connect to business and
show how they may translate to language that is more familiar to companies.
For instance, extractive companies may understand better a reference to security and human rights than a reference to the right to life and liberties.