Human Rights Benchmark
Taking stock of human rights
The objective of our human rights benchmark is:
- To provide a quantitative framework for the assessment of company human rights exposures and risk management proficiency
- To understand sector human rights risk exposures and to assess strengths and areas for improvement in risk management proficiencies
- To provide insight to business, investors, international and non-governmental organisations that is constructive about the human rights responsibilities of business
Benchmarking for asset managers
The Human Rights Benchmark (HRB) measures human rights risk exposure and management for companies across different sectors worldwide. It provides vital intelligence for shareholders and stakeholders who want to engage and promote positive action on human rights responsibilities from companies in their investment portfolios.
Interactive tools and calculators
"The tool enables any company to be quickly compared to the average performance of others in the same sector, a reference portfolio, or any other grouping" said Dr Kevin Franklin, Director of Research Strategy at Maplecroft.
Aligned with the UN Global Compact
The HRB uses 125 criteria to evaluate the development, communication and implementation of policies and procedures to manage human rights risks and responsibilities.
The methodology employs a "management systems" approach similar to the ISO 14001 and SA 8000 standards and is aligned with the Ten Principles and four areas of the UN Global Compact. It also reflects the "Protect, Respect and Remedy" framework proposed by John Ruggie, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.
Growth economies and risk
Maplecroft measures company exposure to human rights risk by comparing global operational footprints against its proprietary human rights risk indices for 197 countries and 31 violation categories.
Professor Alyson Warhurst, CEO of Maplecroft states: "The growth economies for business are both mineral rich and high risk for human security, labour standards, civil and political rights and corruption. For companies to flourish in this global risk landscape, they need to assess risk exposure, put in place relevant management strategies and monitor responsibilities moving forward; acting fast to mitigate new risks as they emerge".