Human rights results
During 2005 Rio Tinto continued to participate in a number of multilateral human rights related programmes including the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (“the Voluntary Principles”), the activities of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) and the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Human Rights and Business.
Rio Tinto welcomed a decision by the UNCHR to compile a report, after consultation with all relevant stakeholders, to “identify options for strengthening standards on the responsibilities of transnational corporations and related business enterprises with regards to human rights and possible means of implementation”. Rio Tinto has been an advocate of positive engagement in such studies and is now engaged with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative and with the International Council on Mining and Metals on this issue.
Compliance with Rio Tinto’s Human Rights Guidance by managers and staff is mandatory. Performance is monitored and acted upon in standing internal control procedures. For example, the annual Internal Control Questionnaire for 2005 asks each business in the Group whether it has adopted a local code that includes those principles, including human rights, contained in The way we work, whether it has communicated the human rights guidance to all employees, and whether it has informed associated companies, joint venture partners, contractors and suppliers accordingly. There are further questions about the way business units conduct their security operations which seek to expose any hidden problems.
Businesses are also required to confirm that they have implemented the confidential whistle blowing programme Speak-OUT, which provides an avenue for complaints regarding allegations of abuse of human rights by security personnel. It is also intended to pick up any incidents that might have escaped the Internal Control Questionnaire.
As part of the Group’s compliance programme, web based training procedures have been introduced covering specific areas of law or regulation and a number of Rio Tinto’s key policies, including The way we work. In 2005 human rights guidance training was implemented through a web based programme. All Group employees are required to be trained on the former and general managers and above are required to be trained on the latter. General managers are also encouraged to train staff on the basic precepts of the Human Rights Guidance, including guidelines and restrictions on the use of force.
Additionally, assurance is provided that human rights policies are applied across the Group on an annual basis through a process which requires business unit managing directors to provide information on policy implementation and compliance.
There were no reported breaches of Rio Tinto’s human rights policy during 2005.
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