Toolbox Human Rights

Test your Knowledge module

What is the "test your knowledge" module?

This module is composed of a set of 25 questions per organisation. They refer to key issues to be considered when conducting a self-assessment of your human rights knowledge. This module emphasises knowledge about human rights compliance and not exclusively Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In addition, the module is tailored to organisations conducting activities under Belgian jurisdiction.

The tool seeks to support stakeholders in assessing their human rights compliance. Stakeholders should choose the category that best fits them in order to access the applicable questions and answers. The main categories of stakeholders are those belonging to the for-profit sector, the non-profit sector and the state (when it plays a role in private activities).

The report of the result is not a certification of human rights compliance but a check-list that can be used to verify the level of knowledge about human rights compliance within an organisation, as well as that of its partners.

Stakeholders can choose the option that fits best with their legal nature in order to assess:

• How strong is their current knowledge of human rights compliance?

• Which regulatory framework is relevant for the human rights compliance of their activities?

• Which steps should they take to comply with their human rights obligations?

Why is this module included in this tool?

The test and the corresponding feedback is an abstract exercise that does not replace a detailed and concrete analysis of the compliance of the organisation or of its partners. The relevance of this exercise and of the feedback consists of providing an overview of the minimum requirements that any kind of organisation should consider when assessing human rights compliance inside its organisation or of one of its partners.

How is this module designed?

The questionnaire has been formulated according to best practice, that is, the questions are closed, short and not formulated negatively. The questions are organised per group of tools as follows: regulatory framework, actors, economic sectors, and mechanisms. The majority of the questions refer to the most relevant issues in each tool. Therefore, they are a baseline for risk and compliance assessment. The consolidated result will give an idea of the organisation/partner’s current level of knowledge about implementing human rights compliance mechanisms.

First step: Identify your (sub) category

Who are you?

Select one of the three categories, and if applicable, one of the subcategories indicated in the table below.

Second step: identify your questionnaire

Once you have identified your subcategory, you can answer the 25 questions organised per group of tools, as mentioned.

Each category has 5 questions. Each question has 3 possible answers: Yes, No, or I do not know. The correct answer scores one point, the “I do not know” answer scores zero, and the incorrect answer scores minus one point.

Third step: Download your result

The result reflects any gaps or weaknesses in understanding/awareness of the human rights compliance components per tool. The answers can lead to three results:

This result reflects that you do not have sufficient knowledge about the rules, legal obligations and/or guidelines to implement the main mechanisms related to human rights compliance.

This result reflects that you have an average knowledge about rules, legal obligations and/or guidelines to implement the main mechanisms related to human rights compliance.

This result reflects an above average knowledge regarding human rights compliance.

Fourth step: Interpret and use your feedback

The feedback provides the basic framework for each group of tools: regulatory framework (hard and soft law), actors (organisations and the state), economic sectors (including the multi-stakeholder initiatives) and mechanisms (group one: reporting and HRDD/HRIA, and group two: operational-level grievance mechanisms and self-assessment compliance).

The feedback seeks to guide stakeholders in identifying the main issues at stake per tool and their relevance. It also indicates the most relevant hyperlinks related to human rights compliance and their relationship with the SDGs. This relationship is established by taking into consideration the Human Rights Guide to the Sustainable Development Goals by the Danish Institute for Human Rights.