5 - Multi-stakeholder initiatives - How

5

Multi-stakeholder initiatives
What does this mean for your organisation?

How can MSI help organisations fulfil their individual responsibilities?

Miners emptying mine cart at Cerro Rico silver mine

An MSI aims to facilitate collaboration among stakeholders by addressing sector-specific risks. MSIs are tailored, practical and sector-specific instruments that support organisations in implementing the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the UN Global Compact and/ or the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

The core elements of the due diligence steps to address adverse human rights impacts are relevant to most MSIs, albeit tailored to the specific sectors:

Adopting a human rights policy commitment
Assessing actual and potential human rights impacts
Integrating the findings and acting to prevent or mitigate impacts
Tracking how effectively impacts are addressed
Communicating how impacts are addressed
Engaging in remedying impacts caused or contributed to by the organisation

More details on the due diligence steps can be found in Tool 8.

The MSI standards can be integrated into the following mechanisms:

Reporting

Human Rights Due Diligence and impact assessment

Operational Grievance Mechanisms

Self-assessment Compliance

What does this mean for your organsation?

Large corporations

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are often sector-specific and give tailored and practical guidance to organisations on how to respect human rights in their daily work.

When operating transnationally, multi-stakeholder initiatives are important because they give soft-law guidance beyond national laws

Small and medium-sized corporations

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are useful for small and medium-sized corporations because they are often sector-specific, tailored and practical. Multi-stakeholder initiatives can assist small and medium-sized corporations in respecting human rights in their daily work.

Most multi-stakeholder initiatives give non-binding advice or guidance. However, other multi-stakeholder initiatives, like the Kimberley Process, impose rules to their members.

non-profit corporations

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are collaborations between non-profit organisations, businesses and other stakeholders, such as governments.

Multi-stakeholder initiatives may facilitate dialogue across stakeholder groups, promote cross-sector learning, or develop standards for corporate conduct.

Multi-stakeholder initiativesgive non-profit organisations the opportunity to directly advise businesses, influence their business behaviour, and monitor their compliance at close range.

state-owned corporations

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are often sector-specific, and give tailored and practical guidance to organisations on how to respect human rights in their daily work.

When operating transnationally, multi-stakeholder initiatives are important because they give soft-law guidance beyond national laws.

public entities

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are collaborations between businesses, non-profit organisations and other stakeholders. These other stakeholders can be states, but this is not a condition for a collaboration to be a multi-stakeholder initiative.

Multi-stakeholder initiatives are often sector-specific, and give tailored and practical guidance to organisations on how to respect human rights in their daily work.