Respecting and Engaging Human Rights Defenders: Practical actions for agribusiness

Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) are essential actors in identifying and raising concerns about human rights abuses, and they can be valuable partners for companies committed to reducing risks in their operations and supply chains. This new briefing outlines practical steps agribusinesses can take to ensure HRDs’ rights are respected and protected.

It highlights the importance of making clear commitments to respect HRDs, integrating their rights into Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) processes, and ensuring that safe, accessible and effective grievance mechanisms are in place. Because HRDs and their representative organisations hold vital contextual knowledge, they should be consulted as key informants when companies design or strengthen their HRDD systems. Their insights are also crucial when companies determine actions to address grievances, while recognising that engagement must always be careful and considerate, given the often-precarious environments in which many HRDs operate.

The briefing also examines how companies, particularly downstream buyers, can collaborate to minimise duplication of effort and coordinate more effective responses to human rights risks.