Why HRIAs matter
In recent years, Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIAs) have become an essential part of human rights due diligence. In theory, an HRIA should support companies to assess and address adverse impacts, and do so through meaningful stakeholder engagement and context-specific analysis.
At Enact, we have supported numerous companies across sectors and geographies to uncover how their operations and supply chains affect people’s lives, often in ways that were previously invisible. Although we have seen the practice of HRIAs mature in the past couple of years, we also see a recurring challenge: moving from assessment to impact.
From report to real change
Too often, HRIAs are treated as if they end once the report is delivered. In reality, the report should mark the beginning of the process – one which helps a company build long-term capacity to respect human rights. Real impact happens when the findings are translated into action, and recommendations are followed up in practice.
This stage can be challenging, as effective mitigation requires ownership, coordination, and a clear sense of accountability across the organisation. This is true not only within the sustainability team, but also in procurement, management, and operations.
What makes an HRIA effective
At Enact, we believe impactful HRIAs are those that have been embedded in the business reality of the company from the start, and owned by the people who can drive change. For example, when the approach to an HRIA is co-developed with the procurement team, when ambition levels for change are defined at the start, and when accountability structures are clearly set up, the process becomes more practical and more transformative.
Meaningful engagement with key stakeholders, including affected groups and suppliers, is equally important. Taking the time to listen to these voices helps uncover risks and perspectives that may not surface otherwise. Involving suppliers throughout the process also helps build joint ownership of the findings and of the follow-up actions. In the best cases, an HRIA can mark the beginning of working collaboratively to address root causes of impacts. Where trust and shared responsibility are built, the HRIA becomes an ongoing dialogue about how to do business better, rather than a one-off assessment.
Part of a continuous process
At Enact, we treat HRIAs not as stand-alone projects but as part of your company’s due diligence and wider supply chain risk management, which is a continuous process that evolves over time. Critical reflection and the tracking of mitigation efforts can help organisations understand what works – and perhaps even more importantly, what does not work – when it comes to addressing human rights in complex supply chains.
If you would like to discuss how to strengthen the impact of your HRIA work, we would be pleased to continue the conversation.
(Photo by Seb/Pixabay)