Publication of the energy sector’s risk profile

The preceding months had been characterised by intensive negotiations between the various stakeholders – companies, trade associations, trade unions, civil society organisations and the German Institute for Human Rights.

The result is a publication that identifies potential human rights risks across six selected sectors of the industry and, according to Christiane Hellar, deputy director of the Hamburger Stiftung für Wirtschaftsethik, lays a crucial foundation for further cooperation within the Industrial Dialogues. “As in other sectors, serious human rights violations often occur further down the supply chain,” she said. “This makes it all the more important that the analysis is followed by concrete measures aimed at both prevention and redress.”

Christiane Hellar sees particular added value in the collaboration between the various stakeholders. A holistic approach, involving both medium- and long-term measures, requires not only this collaboration but, above all, the commitment of every single participant and, consequently, the allocation of resources. The effectiveness of the measures is directly linked to the involvement of local stakeholders.

The working groups of the Industrial Dialogues will now focus on the topics of raw material procurement and the construction and operation of major infrastructure projects when developing measures. Which further priorities will be developed is the subject of the negotiations due to take place in the second half of the year, which are likely to be just as exciting as the development of the risk profile.