Making Rights-Respecting Business Decisions in a COVID-19 World

This resource aims to provide companies with a set of practical and immediately applicable approaches to better understand rising human rights risks related to the pandemic and how to make rights-respecting business decisions in response.

Everywhere, human rights are at risk from the impacts of COVID-19. People around the world fear for their life and health, livelihoods, civil liberties and privacy, to name just a few issues. At the same time, many businesses are facing existential threats, as they seek to survive or adapt to a new and unprecedented reality. As they make painful decisions, companies need to bring precision thinking to how their choices will impact the lives of people that work for, depend on, or are otherwise connected to their business.

This resource offers focuses on five approaches that companies can put in practice to ensure that they are making rights-respecting decisions:

Apply the lens of vulnerability to prioritize action
Involve relevant stakeholders in critical decision-making processes
Use leverage with governments on policy responses
Communicate your actions clearly
Have honest decisions about risks that are baked into the business model

The last page on this resource is an annex that can help companies get started on identifying the increased or new human rights risks that arise as a consequence of the pandemic.

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