In collaboration with the human rights organisation Shift, accountancy firm Mazars are to launch a project developing standards for audit companies in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The standards will cover companies’ responsibility to respect human rights. The UN Guiding Principles are:

• The state duty to protect against human rights abuses by third parties, including business, through appropriate policies, regulation and adjudication.
• The corporate responsibility to respect human rights, meaning to act with due diligence to avoid infringing on the rights of others and address adverse impacts with which they are involved.
• The need for greater access by victims to effective remedy, both judicial and non-judicial.

The project will work in close liaison with the Human Rights Resource Centre for ASEAN. The aim is to provide an effective tool for companies for knowing and showing how well they have advanced towards achieving  socially sustainable operations.
The project will also include the provision of training for companies and stakeholder groups, and support for the development of effective grievance mechanisms in the field of business and human rights.  Find out more on the Mazars website or learn more about working in audit.