As the UN hosts the Forum on Business and Human Rights from November 25 to 27, mining and metals advocacy group the ICMM has announced strengthened commitments to recognise the important role of human rights defenders.

The ICMM has launched three new human rights due diligence tools to support companies in respecting human rights defenders, integrating human rights across their businesses and to build awareness of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

The advocacy group’s updated commitments reaffirm its belief that every individual deserves to be treated with dignity and respect and that mining companies, regardless of location, have a responsibility to uphold human rights.

The ICMM was the first industry body to adopt the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights through the ICMM Mining Principles in 2018, and this latest announcement represents a further evolution of that commitment.

Recognising the vital role human rights defenders play in promoting and protecting human rights, the ICMM has strengthened its member commitments to include defenders explicitly in companies' due diligence, stakeholder engagement, and security processes.

“Defenders often work on issues related to land, the environment and Indigenous peoples’ rights. By enhancing its commitments and introducing additional human rights due diligence tools, the ICMM aims to mitigate risks to defenders associated with mining activities,” the group states.

“If a just energy transition is our common goal, then respect for human rights must be our shared promise,” it adds.

The new tools will help ensure that companies take concerted steps to assess and mitigate risks to human rights defenders linked to their operations and supply chains.

“Commitments, however, mean little without consistent application on the ground. The ICMM’s tools support human rights practitioners in garnering respect for rights at all times – including to protest, comment and campaign – and make space for peaceful and constructive cooperation,” the advocacy group says.

President and CEO Rohitesh Dhawan says he hopes the free-to-use tools will be adopted across the mining industry and perhaps others.

The ICMM’s Human Rights Due Diligence Guidance provides companies with a set of practical tools to integrate human rights at every stage of the mining lifecycle.

These three additional tools will also assist companies in aligning with the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

ICMM’s human rights due diligence guidance can be accessed at https://www.icmm.com/en-gb/guidance/social-performance/2024/hrdd-guidance.