Our strategy and targets
We respect human rights as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and aim to provide assurance to internal and external stakeholders that we are meeting our commitments to human rights.
We participate in selected human rights initiatives so that we can contribute to the evolution of this important area. Our approach to managing human rights responds to our human rights exposure and risk profile in the countries where we operate.
Our policy framework
Our Human Rights Policy takes into account external expectations regarding the behaviour and management systems of companies. It is informed in particular by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
This policy commits us to:
- Ensure that our standards meet the requirements of our Human Rights Policy, with specific focus on human resources, ethical conduct, contracts and procurement, security, environment and social performance
- Assess risk appropriately and ensure that public and private security providers working for and on behalf of BG Group respect human rights and our commitments to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights
- Assess human rights risk in our supply chain and work with contractors and suppliers to manage these risks
- Work with industry peers to improve human rights practices and learn from each others’ experiences
- Publicly report on our human rights objectives and performance.
Managing human rights risk
We have a risk-based approach to human rights, assessing the risk in the countries where we work rather than adopting a standard approach. This allows us to put in place measures that are proportionate to the risk.
Guidance on how to assess and manage human rights risk is embedded in a range of our Group standards: Human Resources, Contracts and Procurement, Security, Ethical Conduct, Environment, and Social Performance.
In exceptional cases, where we believe human rights risks cannot be managed through these functions, we may conduct a stand-alone human rights impact assessment (HRIA). The table below shows how human rights issues are identified and managed by a range of functions:
| Responsibility | Issues | Internal Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Human Resources | Forced labour Child labour Non-discrimination Freedom of association and collective bargaining Employment terms (wages, benefits, termination) Workplace conditions (hours of work, harassment & abuse, occupational health & safety, other working conditions) | HR Policy Contractor Personnel Standard
Employee Support Standard |
| Contracts and Procurement (C&P) | Human rights in the supply chain | Category Planning, Sourcing and Post-Award Contract Management
Core contracts |
| Security | Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR) | Security Standard Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights – Guidelines |
| Social Performance (SP) | Indigenous rights Land acquisition and resettlement Impacts on communities Consultation and disclosure obligations | Social Performance Policy Social Performance Standard Social Performance Guidelines Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights – Guidelines |
| Ethical Conduct | Ethical conduct (including anti-corruption) | Ethical Conduct Policy and Standards Speak Up (Duty to Report) Policy |
| Environment | Standard of living (protection from pollution) Impacts on natural resources upon which people depend | Environment Standard Social Performance Standard Health, Safety, Security and Environment Policy Social Performance Policy |
Key human rights risks we monitor include:
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Child, forced or compulsory labour
Child, forced or compulsory labour has been identified as a low-risk issue in BG Group’s direct workforce. We are signatories to the UN Global Compact, principle 5 of which relates to the effective abolition of child labour. We have a Human Rights Policy that requires the assessment of human rights risk in our supply chain and the requirement to work with contractors and suppliers in risk management. There remains, however, a potential for risk within the supply chain, specifically in pipeline excavation and laying, which involves a large number of temporary and transient workers.
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Contractor or supply chain risk
Our Contracts and Procurement Standard, which covers how we source, award, supervise and monitor contracts – including vetting of contractor companies – sets out our approach to identifying and mitigating human rights risk and other HSSE and ethical risks. All suppliers are reviewed regularly, typically on a quarterly basis, to monitor ethical conduct and human rights risks. Any supplier ‘red flagged’ through this review process may not be used further unless the relevant contracts and procurement manager or local compliance officer have reviewed the risk, performed any necessary ethical conduct and human rights assessment and, where required, put in place appropriate mitigation measures.
Our contractors and consultants are required to act consistently with our Human Rights Policy when working with or for us, including in all joint-venture operations where BG Group is the operator. When participating in joint-venture companies not under BG Group control we encourage the adoption of a similar policy requirement. For confidentiality reasons, we do not report the results of human rights screening of contractors.
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Human Rights and investment
Our Business Principles state that our investment criteria take account of economic returns, environmental impacts, social consequences and human rights. We include wording on human rights in all joint venture agreements.
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Human rights and freedom of association
We recognise the right of our employees to join unions or other collective organisations and are committed to working effectively with such bodies when required. Our HR Policy and Employee Support Standard promote an environment where employees are able to conduct business without discrimination or harassment of any kind. They include commitments to the protection of employee rights and human rights. Approximately 11% of BG Group employees are members of a union. We are not aware of any incidents across our business in which there has been a violation of the right to exercise freedom of association and collective bargaining.
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Security human rights risk
We are a signatory to the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (VPSHR) which guide companies in maintaining the safety and security of their operations within an operating framework that ensures respect for human rights. Since they were set up in 2000, the Voluntary Principles have become widely recognised as marking out elements of best practice in security and human rights issues management.
We are committed to embedding the VPSHR and our social performance and security standards set out the requirement to assess countries for risk of human rights abuse by public or private security providers.
In countries where we believe there is such a risk, our businesses must go beyond a traditional security assessment and complete a VPSHR risk assessment. To do this, they use our VPSHR guideline, which provides a detailed framework for conducting the assessment. They must also create management plans to show how they will mitigate the risks. These assessments are undertaken where relevant and are determined on the basis of the nature of operations, local security issues, and the broader political and economic context. Our Social Performance and Security teams are jointly responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Voluntary Principles.
Read more about human rights in our Sustainability Report
Read more about how we manage our people
Data and assurance
We conduct due diligence on our safeguarding of human rights, which includes twice-yearly meetings with relevant functions to track their compliance with our Human Rights Policy and to identify any human rights risks relating to their function. All the relevant functions must also report on human rights, including reporting any incidents.
External collaboration and partnerships
We have a three-year relationship with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, initiated in 2012. IHRB is a non-governmental organisation that operates as a global centre of excellence on business and international human rights standards.