Photo credit: Anindya Mukherjee, India
We recognize our responsibility to support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights, as defined by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
ERM is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, and we adhere to its principles relating to human rights. We are committed to the goal of respect for human rights and a world free of slavery.
ERM has participated in a number of external engagements related to modern slavery, including the Working Group on Modern Slavery facilitated by the United Kingdom’s chapter of the UN Global Compact and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) activities related to human rights. ERM was involved with the WBCSD in the development of the CEO Guide for Human Rights, and Keryn James has signed on as a supportive CEO.
In addition, because we are a commercial organization that conducts business in the United Kingdom, we comply with the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015. In September 2020, ERM released our fifth Statement on Modern Slavery. It reflects our commitment to international efforts to abolish all forms of modern slavery and sets out the measures to ensure there is no slavery and human trafficking in our business operations and supply chain.
Our Modern Slavery Statement provides an overview of the approach and tools we have in place to prevent modern slavery in our business and supply chains and describes the specific actions that we have taken in the past fiscal year. To learn more, download ERM's 2020 Statement on Modern Slavery.
As noted previously regarding our Supplier Code, we developed specific global requirements for suppliers and subcontractors as part of our supply chain process, with explicit requirements in relation to modern slavery concerns.
In addition to making this commitment within our own business, we work with our clients globally to improve their human rights practices. Our social and human rights consulting services teams identify and provide advice on labor, supply chain management, land access and indigenous rights issues.
The pandemic highlighted the importance of organizational systems for business conduct & ethics – both to raise issues and get information to the right people to address risks and communications."
Ann Chilton
Chief Compliance Officer, ERM