Societal expectations – from investors, employees, suppliers and consumers – on the role of business in society are changing. As momentum builds towards the prioritization of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, businesses must align with international human rights norms and ensure that the voices of affected stakeholders are elevated to their leadership, including the board of directors.
The Global Future Council on Human Rights is working to connect affected stakeholders and their experiences and concerns with corporate boards of directors, to better understand how corporate boards can know who their business’s most vulnerable affected stakeholders are and how they can directly engage with them. Through a series of private dialogues with corporate non-executive directors, business leaders, affected stakeholders and civil society representatives, the council will produce guidance on new and existing mechanisms for affected stakeholder engagement and understanding at the board level, as well as direction on experience and competences necessary among board members to effectively act on this knowledge.
