Understanding and managing actual and potential human rights risks is an increasingly important component of project development and operation. SRK has developed a Human Rights Assessment (HRA) tool (process shown in the figure below) to support multidisciplinary collaboration and support identification of who may be at risk, and how, where, and when impacts may occur. Drawing on practical examples, the article highlights how the HRA tool has supported informed project or operational decision making.
Prioritising Risks and Informing Resource Allocation: The HRA conducted for GoviEx Uranium’s Muntanga Project in Zambia identified risks that needed to be elevated in priority, with additional risk controls being incorporated into the feasibility study design.
Alignment with International Standards: An HRA approach was applied to assess human rights risks at Norsk Hydro’s legacy tailings facilities in Germany, helping to ensure compliance with Requirement 1.1 of the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management.
Improve Business Confidence: Investors increasingly consider environmental and social performance when making decisions, with growing emphasis on evidence that human rights are being addressed in projects. Organizations that prioritize human rights and address reputational risk may be better positioned to meet the expectations of customers, investors, and prospective employees.
Linking Environment, Health and Safety, and Human Rights Functions: The outputs of the HRA can be integrated into existing management systems and business functions. For example, with support from SRK, one project incorporated human rights considerations into internal air quality and noise technical standards.
With increasing legislation, voluntary performance standards, and disclosure requirements linked to rising expectations from investors and society, understanding human rights impacts at all stages of a mine’s life cycle is increasingly critical. Recognising how mining activities may affect human rights—and embedding mitigation measures into business practices and decision-making—is the hallmark of a responsible company. The HRA approach provides a structured framework to support these efforts.
The results can be embedded into existing risk management systems and used to demonstrate outcomes to interested stakeholders. As access to capital tightens and investor scrutiny increases, companies that integrate human rights with environmental, health and safety, and corporate social responsibility functions may be better positioned to strengthen their social licence to operate.
