The United Nations Human Rights Office has developed five Standards of Conduct to support the business community in tackling discrimination against lesbian, gay, bi, trans, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ+) people.
The Standards, produced in collaboration with the Institute for Human Rights and Business, build on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and reflect the input of hundreds of companies across diverse sectors.
What Do the Standards Say?
At All Times:
1 RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS.
Businesses should develop policies, exercise due diligence, and remediate adverse impacts to ensure they respect human rights of LGBTIQ+ people. Businesses should also establish mechanisms to monitor and communicate about their compliance with human rights standards.
In the Workplace:
2 ELIMINATE DISCRIMINATION.
Businesses should ensure that there is no discrimination in their recruitment, employment, working conditions, benefits, respect for privacy, or treatment of harassment.
3 PROVIDE SUPPORT.
Businesses should provide a positive, affirmative environment so that LGBTIQ+ employees can work with dignity and without stigma.
In the Marketplace:
4 PREVENT OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS.
Businesses should not discriminate against LGBTIQ+ suppliers, distributors or customers, and should use their leverage to prevent discrimination and related abuses by their business partners.
In the Community:
5 ACT IN THE PUBLIC SPHERE.
Businesses are encouraged to contribute to stopping human rights abuses in the countries in which they operate. In doing so, they should consult with local communities to identify steps they might take — including public advocacy, collective action, social dialogue, support for LGBTIQ+ organizations, and challenging abusive government actions.