Businesses are to draw up guidelines on how best to deal with human rights and security dilemmas in Colombia.
Tipiel (construction), Interconexion Electrica (telecoms and energy)
and Isagen (energy) are among national companies piloting a draft of
the guidelines, along with Coca-Cola and Nestlé. Fundacion Ideas para
la Paz, a non-governmental organization, is co-ordinating the work.
The initiative follows meetings held last year in Bogota, London and
Washington DC under the auspices of the International Business Leaders
Forum and the UN Global Compact, at which 200 Colombian business, civil
society and government leaders sought to reach a consensus on how
business can contribute to peace efforts in the country.
The IBLF says the meetings, sponsored by Coca-Cola, produced agreement
‘that business does have a key role in the peace-building process in
Colombia’, but that ‘much work needs to be done to overcome the
historic levels of mistrust that at present hinder the contributions
that companies could make’. It hopes the guidelines, to be based on the
international Voluntary Principles for Security and Human Rights
already used by a number of companies, will build trust.
An IBLF summary of the three meetings says many companies are now
changing their outlook. Among examples are the food and drinks business
Compania de Galletas Noel, which employs and trains former combatants
for transport and logistics roles, and the supermarket chain La 14,
which buys products from one of Colombia’s peace and development
agencies.
The report says Colombian companies can reduce conflict through:
risk assessments to ensure that they have not acquired property that has been illegally gained through conflict setting up business in isolated areas where a lack of work encourages locals to engage in illegal activitiesfavouring community initiatives over philanthropyensuring business partners have policies on human rights support for civil society groups.
Colombia has an estimated 1.8 million internally displaced persons as a result of conflict, one of the highest in the world.
