Chevron's respect for human rights is clear and unwavering. It is rooted in our values and applies wherever we do business.
We believe that although governments have the primary duty to protect and ensure fulfillment of human rights, we have a responsibility to respect human rights and can play a positive role in the communities where we operate. As stated in The Chevron Way, our company's values stress, "We respect the law, support universal human rights, protect the environment and benefit the communities where we work.To further clarify our commitment in this area, we adopted a Human Rights Policy in 2009. Chevron's Human Rights Policy fosters greater awareness of human rights issues throughout the company and enhances our capabilities to identify and manage human rights issues in four areas relevant to our business: employees, security providers, communities and suppliers.
Our policy is consistent with the United Nations' Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The Guiding Principles were developed through extensive consultation with active stakeholders, such as Chevron, and endorsed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2011.
We implemented our Human Rights Policy by developing and disseminating new tools to Chevron practitioners, including guidance on conducting risk assessments, engaging with business suppliers and security providers, and managing community and human rights issues in our operations.
In addition, Chevron is a leader in advancing external initiatives that aim to strengthen human rights protections, including through industry groups such as IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues. IPIECA's Social Responsibility Working Group helps develop best practices and disseminate learning materials to industry practitioners on key issues where human rights impacts can occur, including supply chain, security, local content and indigenous peoples. Chevron also is a member of the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights, which seeks to advance corporate respect for human rights around the world.
Security Providers
As a founding member of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, Chevron has long demonstrated its commitment to security and human rights issues. The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights is a multistakeholder initiative with government, civil society and company participants. It promotes implementation of a set of principles that guide oil, gas and mining companies on how to provide security for their operations in a manner that respects human rights.
Chevron also helped develop an IPIECA Responsible Security Operations Task Force. The task force is working to elevate the industry's performance on security and human rights issues through information sharing, training and peer learning.
Indigenous Peoples
Chevron is committed to interacting with indigenous communities in a way that respects their history, culture and customs. Chevron carries out this commitment by following our Human Rights Policy, which sets the expectation for the company to consult with indigenous communities and understand their perspectives on Chevron projects and ongoing operations. Chevron's approach to indigenous engagement is consistent with relevant external guidelines, including the World Bank's Operational Policy and Bank Procedure on Indigenous Peoples. On-the-ground practitioners also benefit from active information sharing among a network of experienced Chevron employees.
Land Use and Resettlement
We respect property rights wherever we operate. Chevron's Human Rights Policy expects that the company will avoid relocation or resettlement whenever possible. When resettlement is unavoidable, we strive to work collaboratively and transparently with local communities, including indigenous peoples, to foster ongoing support for our activities. Our policies and procedures are consistent with relevant external guidelines, including the International Finance Corporation's Performance Standards on Environmental and Social Sustainability. Chevron also benefits from an internal "community of practice" network of experienced social performance practitioners. For example, Chevron convenes workshops for company practitioners who are involved in managing land issues related to resettlement. In the workshops, Chevron practitioners discuss how the company's expectations on human rights extend to resettlement issues, discuss relevant international standards and share lessons learned from their practical experiences.
Suppliers
We encourage our suppliers to treat their employees and to interact with communities in ways that respect human rights and are consistent with the spirit of our Human Rights Policy. We require that our key suppliers adhere to all domestic laws and encourage them to align their practices with the International Labour Organization's core principles. These principles include the freedom of association, the right to collective bargaining, the elimination of forced and compulsory labor, the abolition of child labor, and the elimination of discrimination in the workplace. We also use regular meetings with our key suppliers to reinforce our human rights principles and to raise our suppliers' awareness of potential human rights issues.