Alcan has joined the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights, whose principal purpose is to find practical ways of applying the aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights within a business context and to inspire other businesses to do likewise.
"Alcan's participation in the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights is further demonstration of its commitment to sustainability and the importance it places on the heart of its success: its people," said Dick Evans, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alcan Inc. "The company employs the highest standard of human rights in all of its more than 440 OHSAS accredited installations across the world, and through local stakeholder engagements is promoting these rights throughout the communities in which it operates," he added.
Alcan is engaged in a variety of local stakeholder initiatives aimed at helping developing countries address issues that are critical to their economic and social prosperity, including human rights, HIV/AIDS, potable water, basic sanitation.
The company's joint-venture Ningxia primary aluminum smelter in China attained ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certification in just 11 months, setting a new record for time taken for securing these certificates inside Alcan and China.
"Over the last decade, a growing number of companies have come to recognize that they are not immune from human rights issues, and indeed have an important part to play in fostering greater respect for human rights in the countries where they operate," said Mary Robinson, BLIHR's Honorary Chair and President of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. "Companies like Alcan are important to the BLIHR as they are committed to integrating concern for human rights into their operations and developing good practices for other companies to follow," she added.
The BLIHR was founded in 2003 for an initial three-year period by seven large multi-national companies to help lead and develop the corporate response to human rights. Today, BLIHR has 11 corporate members and is embarking on its second three-year phase (2006-2009). It was initiated in partnership with Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative.
