2006-07-13 - An ABB-initiated idea for an international forum in Sudan on business and human rights has been held, with a one-day seminar taking place in Khartoum focusing on public-private partnerships.
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The forum – jointly organized by the United Nations Development Programme and the Afhad University for Women, and co-sponsored by ABB and Shell – brought together about 40 people representing the Sudanese government, non-governmental organizations, Sudanese and international companies and UN agencies.
The outcome was a decision to set up a business-led local network of the UN Global Compact which commits signatories to a series of principles covering human rights, labor rights, the environment and corruption.
The meeting – called “Public-private partnerships: A post-conflict framework of shared opportunities and responsibilities” – was addressed by Sudanese and foreign speakers. It covered what is being done in to strengthen business and social conditions in Sudan and other parts of Africa, and the need for strong governance and observance of human rights.
There were also break-out sessions on the most effective means of creating the right business climate in the country so investment could go ahead without fear of perceived complicity in human rights abuses.
UN Global Compact network to be established
The meeting and the decision to set up a local UN Global Compact network marked a “modest but valuable step” towards progress in Sudan, according to a representative of the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR) at the Khartoum meeting.
ABB had two speakers: Anders H. Nordstrom of Group Sustainability Affairs described ABB’s Access to Electricity rural electrification program in east Africa as an example of what partnerships could bring to remote areas; Ron Popper of Group Corporate Communications said more had to be done to ensure foreign business could operate in Sudan to strengthen the country’s economic and social infrastructure without being perceived to be complicit in human rights abuses.
ABB has a low-level of mainly power technologies business in Sudan. For ABB, the forum was the latest stage in a year-long process of stakeholder engagement to ensure the company is doing what it can within its sphere of influence to improve conditions in Sudan and that it is acting as a force for economic and social progress in the country.
Widespread stakeholder dialogue
The company has been involved in a dialogue with stakeholders. This includes the government, NGOs, other companies, diplomats and UN agencies in Sudan, as well as consultations with external experts outside the country, such the Amnesty International Business Group, the BLIHR group and an international human rights lawyer, Professor Alan Miller, expert adviser to the BLIHR group
Discussions are also ongoing with concerned investors, particularly in the United States where a campaign by some state pension funds and universities is underway to divest the stock of companies with business activities in Sudan. ABB believes the outcome of the forum has demonstrated to such investors that ABB is a positive influence at this critical point in Sudan's development, and that constructive engagement, rather than divestment, is in the best interests of all.