"How can human rights impact assessments contribute to responsible business conduct?" 30 April 2020

[C]urrent HRIA practice is characterised by vast divergences in approaches, standards applied, and ultimately the effectiveness of assessments... One central challenge relates to participation. A good practice HRIA should seek the active participation of rights-holders affected by business activities in shaping the objectives, processes, and outcomes of the assessment. However, frequent shortcomings have been noted in practice due to limited time and budget allocated for the assessment, inadequate skills of the assessment team, or difficulties in reaching the relevant rights-holders. In this respect, clear opportunities exist for company-commissioned HRIAs to learn from community-based approaches.

... A second challenge concerns accountability... [L]egislative and regulatory developments such as emerging mandatory human rights due diligence, modern slavery, or non-financial reporting regulations are driving expectations regarding the conduct of duty-bearers which could be utilised to cohere standards for HRIA practice, as well as strengthening enforceability. A third challenge is that to be meaningful and effective HRIA must be responsive and adaptable to different industry contexts.