“Gender equality and the right to health: A guideline for business”, June 2020

Companies have a responsibility to respect all human rights, wherever they operate. This responsibility has been made explicit by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), the most authoritative standard on business and human rights. Managing this responsibility, however, can be difficult when your company operates in complex and culturally shifting business environments and supply chains.

As an employee in a leadership position, it is important that you become aware of these risks and are able to identify, prevent, mitigate, track and communicate how risks are addressed. This guide [from the Danish Family Planning Association] will help you manage two important aspects of your responsibility: gender equality and the right to health, particularly sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). We acknowledge that companies’ impacts on gender equality virtually touch upon all human rights.

We acknowledge the challenges some companies may face in countries where the rights of sexual and gender minorities are not legally recognised. However, we encourage companies to find ways of honouring the principles of internationally recognised rights. Subsequently, in this guideline, we refer to men and women in all their diversity. The guideline provides a list of potential risks and recommendations and an example of human rights due diligence to manage this obligation…