Guatemala, 3 March 2020: CentraRSE held its 2nd Forum for CEOs and Presidents, highlighting the importance of corporate respect for human rights in the sustainability agenda and emphasizing the role of business leadership in ensuring human rights become an integral part of doing business.
During the Forum, Davide Fiedler, WBCSD’s Manager for Social Impact, presented the organization’s CEO Guide to Human Rights and its Call to Action for Business Leadership on Human Rights. He also moderated a panel discussion with Patricia Spat, Managing Director and CFO at Bayer for Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua (North Cluster) and Karty Motta, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala (EEGSA).
Ahead of the Forum, WBCSD participated in a meeting with the Board of Directors of AGEXPORT, the Guatemalan Association of Exporters, which is developing a human rights policy and due diligence process. As Guatemala relies on exporting bananas, coffee, sugar, palm oil but also clothing and oil, AGEXPORT aims at ensuring that Guatemalan products align with the highest human rights standards and the expectations of consumers and stakeholders worldwide.
Following the Forum, CentraRSE and WBCSD hosted a joint workshop titled “Business and Human Rights: From Commitment to Action” for representatives of companies and business associations. The participants explored trends and developments shaping the growing expectations towards business in this space and learned about the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Participants also had the opportunity to share their own experiences and learn from one another.
CAMAGRO - the Guatemalan Chamber of Agribusiness – and EEGSA shared their experience in developing a human rights policy and promoting it among member companies in the case of CAMAGRO, and employees, suppliers and business partners in the case of EEGSA.
Over the past years, CentraRSE has taken a leading role in advancing business and human rights in Guatemala by assisting companies and business associations in developing their human rights policies and due diligence in line with the UNGPs, assessing and identifying their human rights and social impact priorities and promoting best practices among its members.
CentraRSE is a partner of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Global Network, an alliance of more than 60 CEO-led business organizations worldwide. The Network, encompassing some 5,000 companies, is united by a shared commitment to provide business leadership for sustainable development in their respective countries and regions.
