A collation of United Nations organizations joining with
international labor leaders and members of the shipping community launched a
new due diligence tool for global brands to use to ensure that they are
protecting the human rights of seafarers across their supply chains. The Human
Rights Due Diligence Tool for cargo owners and charterers seeks to expand on
industry-led initiatives such as the Neptune Declaration, which attached over
800 global companies committing to direct businesses and specific cargo shipments
to carriers that are proactively taking steps to protect their seafarers.
The wide-ranging human rights checklist was issued to
businesses engaged with the maritime industry as part of a joint initiative by
the UN Global Compact, the UN Human Rights Office, the International Labour
Organization (ILO), and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). The tool
is also supported by the Sustainable Shipping Initiative, the World Economic
Forum, the Global Maritime Forum, the Ethical Trading Initiative, and The
Consumer Goods Forum. It is anticipated that many of the global brands that are
members of the Consumer Goods Forum, including Coca-Cola and Nestle, will adopt
the tool, along with the companies such as Unilever that were earlier adopters
of the Neptune Declaration.
"The Consumer Goods Forum welcomes this new tool to
urgently support the safety, health, and wellbeing of those working at sea. As
our Board of Directors wrote to the UN Secretary-General last fall, not only
has the Covid-19 crisis disrupted the maritime industry's contribution to
global supply chains, but it has also inadvertently created a modern form of
forced labor. This is an unacceptable situation, and we support the call for
all actors across sectors to work collaboratively and quickly to resolve
it," said Wai-Chan Chan, Managing Director of The Consumer Goods Forum.
While the impetuous for the effort was an outgrowth of the
pandemic and the thousands of crewmembers that were stranded or denied access
to work over the past year, the UN agencies hope the new guidance will help
ensure that the working conditions and human rights of seafarers are respected
and comply with international standards. The new guidance aims to ensure that
seafarers have their rights safeguarded in areas such as physical and mental
health, access to family life, and freedom of movement.
“The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the
fragility of global supply chains as seafarers continue to endure tremendous,
and yet largely invisible, hardship and suffering,” said Sanda Ojiambo,
Executive Director and CEO of the UN Global Compact, a UN initiative focused on
encouraging businesses and firms worldwide to adopt sustainable and socially
responsible policies. “The mental and physical wellbeing of seafarers must be a
priority and this tool is an important step in building awareness of how to
address human rights abuses in the maritime sector. It sends a powerful message
of the importance of incorporating maritime workers in due diligence mapping to
ensure that adverse human rights impacts are identified, prevented, mitigated,
and addressed.”
The voluntary program supplies the companies contracting for
the transportation of cargoes the questions and considerations to be explored
before engaging services. It highlights the common human rights issues for
seafarers and encourages companies to engage in a dialogue with the charterer
or operator before hiring transportation services.
The UN organizations highlighted the continuing concern that
seafarers are being forced to work beyond their contracts or the maximum
11-month period established in the Maritime Labor Convention. Currently, they
believe that 200,000 crew remain at sea beyond their contracts and said they
fear the number could return to the peak levels of 400,000 seafarers at the
height of the crew change crisis in September 2020. The UN agencies also
expressed strong concern at reports that companies engaged in international
trade are avoiding chartering vessels where a crew change is due, with some
demanding “no crew change” clauses in charter party agreements.
“The recent Suez Canal incident has reminded governments and
the markets just how important global shipping is to the supply chains,” said
Guy Platten, International Chamber of Shipping Secretary General, and one of
the organizations that contributed to the development of this new program.
“Seafarers are continuing to work to maintain global trade through exceptional
circumstances, and the Suez incident has only exacerbated the already dire crew
change crisis. Seafarers must not be forgotten now the canal is open again, and
we call on businesses to urgently adopt these important recommendations.”
The International Transport Workers’ Federation, the
International Chamber of Shipping, the Institute for Human Rights and Business,
the Rafto Foundation for Human Rights, and the OECD actively contributed to the
development of the tool.
The UN Global Compact has made the tool available online and
is distributing it to the more than 8,000 businesses that are involved with the
organization. It is also anticipated that other organizations, including The
Consumer Goods Forum, will be distributing it to their members along with a
message of support for the use of the tool.