Human Rights

We do not have operations in countries that are considered to have poor human rights. We therefore focus on extending our existing risk management processes by identifying and understanding the areas where we might be exposed to human rights risks and opportunities.

Our Public Position Statement on Human Rights states our commitment to the protection of human rights within the sphere of our influence and ensuring that our own operations are a force for good. It also includes our statement of support for the principles of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the ILO Core Conventions on Labour Standards, the Global Compact and the Guidelines for Integrating Human Rights into Business Management.

We are continuing our work with the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights. This initiative is nearing the end of its second three-year phase and aims to progress the development of practical business tools to incorporate human rights into day-to-day business decision-making.

In January 2008, National Grid became a member of the UN Global Compact.