Implementing the UN Guiding Principles in Your Supply Chain: Training Course 

How can companies embed the principles into their daily business practices? This two-day training event aims to demonstrate how companies can transform principles to practice.

Group photo from the SAI UN Guiding Principles course in Bangalore, India - Nov. 27-28.

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In June 2011, the UN adopted the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, written by UN Special Representative John Ruggie. One of the principles is for businesses to respect human rights in their companies internally and in their supply chains. But what does this mean and how do you accomplish this?

To assist with the Guiding Principles' goals, SAI and ICCO developed tools for business and started a new training course centered on their Handbook & Toolkit. In November 27-28, 2012 the course was delivered in Bangalore, India. Priyadarshini Sharma, Senior Manager, Office of the Vice President, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, who attended the course, remarked:

"Tata Steel works with the SA8000 in upholding labor and human rights principles. We seek to expand the Management Review for SA8000 to include the human rights context going beyond the workplace. Attending the course was a step in the direction of structuring approaches to develop an integrated framework for salient risks."

The training course builds understanding on:

• Content, Scope and Implications of the Guiding Principles and the Corporate Responsibility to Respect
• The critical issue of whether a company caused, contributed to or is linked to negative human rights impacts in its supply chain and as a result what action is expected of a company
• Avoiding negative impacts in the supply chain by adding a collaborative approach to supplier codes of conduct
• The human rights that need to be respected and on how to prioritize between these rights
• The business case for human rights

Additionally the course will introduce a six-step method on how to implement a supply chain management system that integrates the respect for human rights. The six steps are: 

1. Committing to a human rights policy
2. Assessing human rights impact
3. Integrating human rights in policies, procedures and responsibilities
4. Tracking human rights implementation
5. Communicating human rights impact
6. Remediating human rights impact

All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of the Handbook & Toolkit as well as a certificate of attendance.

Expected Participants: The training is applicable to companies in any industry and size. It is designed for use by senior management, as well as professionals in the human resources, corporate social responsibility, compliance and sourcing departments. In addition, the training is also intended for CSR experts and consultants who train or advise companies, as well as for NGO, trade union and government representatives to learn about the implications of the Guiding Principles on their work.

Trainers: The training in Brussels and Utrecht will be carried out by SAI Trainer Edwin Koster, and the Sao Paulo training will be carried out jointly by SAI Trainers Edwin Koster and Beat Grüninger. Mr. Koster heads Max Value, SAI's Authorized Representative office in Europe. He has broad experience in sustainable supply chain management and is the co-author of the Handbook and Toolkit used in the Training. Mr Grüninger is a partner of BSD Group and Director of BSD Brazil, SAI's Authorized Representative office in São Paulo. He has been acting for several years as a consultant for Fair Trade USA and is currently a local manager leading a Fair Trade USA/USAID Responsible Sourcing Project in Brazil.

2013 Training Schedule for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles 2-day Course

2012 Training Schedule for Implementing the UN Guiding Principles 2-day Course

For inquiries, please email SAI Training Coordinator Stephanie Wilson - SWilson@sa-intl.org.