ABN AMRO pilot project promotes dialogue on possible human rights violations

The business community’s respect for human rights is of paramount importance. That’s why ABN AMRO pioneered its own human rights policy many years ago. The bank works to identify and mitigate human rights risks, and even reports on them annually. In this context, ABN AMRO applies the international guidelines and conventions, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct and the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, both of which advocate the importance of remedial action in the event of human rights abuses. The bank’s Human Rights Remedy Mechanism pilot project offers a streamlined process for reporting such abuses with a view to bringing the relevant parties together to find solutions, thereby ensuring greater respect for human rights.

Project to complement policy

ABN AMRO’s Human Rights Remedy Mechanism makes it easier for any individual who feels their human rights have been violated by one of the bank’s business clients to report the problem, with the ultimate aim of finding a solution together with the client. “The project complements all the ways in which the bank is committed to ensuring that human rights are respected,” says Emmelie Claessens, Business & Human Rights Adviser at ABN AMRO. Together with Louise Vytopil from ABN AMRO’s Corporate Banking Sustainability Expertise Team, Emmelie is closely involved in the pilot project.

Reporting via the website

So how does the Human Rights Remedy Mechanism work? “Anyone who feels that their human rights have been violated by one of the bank’s business clients can report the problem to ABN AMRO,” Louise explains. “All they have to do is fill in a form on the bank’s website. The bank and an independent facilitator review and assess all the alerts we receive against the eligibility criteria.” The facilitator oversees the process, which involves establishing a dialogue between the individual and the bank’s client in order to find a solution. “Our facilitator acts as an intermediary – who is not there to decide whether a violation has occurred,” says Louise. Emmelie adds, “Yes, the goal is to bring the parties together.”

Closer to home

How often the facilitator will take action remains to be seen. And if you thought human rights violations happen only in war-torn or faraway countries, you’d be mistaken, says Emmelie: “Unfortunately, abuses can occur closer to home, too. There are certain sectors in the Netherlands where the risk of violations is relatively high, like the recruitment sector.” ABN AMRO’s client portfolio does include a number of employment agencies of various sizes, says Louise: “These agencies help people from relatively new EU countries to find work here in the Netherlands where they can earn more than they would at home. But sometimes these people are forced to live and work in poor conditions. The right to a safe work and living environment is not always met, for example, and temporary workers are not always paid a living wage.” That’s why ABN AMRO accepts clients in this sector only if they meet certain quality requirements. Emmelie adds, “Nevertheless, if a temporary worker feels that one of our clients has violated their rights, they can turn to us and file a complaint. So can a trade union representative, for example.”

Voluntary participation

The bank is seeing a lot of interest from its business clients in ensuring that human rights are respected. The Human Rights Remedy Mechanism is helping them take steps towards achieving that ambition. Louise says the bank’s business clients are participating in the process on a voluntary basis. “It’s a way for them to address a problem before it becomes unmanageable,” she says. “Our hope is that people will come to us to find a solution before they file a lawsuit,” says Emmelie. “Finding a solution together can prevent the situation from escalating or getting worse.”

Sharing experiences

The pilot was prepared carefully, drawing on the valuable experience of civil society organisations, trade unions and companies with a similar complaints mechanism. Louise explains, “We benefited a lot from the insights of ANZ, a major bank in Australia and New Zealand, which has had a similar process in place since 2021. They shared a lot of information with us about setting up internal processes and the role of the facilitator. The experience of ANZ and a number of civil society organisations really helped us to improve our own mechanism.” ABN AMRO, for its part, will be sharing its own insights in the coming months so that other organisations in and outside the financial sector can benefit from this expertise and find inspiration to further develop the mechanism.

For more information, please email human.rights.mechanism@nl.abnamro.com.