Towards the China-specific HRCA Quick Check - The Tool for Human Rights and Business in China. By Mads Holst Jensen, Adviser, Ph.D., Human Rights & Business Project, Danish Institute for Human Rights

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Promoting human rights and business in China

The CSR wave hit China by the mid 1990s. Initially, CSR was conceived of almost entirely as demands placed on Chinese companies by Western business associates. This conception has certainly survived to the present day, but in recent years we have seen a rapid increase in CSR projects based on multi-stakeholder engagement and partnerships that aim at step-by-step progress to pave the way from Chinese realities to CSR ideals. Increasing Chinese ownership for CSR is the basic thrust of this process and it yields promising results. However, the essence of CSR should remain intact throughout the process and therefore we need a common language to guide it.

The human rights framework provides such a language. The first and second principles of the UN Global Compact manifestly establish the key role of human rights for business. Human rights laws have proved their practical and theoretical worth and combining reliability and flexibility human rights laws offer an adequate framework for a common language for standards that stay the same in essence despite fluctuations in business practices and contexts.

HRCA Quick Check by the Human Rights & Business Project of the Danish Institute for Human
Rights concerns the most essential human rights issues, particularly relevant to companies,
divided into the three core areas of Employment Practices, Community Impact; and Supply
Chain Management. The HRCA Quick Check was launched at the UN Global Compact Summit in
Shanghai. A Chinese translation of the tool is available for download at the website of Human
Rights and Business Project, Danish Institute for Human Rights:
http://www.humanrightsbusiness.org/020_project_publications.htm

Development of the China-specific HRCA Quick Check in outline:

Step 1, January-April: Framing the China-specific HR&B issues
Objective: To identify HR&B issues most relevant and challenging in the Chinese context
Key activities: Identification and description of the issues through desk research and
consultation with Danish companies and international experts. Drafting of adequate
assessment procedures through questions and indicators in the framework of the
HRCA Quick Check.

Step 2, April-May: Consultation on the draft China-specific HRCA Quick Check
Objective: To consult Danish companies and international experts on the content, adequacy and
usability of the draft China-specific HRCA Quick Check.
Key activities: Consultation in the form of meetings and possibly a workshop.

Step 3, May-July: Testing the draft China-specific HRCA Quick Check
Objective: To test the reliability and efficiency of the draft China-specific HRCA Quick Check in
practice in the Chinese context
Key activities: Danish companies conducting road tests of the draft China-specific HRCA
Quick Check in their operations and by their associates and suppliers in China.

Step 4, July-August: Final evaluation and proofing of the draft China-specific HRCA
Quick Check
Objective: To proof the final draft of the China-specific HRCA Quick ready for printing.
Key activities: The final draft will be proofed on the basis of the findings form the road tests
as well as concluding inputs by Danish companies and international experts.

Step 5, August-October: Production and launch of the China-specific HRCA Quick
Check
Objective: To produce and launch the China-specific HRCA Quick in English and Chinese.
Key activities: Editing, translating, layouting and producing the China-specific HRCA Quick in
hard-copy and electronic formats. Organising launch events in Denmark and China.

For more information, please contact

Mads Holst Jensen
Adviser, Ph.D.
Human Rights & Business Project
Danish Institute for Human Rights
Wilders Plads 8H
1403 Copenhagen K, Denmark
Email: mhj@humanrights.dk
Tel: +45 32 69 89 34

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