Human Rights - Develop & Adopt Policies

2010 – Honeywell International Inc.

 

 

WHEREAS, Honeywell, as a global corporation, faces increasingly complex problems as the international social and cultural context within which it operates changes.

 

Companies are faced with ethical and legal challenges arising from diverse cultures and political and economic contexts.  Today, management must address issues that include human rights, workers’ rights to organize and bargain collectively, non-discrimination in the workplace, protection of the environment, and sustainable community development.  Honeywell itself does business in numerous countries, some of which have significant human rights challenges. 

 

We believe global companies must implement comprehensive codes of conduct, such as those found in “Principles for Global Corporate Responsibility: Bench Marks for Measuring Business Performance,” developed by an international group of religious investors (April, 2003, www.bench-marks.org)   Companies must formulate policies that reduce risks to their reputations in the global marketplace. 

 

In August 2003, the United Nations Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights took historic action by adopting “Norms on the Responsibilities of Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises with Regard to Human Rights”   (www1.umn.edu/humanrts/links/NormsApril 2003.html).  We believe significant commercial advantages may accrue to our company by adopting a comprehensive human rights policy based on the UN Norms, serving to enhance corporate reputation, improve employee recruitment and retention, improve community and stakeholder relations and reduce risk of adverse publicity, consumer boycotts, divestment campaigns and lawsuits.

 

RESOLVED, the shareholders request the Board of Directors to review and amend, where applicable, Honeywell’s Code of Business Conduct to include human rights as a guide for its international and U.S. operations.  We request a summary of this review by October 2010 and suggest it be posted on the company’s website. 

 

Supporting Statement: Honeywell’s current policy, the Code of Business Conduct, contains no references to existing international human rights codes, and does not address the broad range of human rights issues that global companies increasingly face.  We believe that our company’s policies should reflect a more comprehensive understanding of human rights, and these policies should be periodically reviewed and updated.  The company’s current Code of Business Conduct was approved in January 2003, and the issue of corporations and human rights has progressed significantly since then. 

 

We recommend the review include policies designed to protect human rights—civil, political, social, environmental, cultural and economic—based on internationally recognized human rights standards.  We particularly urge attention to harassment or discrimination against women and other forms of violence in the workplace, as well as the rights of minorities.  We believe the review also should take note of the International Labor Organization’s Core Labor Standards, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Fourth Geneva Convention, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights, United Nations resolutions, and reports of UN special rapporteurs on countries where Honeywell does business.  This review and report will assure shareholders that our company’s policies and practices reflect and conform to human rights conventions and guidelines and international law.