A little over five years ago, I made a commitment to myself.
I will talk about the climate crisis, and the connections between human rights due diligence and the climate crisis, at every opportunity I get. 🌎
I will make sure to weave a future-focused view into all my human rights work so companies can get to see the road ahead.
I will play my part in creating inter-connections between areas of speciality. 🤝
At the time, this was not at all a popular thing to be saying. These are the kinds of responses I would get: “Well, the climate is a whole other area, I don’t see why we need to be talking about it when it’s someone else’s job.” “Our field is qualitative and that one is quantitative. Let’s not risk diluting human rights.” “Human rights work is already not easy, why would we make it harder?”
I felt really frustrated and powerless. I was convinced this was the road ahead for business and human rights, but we just weren’t able to see it yet.
I decided on Human Rights Day 2019 that it didn’t matter if people were able to hear it or not. I would continue anyway, even if it meant that I could lose the credibility I had built as a business and human rights advisor. Maybe I’d need to stop consulting. I wrote in my journal other jobs I could do if I stopped advising companies, and then I went for it, all in. 💡
I published my first public piece linking climate change, human rights and companies together (still available here!), and decided to block out Thursdays and Fridays to read everything I could on these areas to get the word out to all for free on what is happening in this field - creating connections with climate change wherever possible.
And five years later, this is the listserv that you are reading today!! ✨
So, it’s been an extraordinary journey—from the moment I pressed 'publish' on that post, fully expecting my commitment might mark the end of my consulting career, to now leading an amazing team at Human Level. We’ve partnered since with such a diverse range of companies to drive forward-looking, impactful work that embraces the interconnectedness of it all, rooted firmly in robust human rights due diligence.
It was then that I started my wall of human rights leaders and movements. These pics inspire me to remember every day that true human rights change requires two things: courageous leadership combined with the power of community and systems working together. You can see a glimpse of that wall and my Human Rights Day 2024 message here.
Have a good weekend everyone!
Anna đź’«
