DP WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE REPORT 2021
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OUR WORLD, ETHICS
WE ARE COMMITTED TO IMPLEMENTING THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF GOVERNANCE TO TACKLE CORRUPTION, MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN OUR OPERATIONS.
At DP World, we believe that human rights are inherent to everyone. Ensuring that we enable smart trade in a responsible way is core to how we operate and change what is possible. Stakeholder expectations from our materiality analysis have cited business ethics, integrity and human rights as critical areas of focus for any organisation. Corruption is a considerable obstacle to global economic and social development and has negative impacts on sustainable development. For companies, corruption obstructs business growth, affects company morale, escalates costs and can lead to serious legal and reputational risks. DP World’s ‘Our World, Our Future’ strategy is aligned with the UN SDGs so that our actions can contribute to a greater collective impact. Being a signatory to the UNGC and its ten principles means that we are committed to aligning our operations and strategies with these principles, and will conduct our business responsibly and ethically. This section outlines our commitments and actions to uphold and respect human rights. Information on how we tackle anti-corruption is included under ‘Risk Management’ in the Annual Report 2021 on page 46 and in the Governance section on pages 80 and 81 of the Annual Report. An internal Human Rights Working Group was established in 2019, to safeguard human rights across our global business operations. The Human Rights Working Group reports to DP World’s Governance and Sustainability Committee on the policies, initiatives and progress made on the human rights framework and
performance, and is comprised of senior members from Group Corporate Secretariat, Sustainability and Impact, Health, Safety and Environment, Procurement, People, Enterprise Risk and Security departments. In July 2020, we issued our Group Human Rights Policy and Human Rights Statement, which was endorsed by our Chairman. This policy establishes a framework for the actions we will implement and informs our stakeholders of the position DP World takes on human rights. It applies to all entities under the operational control of the Group and all DP World Group employees. In addition, DP World expects its suppliers and contractors to uphold the key principles of this policy and adopt similar policies of their own. Our Human Rights statement is available on our website. A further policy sets out our zero-tolerance of modern slavery, human trafficking and child labour, and is applicable to both our own organisation and our suppliers. The policy upholds workers’ rights to freedom of association in jurisdictions where it is legal. It outlines details of how our employees can report any concerns they may have regarding human rights. Our modern slavery and human trafficking statement is available on our website. It outlines details of additional policies which include provisions on modern slavery, human trafficking, child labour and forced labour. We also have a supplier self-assessment system in place relating to modern slavery and human trafficking as part of our vendor screening process.
We have published a vendor code of conduct, and any risk attached to a prospective vendor over modern slavery or human trafficking is factored into our procurement decisions. Our policy compliance is independently assessed by our Internal Audit department during planned business audits undertaken as part of a risk-based approach. We are committed to creating a working environment where our workforce feels valued. This commitment to fair treatment is reflected in our Group policies, which encompass guidelines concerning equal opportunities, anti-discrimination, anti-corruption, anti-bullying and harassment, working hours, working from home, employee grievance mechanisms and recruitment and selection. We recognise and support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also ensure we respect human rights and implement appropriate labour standards in the countries where we operate. In the development of our labour policies as a minimum, we ensure compliance with national and local laws and seek to exceed these where possible. In 2021, we conducted a global risk mapping exercise to assess our human rights risks across our business operations, reviewing 46 countries where DP World does business.
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