Our expertise

Business & Human Rights

In the complex, fast-evolving and increasingly regulated field of corporate responsibility, Omnia assists corporate clients to meet their legal, ethical and commercial responsibilities to respect human rights.  By helping our clients to develop and execute appropriate strategies, we empower businesses to identify and manage risks, guard against and overcome legal and reputational challenges, and achieve their commercial goals in a sustainable way.

Omnia advises and supports companies on embedding respect for human rights throughout their organisations and supply chains, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  We help businesses to understand and meet their obligations under applicable law and regulations, including the Modern Slavery Act and the Dodd-Frank Act, and also to harness the commercial benefits of a proactive approach to good corporate citizenship.  For example, we advise on:

• Corporate policies and processes
• Strategy implementation and performance monitoring
• Risk assessment and human rights due diligence
• Reporting, communications and stakeholder engagement
• Anti-corruption and corporate investigations
• Grievance mechanisms, complaints handling, employment disputes and human rights challenges
• Training
• Specialist advice on discrete and complex matters

Select Business and Human Rights Experience

• Omnia advises a leading international manufacturer on issues relating to Global Corporate Citizenship. This work has included:
  • Analysing and advising on existing corporate policies and processes;
  • Conducting a human rights impact review of select factories across the globe, including assessing working conditions and labour relations;
  • Leading strategy meetings with Board and Senior Management;
  • Delivering recommendations to address identified human rights risks;
  • Reviewing and advising on implementation of Omnia’s recommendations, including in respect of the creation of a global Compliance function; and
  • Advising on narrative and message development as part of a tailored internal and external communications strategy.
• Omnia is advising an international manufacturer headquartered in Asia in respect of a strategic review of its approach to human rights globally.
• Omnia advised a multinational extractives company on the integration of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights throughout its operations. This included reviewing and drafting human rights and related corporate policies and processes and training the Board and Senior Management on policy matters.
• Omnia advised a Fortune 50 electronics company on the international human rights and humanitarian law relevant to its operations in a conflict zone, providing legal, strategic, communications and stakeholder engagement counsel.  On an ongoing basis, Omnia is engaged by this company to advise on human rights and social and environmental responsibility issues, including: human rights and ethical sourcing, including international human rights and humanitarian law, conflict minerals and human trafficking.