Skip navigation
Export development Canada
  • Français
  • MyEDC Account

    • Manage MyEDC Profile
    • MyEDC dashboard
    Log out of MyEDC

    Log in or sign up for…

    • Knowledge and advisory (MyEDC)
    • Credit Insurance
    • Portfolio Credit Insurance
    • Invoices and statements
    • Select Credit Insurance
    • Other EDC accounts
    • Contract Insurance & Bonding (EDC Direct)
    • Trade Partnership Insurance
    • Financial Institutions Risk Manager
    • Service providers
  • Contact us
  • About exporting

    Seize new opportunities to grow your customer base, increase revenue and generate more profits.

    Welcome to EDC

    • Getting started
    • Diversify to new markets

    Trade expertise for

    • Cleantech
    • Black entrepreneurs
    • Indigenous Business
    • Women in trade
  • Our solutions

    Manage the risks of doing business abroad and access the working capital and financing you need to grow your business.

    Managing Risks

    • EDC Trade Impact Program
    • Credit Insurance
    • Select Credit Insurance
    • Portfolio Credit Insurance
    • Performance Security Insurance

    Securing Financing

    • Investments
    • Investment Matching Program
    • Inclusive Trade Investments Program
    • Direct Lending
    • Buyer Financing
    • Structured and Project Finance

    Growing Working Capital

    • Working Capital Guarantees
    • Export Guarantee Program
    • Account Performance Security Guarantee
    • Foreign Exchange Facility Guarantee
    • Trade Expansion Lending Program
    • Surety Bonds

    Knowledge & Advisory

    • MyEDC
    • Get Export Help & Trade Advice
    • Search International Companies
    • Find Qualified Service Providers
    • Learn with EDC | FITT Lite Learning Series
    • Connect to Global Opportunities
  • Country and economic info

    Research international markets and get expert insights into the trends driving global trade.

    Search by Country or Market

    • Search all countries and markets
    • Indo-Pacific market intelligence
    • Europe market intelligence
    • U.S. market intelligence

    Expert analysis and insights

    • EDC Economics: Connecting Canada to the world
    • Global Economic Outlook
  • TradeInsights

    Explore our collection of learning resources designed to help you succeed in international markets.

    Browse Insights

    • Advice and insights
    • Webinars and events
    • Podcasts
    • Subscribe to receive EDC resources straight to your inbox
  • About us

    Learn about Export Development Canada (EDC), a Crown corporation dedicated to helping Canadian companies of all sizes succeed on the world stage.

    About our company

    • Corporate information
    • Management and governance
    • Transparency and Disclosure
    • Corporate reports
    • Newsroom
    • File a complaint

    Environmental, Social and Governance

    • ESG at EDC
    • Environment
    • Social
    • ESG Governance

    Working with us

    • Careers
    • Student programs
    • Procurement
  • Log in

    • Manage MyEDC Profile
    • MyEDC dashboard
    • Log out of MyEDC

    Log in or sign up for…

    • Knowledge and advisory (MyEDC)

    Credit Insurance

    • Portfolio Credit Insurance
    • Invoices and statements
    • Select Credit Insurance

    Other EDC accounts

    • Contract Insurance & Bonding (EDC Direct)
    • Trade Partnership Insurance
    • Financial Institutions Risk Manager
    • Service providers
  • Français

Human rights checklist

Ready to take action on human rights as they relate to your business? This guide can help.

Image of women working in field

Access the human rights checklistUnlimited one-click access through your MyEDC Account

Once accessed, this resource will be available on your MyEDC dashboard.

By submitting this form, I consent to receive EDC’s e-newsletters, trade information and promotional messages, and can withdraw consent at any time.

Access Content Access the checklist Cancel

Tell us about yourself

All fields are required

Tell us about your company

All fields are required

Tell us a bit more about your company

All fields are required

And lastly

All fields are required

Tell us about yourself

What is your company's export status?

Tell us about your company

Country:
Province:
Province:

Tell us a bit more about your company

Last fiscal year-end period, CAD.
How many people work at your company?
What are your export challenges?

(0) options selected

What industry sector is your company in?
What countries are you planning to sell to in the next 2 years?

(0) options selected

Back

Sorry, our system is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.

Already have a MyEDC Account?

Log in to enjoy one-click access to international insights, webinars, and resources that help you mitigate risk and grow your business.

Log in to MyEDC
Loading

Thank you! We hope you find this information useful.

What SMEs need to know

Embedding human rights in the way you operate is key to success on the global stage. All small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have responsibilities to respect internationally recognized human rights, and should have policies and procedures to meet these responsibilities. Use Export Development Canada’s (EDC) checklist below to get started or improve your current practices.

On this page:

  • Assign responsibility
  • Understand your human rights footprint
  • Define your human rights commitment
  • Put your commitment into practice
  • Establish a problem resolution process
  • Educate and communicate

                                    

Icon of business person and responsibilities

Step 1 

Assign responsibility

Who in your company has overall responsibility for human rights?

  • To ensure accountability and buy-in, appoint a senior figure in the company to lead the effort to address human rights issues.

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • Human Rights 101: EDC Guide for SMEs

                                    

                                    

Icon of magnifying glass on person

Step 2 

Understand your human rights footprint

Are you familiar with the full range of human rights your business could impact?

  • Consider employees, customers, suppliers, community members and any others touched by the operations or activities of your company.
  • Check human rights laws where you do business, or plan to expand. Also understand the country context (e.g., is there severe conflict, risks of child labour, etc.?)

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • Human Rights 101: EDC Guide for SMEs 
  • EDC Export Help Hub

                                    

                                    

Icon of pencil and paper

Step 3 

Define your human rights commitment

Has your company made a clear commitment to respect human rights? This is a key action set out in the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. It shows that your company understands its responsibilities.

  • Develop a statement of policy that expresses your human rights commitments and expectations of staff, suppliers and others connected to your business.
  • Document it. Put your statement of commitment in writing—either in a stand-alone human rights policy or by integrating the statement into other governance documents such as contracts, codes of conduct (e.g., employee code, supplier code), or other policies.

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • EDC Guide: How to Create a Company Policy
  • A Guide for Business: How to Write a Human Rights Policy (United Nations)

                                    

                                    

Icon of person on computer with checkboxes

Step 4

Put your commitment into practice

How will you operationalize your human rights commitment? Written commitments are not enough—companies need to show how these are upheld and respected. 

  • Conduct due diligence to identify all relevant human rights risks connected to your business activities. Sector or market-specific risks are important; for instance, human rights risks in apparel in Thailand are different from those in mining in Peru. Consider risks in both your operations and your supply chain.
  • Make a list of human rights issues to manage. Prioritize those that could be more likely and most severe in terms of impacts to your business and to people. 
  • Put procedures/systems in place to prevent and mitigate these risks. The nature and scale of your actions will depend on your business context.
  • Create plans to respond to any negative human rights impacts your company may cause or contribute to as a result of business relationships with other parties.

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (refer to Principle #17 and #18)
  • Apparel, Footwear and Textile Sectors: Thinking About Your Supply Chain 
  • New U.S. law to prevent imports made with forced labour

                                    

                                    

Icon of hand holding tool

Step 5

Establish a problem resolution process

Do you have processes to handle human rights complaints and adverse impacts?

  • Establish feedback channels for stakeholders to bring issues and complaints to your attention.
  • Put in place safeguards for employees, customers and stakeholders who may fear retaliation for speaking up such as a non-retaliation policy. 
  • Consider remediation. When people’s human rights are negatively affected, it’s expected that your company will put it right and provide a remedy. Hold suppliers/partners accountable for any resolutions required on their end. 

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (refer to Principle #31)

                                    

                                    

Icon of megaphone

Step 6

Educate and communicate

Is everyone within and outside your company aware of your human rights efforts?

  • Educate your staff. Build respect for human rights into your company culture. Ensure employees understand how to fulfil your human rights policy commitments.
  • Tell stakeholders. Make your human rights commitments publicly available (e.g., on your website) and use other ways, if possible, to be transparent about your human rights practices.

Resources

We recommend the following resources:

  • UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights (refer to Principle #22)

                                    

Also in this series

Looking to continue this series? Check out the links below:

  • 1 of 14: Sustainability 101: Time to embed sustainability into your business?
  • 2 of 14: How to write a policy 
  • 3 of 14: Human rights 101 guide
  • 4 of 14: Human rights checklist (this guide)
  • 5 of 14: Energy efficiency 101 guide
  • 6 of 14: Energy efficiency checklist
  • 7 of 14: Waste management and pollution 101 guide
  • 8 of 14: Waste management and pollution checklist
  • 9 of 14: Health and safety 101 guide
  • 10 of 14: Health and safety checklist
  • 11 of 14: Sustainability management 101 guide
  • 12 of 14: Sustainability management checklist
  • 13 of 14: Business ethics 101 guide
  • 14 of 14: Business ethics checklist

Want to learn more?

Sign up for TradeInsights and stay up to date with new ESG content in this series and other EDC trade information to make smarter export decisions. 
 

                            

Date modified: 2023-09-21

I consent to receive regular trade insights, as well as information about EDC solutions and events. I can withdraw my consent at any time by unsubscribing to any such message.

Sorry, our system is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later.

Thanks for subscribing

You’ll get our latest trade intelligence right to your inbox.

For partners and investors

  • Investors
  • Canadian financial institutions
  • Insurance brokers

Communities

  • Our alliances
  • Newsroom

Have questions?

  • Contact us
Government of Canada EDC Homepage
Export Development Canada
  • Privacy and Cookie use
  • Legal
  • Accessibility