Our human rights policy

• Upholding and enhancing universal human rights is a founding principle of 89up.

• We have embedded the enhancement of human rights in our own working practices and in our supply chain.

• We have the strictest protocols on due diligence for the third parties we work with. In particular, we never work directly and avoid indirectly working with autocratic governments, or companies who infringe on fundamental human rights.
   

Through the work we conduct for our clients, we seek to advance the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly, and association, using our expertise to amplify the voices of civil society organisations, NGOs, and individuals working to defend human rights globally. 

We are committed to ensuring that this focus is reflected throughout our entire organisation and operations, and believe that respect for human rights is an essential part of sustainable business growth and ethical corporate conduct. 

This policy outlines our commitment to respecting, protecting and promoting human rights, including the principles enshrined in the International Bill on Human Rights (consisting of The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and The International Labour Organization’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work). It guides our conduct in all locations where we operate and serves as the foundation for our corporate responsibility and ethical business practices. 

Set out below are the core areas where human rights are especially relevant to our business, and the principles which we are committed to furthering.
 

We respect the human rights of all employees, including permanent, temporary and contract workers, and strive to ensure fair working conditions, including reasonable working hours, equitable compensation, safe workplaces, and appropriate work-life balance. We recognise the rights of our employees to freedom of association and collective bargaining. 

We select and promote individuals on the basis of their qualifications and merit. We foster diversity and strive to maintain an inclusive workplace, free from discrimination. 

We expect all employees to be treated without discrimination or concern for factors such as race, religion, national origin, colour, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age or disability.

For employees outside the United Kingdom, whether directly employed or through business partners, we are committed to ensuring fair wages and working hours in accordance with local labour laws and international guidelines. 

Conducting due diligence on potential business partners and on specific projects, we seek to ensure that there is no form of forced or child labour in any part of our supply or production chain.

Our commitments:

• We were the first London Living Wage communications agency - paying a wage that ensures a decent standard of living for all.
• We conduct due diligence on all our suppliers.
• We have actively worked to improve our recruitment processes and have a proactive approach to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.
• We have removed Amazon from our supplier list due to infringements of fundamental labour rights.
   

We continually seek to identify, prevent and mitigate human rights failures, both in our own activities and in our supply chains, taking remedial action when adverse impacts are identified.

Our business partners are expected to respect the rights of their employees and suppliers, meeting standards consistent with our own. Before entering business relationships, we conduct due diligence and require completion of a human rights questionnaire to verify satisfactory policies and procedures.

We promote fair labour practices and ethical sourcing among suppliers and partners. In emerging markets, we pay particular attention to adherence to environmental, health and safety standards, prohibitions against forced and child labor, and compliance with local wage and hour laws. 

Our commitments:

• We work to ensure all our suppliers adhere to the London Living Wage where appropriate.
• We work to identify human rights compliance by our business partners through a due diligence checklist.
• We only work with clients where there is no conflict with our high human rights, as well as UN SDGs, standards.
• We never work with autocratic governments or political movements.

We recognise that many of our clients advocate for people facing significant challenges due to factors such as economic hardship, discrimination, and social marginalisation. The dignity, safety, and well-being of these individuals remain priorities in our work.

We strive to ensure that our communications and campaigns are respectful, responsible and sensitive to people’s unique needs and experiences, and that they respect human rights and do not inadvertently promote harmful practices in any way.We aim to amplify people's voices in ways that empower them, protect their rights, and advocate for meaningful change while safeguarding their privacy and security. 

Our commitment to conducting business with integrity, fairness, and transparency includes declining work with organisations or campaigns that undermine human rights principles.
 

Our commitments:

• We always anchor campaigns in real insights and stories, working sensitively and taking our lead from people actually impacted by the issues we work on.
• We seek to ensure that our narratives reflect the full range of people and perspectives it represents. We work to identify gaps in participation and propose ways to close them, including targeted outreach, follow-up interviews or asynchronous input options.
• We co-create campaign engagement and drive engagement from people who are often marginalised from the political process.

We maintain current knowledge of relevant human rights regulations and legislation and provide employees with training on implementing these principles in daily operations. 

The Senior Management Team is responsible for overseeing the implementation and effectiveness of this policy, and ensuring adherence across all levels of the company. Any of our suppliers, employees or other stakeholders who have human rights concerns relating to our work or operations should report these to our Legal Director at [email protected]. 

We commit to investigating all concerns promptly and fairly, protecting whistleblowers from retaliation, and taking corrective action in case of violations.

We welcome any thoughts or suggestions on how we can do more to further human rights in our work and operations. If you have any questions or concerns relating to the above, or would like to discuss how we implement our human rights policy in practice, please reach out to our Legal Director at [email protected].