Human Rights
Novo Nordisk is committed to supporting and respecting human rights. Support for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) has been an important part of the company’s commitment to social responsibility since 1999. This commitment requires Novo Nordisk to integrate human rights considerations into its business. This includes maintaining an open dialogue with stakeholders and reporting annually on human rights.
See the Novo Nordisk position on human rights.
Performance 2007
Novo Nordisk has in recent years conducted several company-wide programmes to respect and promote specific human rights, such as equal opportunities, access to health and responsible sourcing. During 2007, Novo Nordisk began developing a global standard regarding human rights of employees. The standard aims at setting global minimum standards for human rights of employees in Novo Nordisk throughout the company’s operations. It covers non-discrimination, fair wages and labour practices and other issues as spelled out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. The standard is a way to demonstrate Novo Nordisk’s commitment to social responsibility.
Also in 2007, Novo Nordisk continued to actively participate in the international debate on how to define corporate responsibility for human rights being led by the Special Representative to the Secretary General of the UN on business and human rights.
Engaged in dialogue
Novo Nordisk also engaged in dialogue in 2007 with Paul Hunt, the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Health, who is drafting a set of guidelines on pharmaceuticals’ companies’ responsibility for access to medicine, to be issued in 2008. Novo Nordisk supports the idea of such guidelines and has engaged in dialogue to help develop the guidelines.
As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, Novo Nordisk is committed to supporting and respecting human rights throughout Novo Nordisk’s sphere of influence, which includes first and foremost Novo Nordisk’s relations with the company’s employees and customers. But Novo Nordisk also strives to exert a positive influence on a global level, in cooperation with the company’s business partners and through engagements in the local communities in which Novo Nordisk operates.
From a human rights perspective, doing business around the globe involves risks as well as opportunities. The challenge in managing human rights is to ensure that potential human rights issues are identified and addressed at the right stage of relevant business processes. Novo Nordisk is currently developing internal tools and guidance to ensure that potential human rights issues are identified and addressed effectively throughout the value chain. This means taking these issues into account when managing people, developing and producing products, and investing and expanding in new markets.
Continued commitment to BLIHR
Novo Nordisk is a founding and active member of the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR). This group of leading companies came together in 2003 under the chair of former UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Mary Robinson. BLIHR’s aim is to translate into practical terms the aspirations of the UNHDR and to develop management tools and guidance to help companies work with human rights.
In the course of this programme, which is in its second period extending to 2009, the group has been instrumental in bringing a constructive response to the human rights and business debate.
Work is ongoing to develop tools to help the BLIHR members and the business community in general to integrate human rights into business management systems. In addition, BLIHR member companies engage with civil society, business associations and other companies to contribute to the debate and discussion on business and human rights.
General policies and practices
The Novo Nordisk Way of Management sets the tone both specifically in its support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and generally in the way that it sets out how Novo Nordisk should conduct business. It also includes the Fundamental that ‘Every manager must establish and maintain procedures in the unit for living up to relevant laws, regulations, and group commitments’, which obliges managers to consider how they fulfil Novo Nordisk’s human rights commitment in their own sphere of business activity. Many aspects of human rights are embedded in different parts of the business, eg equal opportunities, occupational health, trade union liaison etc within the human resources function, intellectual property-related issues in Corporate Patents, and access to health issues.
Right to health
Novo Nordisk is using its position as the world leader in diabetes care to promote human rights in the context of improved access to diabetes care. Access to health - defined as availability, accessibility, affordability and quality - is a critical precondition for effective prevention, treatment and care, and is increasingly viewed as a human right. Novo Nordisk believes it can play a leading role in helping people with diabetes around the world achieve the right to health. Read more about Novo Nordisk’s access to health initiatives here.
Responsible sourcing
The Novo Nordisk Responsible Sourcing programme works to ensure that human rights are systematically integrated into purchasing decisions. In 2002, when the Responsible Sourcing initiative was launched (then called the Sustainable Supply Chain Management Programme), all purchasers were trained in the human rights and associated ILO Convention requirements that form the basis of the programme.
In order to update new employees and keep trained employees focused on the issue, a Supplier Toolbox is available explaining all the rights and the ILO requirements, ie why they are important, how to spot violations, and the company’s requirements. Human rights included in the Responsible Sourcing programme concern: wages and benefits, working hours, health & safety, child labour, bonded labour, discrimination, disciplinary measures, and privacy. In 2006 the programme instituted a special focus on countries where both the business risks and the opportunity to raise standards – through close supplier engagement – are greatest.
In 2007 the scope of the Responsible Sourcing programme was broadened to include scientific licensing in R&D which will integrate social and environmental requirements as part of its due diligence criteria and contractual requirements.
Equal opportunities and non-discrimination
Since 2002, Novo Nordisk has had a programme on equal opportunities and diversity.
Employee training
Training has been focused on specific issue areas such as equal opportunities, responsible sourcing etc. The values and commitments associated with observing human rights are integrated in much of the company's general training.
Employee induction sets the scene by introducing in great detail the Novo Nordisk Way of Management, including the importance of social and environmental responsibility commitments. Fulfilling the commitment to human rights is ultimately the responsibility of the company’s employees. In this regard, training of new managers, while not explicitly articulated in terms of human rights, emphasises the appropriate behaviours, culture and treatment of people to be fostered within the company.
Appeal practices and grievance system
Novo Nordisk conducts facilitations and has an ombudsman as part of the Novo Nordisk Way of Management, to deal with any employee appeals or grievances, irrespective of whether they are related to human rights or not.
This page has been reviewed by PricewaterhouseCoopers as part of its assurance of Novo Nordisk’s non-financial reporting. Please refer to Audit and assurance for a full description of the conclusions and the nature of assurance offered.
