Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP) is initiating its first-ever comprehensive human rights audit across the company’s Indonesian operations, heeding the United Nations call for the global protection of human rights by businesses around the world.

In June, the United Nations Human Rights Council endorsed for the first time a set of guiding principles for business on human rights performance using the “protect, respect and remedy” framework. APP has committed itself to adopting this framework in assessing and addressing human rights policies throughout its operations.

These new “Corporate Responsibility to Protect” principles provide a blueprint for companies on how to know and show they are respecting human rights. The Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights outline how states and businesses should implement the UN “Protect, Respect and Remedy” framework in order to better manage business and human rights challenges. The principles are the result of six years of research led by Professor Ruggie of Harvard University, involving governments, companies, business associations and civil societies around the world. They are designed to ensure both human rights protections as well as providing clear course for conflict resolution.

The UN guidelines focus on due diligence as the first core principle and critical step for corporations. In line with this principle, APP has appointed Mazars Indonesia to independently assess existing stated policies, principles and performance across the company’s corporate operations, eight Indonesian pulp and paper mills and supply chain.