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If trust between the enterprise and affected stakeholders is low or human
rights risks significant, it can be highly beneficial to provide for joint oversight
of the mechanism by representatives of both the enterprise and the affected
stakeholder groups. This can help ensure that the mechanism is trusted by its
intended user groups, and that its accessibility and processes are best tailored
to their needs. If joint oversight is not deemed necessary or appropriate, there
should at a minimum be input to its design or evaluation from the affected
stakeholders, as provided under Guiding Principle 31.
Q 75. How does an operational-level grievance mechanism
relate to an enterprise’s wider operations?
The staff or departments in an enterprise that are responsible for human rights
and social issues will need to play a key, coordinating role in any grievance
mechanism. But the mechanism will fail if it is seen as solely their responsibility.
Resolving and remedying impact will often necessitate the participation
of others across the enterprise. The role of senior management becomes
particularly significant in ensuring that this kind of cross-functional response to
grievances is feasible and prioritized throughout the enterprise, for example
through appropriate incentives to relevant staff.
It may be necessary and appropriate for those personnel or departments
within the enterprise whose decisions or actions are relevant to an alleged
human rights impact to take a role in initial internal investigations. Where that
would be inappropriate—for instance, owing to a potential conflict of interest
or risk to individuals—they will still have a role in providing information to
those conducting the investigation. They may help to craft possible solutions
for remediation—again, where this is appropriate. And they will be essential
in ensuring the enterprise learns lessons so it can prevent or mitigate any
repetition.
Q 76. How does the mechanism relate to wider stakeholder
engagement?
The Guiding Principles and this Interpretative Guide repeatedly highlight the
role of stakeholder engagement in human rights due diligence for any enterprise
with significant human rights risks. An effective grievance mechanism is not a
substitute for this broad stakeholder engagement. Rather, it is an important
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