Determining whether to enter into discussions with third parties
The nature of potential human rights violations substantially increases the possibility of parties other than your organisation and public authorities seeking to become involved. The incident management (IM) team should decide early on whether or not to engage with any third parties.
Immediate engagement can bring substantial public relations benefits. As well as distancing itself from the potential violations and influencing the portrayal of events, your organisation can demonstrate its commitment to resolving the matter at the highest level.
Consider early on whether to engage with the following:
- locally-affected stakeholders, including victims and local community representatives
- local and international non-governmental organisations
- local workforce representatives
Engagement with third party carries some risks. It may draw media attention to the matter and provide information that can be deliberately or accidentally misreported by the third party to the public, media and public authorities.
