OMV Petrom is committed to promote, respect, and comply with internationally recognized human rights. We have been a signatory to the UN Global Compact since 2013 and are fully committed to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The primary responsibility for the protection of human rights lies with governments. However, OMV Petrom recognizes, according to the Group Policy, its responsibility to respect, fulfill, and support human rights in all business activities and ensure that it does not become complicit in any human rights abuses as defined under current international law. We undertake to act so that none of our management actions and activities originate, directly or indirectly, abuse or violation of human rights in any geographic location from our operations, not throughout the value chain and sphere of influence concerning to our stakeholders. Our strategic commitment “Zero harm – No losses” also translates into an expectation to respect internationally recognized human rights of people affected by our operations.
These commitments are materialized through the formalization of our Human Rights Policy, updated in 2017. The policy is aligned with internationally recognized standards, including the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact, the Universal Declaration of the United Nations Human Rights, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. (https://www.omvpetrom.com/en/sustainability/business-principles/human-rights)
The OMV Group Human Rights Policy Statement, approved by the OMV Group Executive Board, valid for all OMV Group entities, sets out understanding and responsibility to protect human rights in our business environment. It is our guiding principle for dealing with human rights issues in all aspects of our daily business life. These aspects include a commitment to provide a safe, healthy, and secure working environment and treat employees and those impacted by our operations fairly and without discrimination. To meet our concrete responsibilities with regard to human rights, we have established a well-structured Human Rights Due Diligence process as well as effective operational-level grievance mechanisms. OMV Petrom also endorses the Women’s Empowerment Principles of the UN to promote gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community.
Since 2008, we have mapped our human rights responsibilities in a comprehensive Human Rights Matrix designed to serve as the foundation for our activities in this area. We use this tool to assess our human rights challenges and activities and thus, prioritize our actions. The projects we implement reflect the Company’s responsibilities to the rights of our employees and partners. The Matrix is updated following international best practices and the latest developments in the human rights field.
Consequently, OMV Petrom holds itself responsible for protecting our employees’ human rights (i.e., non-discrimination, decent wages, working hours, employee representation) and the outside world, for example, our suppliers’ communities, vulnerable people, and society as a whole. Our external responsibilities in the area of human rights include, but are not limited to, equality and non-discrimination, privacy and family life, indigenous peoples’ rights, security, primary health care, labor rights in the supply chain (such as fair wages and working hours), education, poverty reduction, land rights, and free, prior, and informed consultation. We specifically concentrate on the impact of our activities on the human rights of vulnerable groups, women, and children.
Our Goals:
► To strengthen the rule of law and accountability for human rights violations.
► To approach and evaluate human rights concerning communities.
► To enhance and protect civic space and public participation.
► To enhance equality and counter discrimination.
► To integrate human rights in sustainable development.
► To implement the outcomes of international human rights mechanisms more fully.
At the OMV Petrom Group level, Corporate Sustainability Department is also responsible for human rights aspects. The overall accountability for our compliance with human rights lies with the respective business heads. Locally officers for community issues conduct due diligence at the operating facilities with the support of two human rights managers at the Group level (at OMV and OMV Petrom). Action plans and mitigation measures are implemented and reported by the respective functions, depending on which human rights subject is in question.
Thus, the Human Resources Department deals with human rights issues related to labor rights, the Procurement Department is responsible for managing human rights issues in the supply chain, the HSSE Department is responsible for security-related human rights issues, and the Community Relations and Development staff implements actions related to human rights impact on communities and indigenous peoples. Internationally recognized third-party experts support OMV Petrom in conducting the due diligence on the Company’s exposure to human rights risks for our operations and new entry country due diligence if needed.