Every year on December 10, the United Nations commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the General Assembly in 1948, with the Human Rights Day. These fundamental values also form the basis of all business activities at Deutsche Telekom. By updating its policy statement on the human rights strategy, Deutsche Telekom is reaffirming its clear commitment to respecting and promoting human rights, and publishing the results of its annual human rights risk analysis.
“Respecting and promoting human rights is a matter of course for us. The daily implementation is our joint responsibility,” emphasizes Birgit Bohle, Member of the Board of Management for Human Resources and Legal Affairs at Deutsche Telekom.
For over two decades, the protection of human rights and the environment has been firmly anchored in Deutsche Telekom’s corporate activities. The values of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights are just as relevant today as they were in 1948: They stand for the international community’s promise of dignity, freedom, justice, and peace – a promise to which Deutsche Telekom is also committed. The global implementation of these values is the basis for its corporate activities.
The policy statement on the human rights strategy addresses our commitments as well as the expectations we place on our partners and how we implement them. It encompasses our Group-wide Code of Human Rights (pdf, 203.7 KB) and the annual reporting on identified risks (“Annual Report LkSG”).
In its annual policy statement, Deutsche Telekom discloses the identified human rights and environmental risks along its supply chain and creates transparency about the procedures initiated to avoid risks. At the same time, it derives clear expectations for employees and supplier companies.
“When it comes to human rights, there’s no gray areas: No matter where they’re located, we demand a clear commitment from our business partners and suppliers to ensure human rights and environmental protection – and make this the basis of the contract. Anyone who works with us must comply with human rights and environmental protection,” emphasizes Christian Illek, Deutsche Telekom’s CFO.
The policy statement also serves as an annual report that can be viewed online, which large companies publish in accordance with the German Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations for the Prevention of Human Rights Violations in Supply Chains (LkSG).
“Human rights don’t just take care of themselves: More extensive obligations make it clear that each and every one of us must actively implement corporate due diligence obligations. This not only strengthens society in the long term; it also improves the global economy,” explains Christian Illek.
Human rights is a matter for us all: In order to make the topic more accessible beyond these abstract declarations of intent and legal clauses, information on how the Group is committed to human rights and environmental issues and which rights and reporting channels are in place can be found in a clearly structured way on Deutsche Telekom’s website.
