Vodacom’s Journey in Human Rights

Vodacom’s Journey in Human Rights: An Empowered Experience 

Since 2011, when respect for human rights was formalised through the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGPs), companies have been increasingly encouraged to respect human rights and to mitigate any adverse impacts. Beyond moral responsibility, companies must also follow national and international human rights frameworks and regulations. In recent years, this call to action has intensified with the passing of mandatory human rights due diligence regulations in several countries. There has also been an increase in business and human rights litigation. As we strive towards a world of equality, where no one is left behind, companies must take a structured and considered approach in integrating respect for human rights into the execution of their business activities.

Beginning a human rights journey is one of the most important steps for a company but also one of the hardest steps to take. Fortunately for Vodacom, we already had numerous embedded responsible business practices such as our robust employment practices, health and safety, and data privacy programmes. However, bearing in mind our purpose ambition to connect for a better future, the evolving regulatory landscape and increasing stakeholder expectations, we wished to strengthen our efforts to ensure that we are fully aligned with the UNGPs and other emerging standards.

As a leading African connectivity, digital, and fintech operator, serving over 206 million customers (including Safaricom) across consumer and enterprise segments, Vodacom is united in our commitment to human rights principles across our operations. This allows us to strengthen relationships with our customers, regulatory and government bodies, and other stakeholders. Importantly, it also allows us to seek out opportunities to invest in technologies that can contribute to individuals through inclusive access.

Being a member of the UN Global Compact provides invaluable resources and a network to drive continuous progress. To give effect to accelerating our human rights ambitions, the Group’s ESG team took part in the six-month United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) Business and Human Rights Accelerator programme (more information). This programme was enriched with global expert insights and peer learning, and helped the team set clear priorities on their journey to respecting human rights.

“We have strong responses to several of our salient human rights issues – such as data privacy – which has been shaped through a strong partnership with our parent company, Vodafone. But as an African company, we wanted to create a more formalised Africa-specific approach to address salient issues such as child rights and the use of artificial intelligence,” says Nola Richards, Group Executive Head, ESG & Sustainable Business. “This task can be complex, for example when considering data privacy within the context of law enforcement requests.”

The UNGC accelerator programme provided the team with specialist knowledge and tools along with the opportunity to network with peers from other South African companies. Armed with this experience, Richards began raising awareness and accelerated work with various specialists across the organisation to re-assess those issues which affect human rights.

This work considered where Vodacom helps people realise their human rights through access to solutions such as mobile money, education platforms and channels to government services. We also looked at navigating the challenges and opportunities within the supply chain amongst others.

 

Defining a robust human rights implementation plan was a key outcome of the accelerator programme, and the team have progressively worked to execute and update this plan. We have appointed Ncumisa Willie, Vodacom’s Human Rights Principal Specialist, and set up a human rights community to lead the programme in each country of operation, with the UNGC human rights training modules being a core resource for the network. We continue to strengthen the governance framework and have implemented a refreshed policy. The policy is underpinned by revised controls and supplementary guidance.

Willie collaborates closely with Vodafone’s Human Rights Manager and a cross-functional internal advisory group, which includes senior managers responsible for privacy, security, artificial intelligence, responsible sourcing, and diversity and inclusion amongst others.

“We continue to strengthen our control framework and define programmes in key areas such as child rights, while monitoring the evolving technological environment. We want to ensure that our teams conduct regular impact assessments and ensure we can track their performance and proposed impact mitigation plans.” says Willie. “This enhancement is crucial for mitigating human rights impacts more effectively.”

Effective stakeholder engagement is a critical pillar of the programme. We engage with expert organisations and actively take part in peer networks including UN Global Compact, the UN B-Tech Project, and platforms outside the UN, such as the Digital Rights and Inclusion Forum by the Paradigm Initiative.

Our participation in the UN Global Compact Business and Human Rights Accelerator programme has reinforced our commitment to embedding human rights into every aspect of our business. The evolution of our disclosures serves to provide to our stakeholders with a balance view of our progress in our human rights journey. We are pleased with our progress and will continue to improve.