SME’s in fact account for up to 90% of all registered firms in the global economy. Many Dutch SME’s have establishments, partners or joint ventures in developing countries. Furthermore, some companies outsource part of their production to companies in low wage countries or make use of suppliers in these countries. For all these reasons, Dutch small and medium enterprises are an important group to work with within the Human rights and business programme of Aim for human rights.

Research by MKB-Netherlands shows a growing awareness for corporate social responsibility within Dutch small and medium enterprises. The advantages for SME’s to implement human rights in their corporate policies are numberless. Advantages are amongst others: competitive advantage, good reputation, increased revenues and satisfied employees which may lead to cost-reduction related to for instance sick leave and a higher production rate. Small and medium sized enterprises though often lack the knowledge, time and financial resources to implement human rights within their corporate policies. There is a need for practical tools and guidance. The SME project of Aim for human rights offers both tools and guidance to cover these needs.

The main activity within the SME project focuses on the training and support of Dutch SME’s in the use of the Quick Check of the Human Rights Compliance Assessment (HRCA). The project focuses on the training of ten SME’s in the agribusiness sector. The use of the Quick Check takes a central place in the training as it offers companies a tool to implement human rights in their sphere of influence. Challenges and risks with regard to human rights in specific countries and in relation to supply chain management are also dealt with. Following the training, Aim for human rights supports the SME’s intensively for a specific period of time with regard to specific human rights themes and / or countries. More information on the HRCA can be found at www.humanrightsbusiness.org.

For more information about the Human Rights and SME project please contact Marina d'Engelbronner by phone +31 (30) 233 40 27 or e-mail.