abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

8 Jun 2016

Author:
Article One

Interview: Irit Tamir, Senior Campaigns and Advocacy Advisor, Private Sector Department at Oxfam America

Article One:…What propelled you to move from law to business and human rights? Did the transition present any surprises?

I had always planned on a career in human rights…[A]n organization like Oxfam was always my end goal...I realized…the kind of impact that the private sector has on people’s rights and how much influence they have in the world…I’m surprised that I have to legitimize the human rights discussion…

Article One:…You help lead Oxfam’s Behind the Brands campaign…Why do you think companies respond to consumer pressure, even in the absence of consumers ‘voting’ with their wallet?  

…[T]hat’s a bit of an unfair statement. For one, we’re seeing a rise in ‘good-foodie’ companies…These companies build a loyal consumer base because they are focused on producing food in a nutritious, ethical and sustainable way…That is an indication that consumers do care…That said, Behind the Brands never asks for consumers to boycott brands. Instead we say: “You love these brands, tell them you want them to do business differently.”…

Article One:…[T]he Getting It Right tool…supports communities impacted by corporate operations in surfacing…actual and potential human rights impacts stemming from company activity. Why are community-led assessments needed and what are the main barriers to their success?

Ideally communities and companies would conduct human rights assessments in a joint or parallel way…However, there will always be companies that are not interested…In those cases, community-led impact assessments allow communities to…drive the due diligence process. That process can then inform other stakeholders…However, there are significant barriers to the success of community-led assessment, including…limited resources and…receptivity of the company…

4.     If you had one piece of advice for a CEO looking to advance respect for human rights throughout her company, what would it be and why?

If you really want to respect human rights you need to be willing to give up some power or financial benefit…

5.     If you weren’t working on business and human rights issues, what would you be doing?

I’d still be working on human rights, but more in the rights and crisis space…That’s what I thought I’d be doing, but when I joined Oxfam I realized how much opportunity there was in the business and human rights space…[Also refers to Coca-Cola.]