Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights

The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights is a collaborative effort by governments, major multinational extractive companies, and NGOs to provide guidance to companies on tangible steps that they can take to minimize the risk of human rights abuses in communities located near extraction sites. The principles documents provide guidance to companies in developing practices that maintain the safety and security of their operations while respecting the human rights of those who come into contact with security forces related to those operations. The Principles give guidance on risk assessment, public safety and security, human rights abuses, and the interaction between companies and private security. The initiative's secretariat is Foley Hoag, LLD, a law firm headquartered in Boston.

The written principles represent a voluntary agreement between participating companies, governments and NGO's on what steps companies should take to ensure their security practices respect human rights. To distinguish between the principles and the multi-stakeholder initiative, the principles are frequently abbreviated to the VPs and the tripartite organization is abbreviated to the VPI (Voluntary Principles Initiative).

The introduction to the text of the VPs includes the following statement that captures the various interests that the principles attempt to address: “Acknowledging that security is a fundamental need, shared by individuals, communities, businesses, and governments alike, and acknowledging the difficult security issues faced by Companies operating globally, we recognize that security and respect for human rights can and should be consistent”

The VPs include provisions defining expectations that:

Through the inclusion of elements of the VPs in services contracts with security providers, the VPs have been cited as a precedent for the inclusion of codes of conduct in legal contracts.

While the VPs aren't designed to deal with root causes of conflicts, they do guide companies to have measures in place to prevent conflicts from escalating to violent confrontation. In an April 2015 article in The newsletter of the International Council on Mining and Metals, International Alert noted that while this potential seems to be recognized at senior levels in companies that have committed to the VPs, there is work still to be done to better implement the principles "on the ground". This reflects both the challenges of translating the principles into practices appropriate in each operating context, and also challenges companies can have in engaging with, and reaching agreements with, public authorities in operating locations.

The Principles are significant in two ways:

The Principles have also been cited as an example of moving the notion of corporate citizenship from principle into practice, though the commitment by participating companies to follow the approach articulated in the Principles.

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