Human Rights

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Human Rights

Novo Nordisk is committed to respecting and promoting human rights. Support for the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) has been an important part of the company’s commitment to social responsibility since 1998. This commitment requires Novo Nordisk to integrate human rights considerations into its business. This includes maintaining an open dialogue with stakeholders and reporting annually on human rights.

See the Novo Nordisk position on human rights.

Performance 2008

Novo Nordisk has in recent years conducted several company-wide programmes to respect and promote specific human rights, such as equal opportunities, access to health and responsible sourcing. During 2008, Novo Nordisk worked to develop a global standard regarding human rights of employees. The standard aims at setting global minimum standards for human rights of employees in Novo Nordisk throughout the company’s operations. It covers non-discrimination, fair wages and labour practices and other issues as spelled out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. The standard is a way to demonstrate Novo Nordisk’s commitment to social responsibility.

2008 marked the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On this occasion, Novo Nordisk launched a publication on its contribution to the right to health to support the campaign ‘Every human has rights’ led by the the Elders a group of personalities including Mary Robinson, Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. Novo Nordisk also supported the organisation of an International Seminar on Business and Human Rights on 4 and 5 December in Paris.

Engaged in dialogue

Novo Nordisk continued its dialogue in 2008 with Paul Hunt, the UN Rapporteur on the Right to Health. The Human Rights Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Companies in relation to Access to Medicines were finalised and presented at the UN.

In 2008 Novo Nordisk is working with other pharmaceutical companies to develop a pharmaceutical human rights tool with the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Novo Nordisk also joined a Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) working group to improve GRI human rights indicators. This is part the project - Human Rights: A Call to Action co-led by Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, GRI and United Nations Global Compact.

As a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and member of the UN Global Compact Human Rights Working Group, Novo Nordisk is committed to respecting and promoting human rights throughout Novo Nordisk’s sphere of influence, which includes first and foremost Novo Nordisk’s relations with the company’s employees and customers. Novo Nordisk also strives to exert a positive influence on a global level, in cooperation with the company’s business partners and through engagements in the local communities in which Novo Nordisk operates.

From a human rights perspective, doing business around the globe involves risks as well as opportunities. The challenge in managing human rights is to ensure that potential human rights issues are identified and addressed at the right stage of relevant business processes. Novo Nordisk is currently developing internal tools and guidance to ensure that potential human rights issues are identified and addressed effectively throughout the value chain. This means taking these issues into account when managing people, developing and producing products, and investing and expanding in new markets.

Continued commitment to BLIHR

Novo Nordisk is a founding and active member of the Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights (BLIHR). This group of leading companies came together in 2003 under the chair of former UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Mary Robinson. BLIHR’s aim is to translate into practical terms the aspirations of the UDHR and to develop management tools and guidance to help companies work with human rights.

In the course of this programme the group has been instrumental in bringing a constructive response to the human rights and business debate. BLIHR has also been in close dialogue with the mandate of the Special Representative to the Secretary General of the UN on business and human rights John Ruggie who has developed a framework for business responsibility to respect human rights endorsed by the UN in 2008.

Work is ongoing to develop tools to help the BLIHR members and the business community in general to integrate human rights into business management systems. In addition, BLIHR member companies engage with civil society, business associations and other companies to contribute to the debate and discussion on business and human rights.

General policies and practices

The Novo Nordisk Way of Management sets the tone both specifically in its support for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and generally in the way that it sets out how Novo Nordisk should conduct business. It also includes the Fundamental that ‘Every manager must establish and maintain procedures in the unit for living up to relevant laws, regulations, and group commitments’, which obliges managers to consider how they fulfil Novo Nordisk’s human rights commitment in their own sphere of business activity. Many aspects of human rights are embedded in different parts of the business, eg equal opportunities, occupational health, trade union liaison etc within the human resources function, intellectual property-related issues in Corporate Patents, and access to health issues.

Right to health

Novo Nordisk is using its position as the world leader in diabetes care to promote human rights in the context of improved access to diabetes care. The Novo Nordisk access to health strategy is underpinned by the UN right to health definition of availability, accessibility, affordability and quality.. Read more about Novo Nordisk’s access to health initiatives here.

Responsible sourcing

The Novo Nordisk Responsible Sourcing programme works to ensure that human rights standards are systematically integrated into purchasing decisions. In 2002, when the Responsible Sourcing initiative was launched (then called the Sustainable Supply Chain Management Programme), all purchasers were trained in the human rights and associated ILO Convention requirements that form the basis of the programme.
Please refer to the performance section on Responsible Sourcing for further update.

Equal opportunities and non-discrimination

Since 2002, Novo Nordisk has had a programme on equal opportunities and diversity.

Employee training

Training has been focused on specific issue areas such as equal opportunities, responsible sourcing etc. The values and commitments associated with observing human rights are integrated in much of the company's general training.

Employee induction sets the scene by introducing in great detail the Novo Nordisk Way of Management, including the importance of social and environmental responsibility commitments. Fulfilling the commitment to human rights is ultimately the responsibility of the company’s employees. In this regard, training of new managers, while not explicitly articulated in terms of human rights, emphasises the appropriate behaviours, culture and treatment of people to be fostered within the company.

Appeal practices and grievance system

Novo Nordisk conducts facilitations and has an ombudsman as part of the Novo Nordisk Way of Management, to deal with any employee appeals or grievances, irrespective of whether they are related to human rights or not.

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