One thing that has become clear throughout our years of work in human rights risk management is that the perspectives of affected people need to be at the heart of any effective due diligence system.
That’s why CORE team’s Serra, Cecilia and and I joined the recent conference on “Meaningful Stakeholder Engagement – from Principles to Practice”, organized by the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Sector Dialogues.
We were glad to take part as moderators in two deep-dive sessions on how companies can strengthen their risk management practices, both in general and in conflict-affected settings, by bringing real voices into the room.
We were especially happy to see the rightsholder perspective represented in the conference.
Having the chance to personally engage with affected individuals and hear their lived experiences firsthand is invaluable, especially for corporate practitioners who might not often travel to places where impacts occur.
Speaking with rightsholders directly moves the conversation beyond abstract principles and into the realities of human respect and genuine connection. Again and again, we see the value and change in perspective these types of interactions bring.
We hope that the BMAS, the GIZ as well as the Sector Dialogues will continue to invite and create opportunities for affected people to be increasingly represented in these kinds of exchanges.
The morning sessions gave us a wide range of perspectives on the principles and practical implementation, of meaningful stakeholder engagement, spanning trade unions, community voices, civil society, companies and investors.
Here are some key insights and examples we’d like to highlight:
Learnings from extractive industries: Daniel Baumert from GIZ shared lessons from local rightsholder engagement in the lithium mining sector. What stood out was the importance of involving rightsholders already at the design stage, not just reacting once a project is underway, but co-creating from the beginning. Building “communities of practice”, where questions are asked and experiences shared, has proven crucial. Lessons learned from this project are now being applied to bauxite mining to further improve engagement.
Perspectives from trade unions: Miriam-Lena Horn from the German Confederation of Trade Unions (DGB) reminded us that true representation means democratically elected unions, not “yellow unions” controlled by employers. Workers must be part of continuous dialogue, with the chance to influence and shape solutions rather than being consulted just once. She highlighted the realities on the ground: informal workers who remain invisible, union leaders who face repression, and grievance mechanisms that don’t work in practice. For engagement to mean anything, workers need to speak freely, without fear of retaliation, across all tiers of the supply chain. The DGB is working on a competence centre to support trade unions, strengthen engagement, and push for respect of union rights.
Community voices from Guinea: Amadou Bah from Action Mines Guinea brought in the perspective of communities living with the realities of bauxite mining in the world’s second-largest producing country Communities have clear priorities: reducing environmental harm, protecting health and safety, preventing forced displacement, and safeguarding access to natural resources. He stressed that rightsholders are not a homogeneous group, but that there are different people and groups to consider and engage in different ways. He also highlighted the importance of equipping communities to better understand company agendas, share information, and engage in monitoring, and explained that Action Mines is actively working in this field, for example by coaching community leaders to act as guides for others and be better informed about the potential impacts of projects on the community.
Research and trust-building: Padma-Dolma Fielitz from the German Institute for Human Rights (DIHR) emphasized the need to work with existing community structures rather than imposing new ones. Rightsholders want to contribute, but mistrust which is rooted in past experiences needs to be addressed. Economic, social and cultural rights are central, and although these are state duties, consultations with rightsholders need to account for them. She also pointed out that it is often assumed that affected groups and communities oppose corporate activity, when in fact they can bring data, ideas and concrete suggestions, if transparency on negative consequences and impacts and a willingness to exchange are a given from the very beginning.
Preparation as a key point: Lara Hutt of Fairtrade Germany shared her experience on the importance of creating safe spaces and preparing carefully on both sides, which helps to reduce power imbalances, even if they can’t be eliminated entirely. She pointed out that expectation management is key to addressing biases and ensuring that everyone, including rightsholders, can take part from the design stage of the engagement process.
Investor perspective: Gina Edmonds from Lightrock shared how, as investors, they assess a company’s human rights due diligence (HRDD) maturity as part of their ESG analysis, looking at policies, monitoring of human rights issues, as well as resources allocated to stakeholder engagement. For portfolio companies, getting this right improves investability, mitigates risks, and creates long-term value.
The afternoon sessions focused on further exploring meaningful stakeholder engagement through four deep-dive workshops, helping translate principles into practice.
In these smaller group discussions, we went deeper into the different principles of stakeholder engagement, guided also by the UN Global Compact Germany publication “What makes stakeholder engagement meaningful”:
- Based on trust
- Fit for purpose
- Rights-based
- Allowing for co-ownership
- Sensitive to context
The most powerful part of these conversations was hearing directly from rightsholder representatives from Guinea, India, Myanmar and Uganda, alongside stakeholders from Europe including business, civil society, trade unions, policymakers and academia. We could really see how human-level connections and exchanges can spark a change in perspective and deepen understanding. Human rights impacts were no longer just words on paper, but stories of real people and lived experiences. Listening, sharing and engaging openly with such a diverse group was a strong reminder of why this work matters.
Across the day, many important points were raised and pitfalls to watch out for became clear. For example, careful planning and preparation were highlighted as two crucial factors for making stakeholder engagement meaningful, building genuine relationships, and enabling targeted action on negative impacts.
At the same time, it’s important not to get lost in the principles, but to use them as reference points, guiding you while focusing on actually moving forward.
In the end, stakeholder engagement is about human interaction.
Yes, it’s not simple, but it’s also not overly complicated. Dialogue takes its own flow. As with other due diligence steps, stakeholder engagement is an iterative learning process, and it’s okay to make mistakes at the beginning as long as those learnings help improve future practice.
What matters is being genuinely interested in the exchange, treating each other with respect and on equal footing, and committing to co-create solutions that recognize the different needs, experiences and perspectives of people your business affects.
Note: The findings of the event will be condensed into a policy paper, which will be published on the Sector Dialogues’ website: https://www.csr-in-deutschland.de/EN/Home/home.html
Stephanie for the CORE team
