Global Human Rights Principles

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Policy Name: Global Human Rights Principles

Issued Date: January 1st, 2024

Wesco International, Inc., its subsidiaries, and other businesses under its control (referred to as "Wesco" or the "Company") are dedicated to upholding internationally recognized human rights. Wesco demonstrates this commitment through our core values, the Wesco Code of Business Conduct, a zerotolerance stance against unlawful discrimination, internal policies, and adherence to global principles.

 

Our Global Human Rights Principles formalize our promise to respect human rights and implement business practices aligned with the principles outlined by the United Nations Global Compact, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous Peoples, OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and relevant laws in the countries where we operate.

 

These principles encompass the following, among others:

  1. Protect human rights and prevent and eliminate human rights abuses, including child labor, forced labor, exploitative conditions, and human trafficking in any form.
  2. Respect and appreciate differences in age, ethnicity, origin or heritage, gender or sexual orientation (including individuals identifying as LGBTQIA+), physical attributes, beliefs, language, education, nationality, social background, culture and other personal characteristics, supporting equality and professional advancement.
  3. Respect and uphold the rights of women, supporting an environment free from discrimination and violence.
  4. Respect and uphold the right to free, prior, and informed consent, including in particular with regard to indigenous communities’ cultural heritage and land rights.
  5. Require compliance with all laws pertaining to discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
  6. Respect the dignity and worth of employees, ensure fair treatment, and prohibit cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
  7. Provide equal opportunities for development, promotion, and fair remuneration without any form of discrimination.
  8. Maintain a safe and healthy work environment and foster a merit-based culture that values and rewards all employees.
  9. Respect the freedom of association and the right to engage in collective bargaining.
  10. Guarantee the human right to water, ensuring that our operations do not adversely affect the availability and quality of water resources in the communities in which we operate.
  11. Ensure that security personnel employed by Wesco and our third parties are thoroughly vetted and trained to respect human rights in all their operations.
  12. Engage with stakeholders to ensure Wesco policies and procedures incorporate and reflect diverse perspectives, fostering inclusivity and responsiveness in our approach to human rights.

 

Wesco expects the same level of commitment from all third parties involved in our business operations. We conduct due diligence to identify and address potential risks of human rights violations, non compliance with laws and regulations, or violations of our Supplier Code of Conduct, which is an integral part of our contractual relationships with suppliers. This due diligence may involve assessing the human rights track record of potential partners, conducting audits to ensure compliance with relevant laws, and ongoing monitoring of established relationships. We may take action, such as suspending or terminating a relationship, if a violation of applicable laws or regulations, as well as our Supplier Code of Conduct, occurs.

Incidents related to human rights violations, human trafficking, forced labor, retaliation, or other ethical concerns can be reported by all Wesco stakeholders through the following channels:

Incidents can also be reported to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' Global Human Trafficking Hotline through their reporting platform at: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/reporttrafficking

 

RESOURCES:  For more information: contact us.