Human Rights Policy

Descalza is committed to respecting human rights in all aspects of our business operations. We recognize that businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights as outlined in internationally recognized frameworks.

We respect human rights and specifically commit to the:
 
  1. U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights - We support the U.N.'s guiding principles that recognize:
    • A States' obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights and fundamental freedoms
    • The role of business enterprises to comply with all applicable laws and to respect human rights
    • That States must take appropriate steps to investigate, punish and redress business-related human rights abuses when they do occur.
  2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights - We support the fundamental human rights and freedoms outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights based on the inherent dignity and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world.
  3. International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work - We support these fundamental ILO rights: 
    • Freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining
    • The elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labor
    • The effective abolition of child labor
    • The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation
    • A safe and healthy working environment
This commitment applies to all our operations, our employees, contractors, and business relationships throughout our value chain.

To support these commitments, it is our policy to:
  1. Evaluate the human rights impacts of our clients and projects to ensure that they do not adversely affect the fundamental rights and dignity of all people. We do this by:
    • Assessing each potential engagement based on project size, time commitment, connection to human rights issues, and risk level. 
    • Each year, we document our assessments for the three most important client and project engagements, put mitigation actions in place when needed, and track how well these measures work to continuously improve our approach.
  2. Evaluate our procurement activities to ensure our company's financial relationships align with our human rights commitments. We do this by:
    • Determining our three most material procurement decisions based on spend and business impact.
    • Assessing the human rights impacts of our procurement decisions by evaluating a company's labor, wages, and equality practices.
    • Each year, we document our procurement practices and evaluate whether any changes are needed.
  3. Identify, prevent, and mitigate adverse human rights impacts through ongoing due diligence, stakeholder engagement, and continuous improvement of our policies and practices.