Czech Republic

Pillar II. The Corporate Responsibility to Respect

Transparent consultation of matters of general interest [page 39]

If a business is preparing a major project that could be linked – even if only potentially – with human rights risks, open communication with all stakeholder groups is recommended. Negotiations should be guided by the following principles:

• They should take place sufficiently early on.
• The top management, or at least those with enough decision-making powers, should be involved.
• The form taken by the negotiations should reflect the seriousness of the risks, the scale of the project, and the addressees’ abilities and capacities (an online form, public meetings, personal visits).
• Plain language should be used in the negotiations. Complex legal or economic language may not be understood by the uninitiated and could be misinterpreted as an effort to conceal something.
• If the direct participation of a particular group is impossible, communication with their representatives or with experts familiar with the situation is an option.

Documents and sources of information

The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic collects model documents, guidelines and materials intended for businesses to improve the performance of tasks in this chapter, and posts them on the National Corporate Social Responsibility Portal: http://narodniportal.cz/