Big Oil moves ahead on human rights, slowly

Unocal Corp., later acquired by Chevron Corp., was buffeted by protests for refusing to leave Myanmar, while Exxon Mobil Corp. has faced pressure for years over alleged abuses by Indonesian military guards that protected its facilities in the remote Aceh province.

Chevron and Occidental Petroleum Corp. have suffered a lingering backlash from activists over their roles in Ecuador and Colombia, respectively.

But after years of public pressure, activists say Big Oil has begun to change its approach to human rights issues, with many showing signs they are taking it more seriously than ever.

Ten, or even five, years ago, many oil executives would have scoffed at the notion of placing human rights on their agenda, arguing that they are businesses, not government entities.

More recently, however, several major oil companies have come out with explicit statements outlining a human rights policy and pledging to support widely accepted principles in what activists are hailing as an important first step.

"Ten years ago, companies did not feel like they needed to come out with a human rights policy and today they all do," said Arvind Ganesan, director of business and human rights program at Human Rights Watch. "They recognize they have to deal with human rights."

PAPER GOALS?

Last year, Exxon Mobil rolled out a set of guidelines on security and human rights in seven countries, which includes reporting security incidents, vetting private security providers, and mandates training for private security forces.

Earlier this year, Chevron adopted a human rights statement after consulting with outside experts. The statement does not reflect any change in policy or approach by the company, but is intended to raise awareness of the issue, Chevron's Corporate Responsibility manager, Maria Pica, told Reuters.