Human rights abuses are closer
to home than you may think
Here in the UK, human rights issues can often seem quite remote from our everyday lives.
Yet frequently the organisations – be they governments or businesses – that abuse human rights have links to the UK. Just as individuals may choose to invest in businesses, so too do governments. In this way, businesses all over the world, including ones based in the UK, continue to support oppressive regimes.
But, by banking with The Co-operative, you can be sure that your money will not be used to finance governments and businesses that fail to uphold the basic human rights that everyone should be entitled to.
Our policy on human rights
Through our investments, we seek to support the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In line with this, we will not invest in:
- any government or business which fails to uphold basic human rights within its sphere of influence
- any business whose links to an oppressive regime are a continuing cause for concern.
Want to know more?
How do we define an ‘oppressive regime'? What do we mean by an organisation's ‘sphere of influence'? What does the policy mean in practice?
Our policy on human rights (open as PDF - 600Kb)
