The issue of human rights is particularly close to the hearts of all those interested in sustainability.

Human rights are the so-called inalienable rights of man, i.e. those that must be recognised for every person by the mere fact of belonging to the human race, irrespective of origin, belonging or place of living. They can therefore be defined as the fundamental rights of the human being.

Since the end of the Second World War, efforts have been made to make the entire population of the world aware of the protection and recognition of human rights irrespective of the state they belong to, the first step in this direction being the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.

There are mainly three categories of human rights:

• Civil rights: specific to each individual (freedom of thought, religion, assembly), they characterise personal freedom.
• Political rights: allow citizens to form a democratic state and enable them to determine its political direction.
• Social rights: these arose later than the previous ones and evolved with the passage of time and modern Society ; they are the right to education, to health protection, to care for the most needy

The issue of human rights is mainly addressed through two types of approach:

The normative approach related to the application by Society of a list of international treaties and standards, in particular:

• The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the first fundamental document to enshrine the importance of recognising these rights
• The 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which aims to safeguard the rights of children and their best interests.
• Adherence to OECD corporate governance principles
• Taking into account the 'Freedom House' ranking of non-free states in your investments

The exclusion approach applied to Society investing in sectors that may violate human rights:

• Society that do not respect workers' rights (ILO) and child labour regulations are excluded;
• Excluded are Society operating within countries where the death penalty has not been abolished;
• Investments in countries that are considered to be governed by oppressive regimes and therefore do not guarantee sufficient freedom are excluded;
• Excluded are Society that have committed human rights violations.

Our database shows that 72% of funds consider at least one factor related to human rights:

• 47% are active in protecting the rights of children and infants
• 54% are committed to respect for human rights
• 54 percent protect workers' rights by verifying the proper implementation of ILO regulations
• 38% people's freedom of expression is monitored
• 15% monitor the death penalty and the states where it is in effect